Ian Harrold
“I started barbering in 1991 and I opened my first business in 1996 at the age of 21.
As a salon owner, I think it's very easy to become; “Do as I say and not as I do”, so because of that I decided to first work through the online Super Stylist course myself so that it made me feel accountable in the same way that I try to make my team accountable.
I think being accountable for your results really helps and after doing the Super Stylist course I have really seen my figures grow because of the little nuances and details that over time you start to leave out, or overlook, because you're so busy with other things.
As a salon owner the course really focused me and was a reminder of how it is being an ‘on the floor hairdresser’. And so when I had my clients in the chair, regardless of what was going on around me, I had to focus on that client and I had to make sure that the client's journey was as successful as I would expect from my team.
As a result I've watched my own retail figures grow massively, just based on the fact that when somebody's in my chair now, I have a much more focused view on how I interact with them. I'm not thinking about phoning the accountant or talking about something that's going on with a team member. When my clients have my time, I'm present more than I have been in a long time. And that's been because of the course.
When it comes to And for my team I think first and foremost the biggest change has been around mindset, whether it was about rebooking, retail, client experience, those three things have been put front and center of the client journey, which I could definitely say had lapsed over time.
The course helped the team because it took us back to a place where professionalism was more important and so the change in mindset has been massive and although we have lost a couple of team members the team are now more professional and accountable.
When it comes to the investment I made in the course, just in my personal retail sales alone, I'd paid for the course inside the first six weeks of starting just with the additional retail I was doing.
Having the course online has been an advantage for me because I was able to pause and implement some of the steps and then go back into it exactly where I left it.”
