Layla Dudley

Before I enrolled in the Super Stylist course, I was looking for ways to train my new team. When I came across the course, I could immediately see it made a lot of well-rounded sense, not just about hair, but also the mindset and soft skills that are so essential for success today.

My team is made up of brand-new stylists straight out of beauty school, and I’ve continued hiring at that level because it’s a great stage to bring people in.

When I introduced the Super Stylist course to my team, they were really receptive. Everything is new to them, so they appreciate all the guidance they can get.

I first started the course with my original two stylists about six months into their time on the floor. We worked through it together—weekly sessions, then meeting every second week to go through a module. It really helped.

Now I’ve hired another new stylist, so I’ll be going through it again with her, which makes it my fourth time doing the course! But honestly, it’s been so effective at setting the tone for how we do things in the salon.

We love the mindset component. If you’re brand new, you don’t know what you don’t know. And from their perspective, it lays a strong foundation. They quickly understand that there’s so much more to this than just doing hair.

The course helps them see that this isn’t just a job, it’s a career. It’s artistic, yes, but it’s also a business. There are clear methods and systems that can help you grow faster, build relationships, and attract the kind of clientele you need for a successful career.

As the salon owner, it’s helped me too. I do quarterly 1:1 coaching with each team member, and the course has given us a shared language and framework for those conversations.

We’ll talk about things like:

• How’s your pre-booking rate?
  
• What’s your average bill?
  
• How’s your retail going?
  

It’s helped us understand the bigger picture. We look at the numbers, and sometimes they surprise us, sometimes they delight us, and either way, we’ve got a clear focus for the next quarter.

The course has helped create a shared understanding across the team, not just of the numbers, but of how to think about the job, and how to grow.

As a first-time salon owner working with stylists straight out of school, I wanted structure. Super Stylist gave both me and my team the clarity and framework we needed to grow, as stylists and as a salon.

Each stylist has developed their own strengths. One is amazing with rebooking, her column is always full. Others, especially the Gen Z newbies, can be a bit shy and slow to come out of their shell.

But the course gave them more confidence to greet clients, introduce themselves, and use their name. It sounds so simple, but it made a big difference.

Once everyone got comfortable with it, we started seeing Google reviews that said things like, “Wow, what a friendly place,” and “Everyone was so helpful and welcoming.”

Now, no client is just someone’s client. Everyone is greeted, no matter who sees them first. If someone’s sitting alone, someone else offers them a beverage or checks in on them. That mindset has spread throughout the salon and has had such a positive impact.

For me, the biggest shift has been learning to look beyond just “how much money came in.” Before, that’s all I focused on. But the course helped me link it to the drivers, pre-booking, rebooking, retail, and retention.

Now, I know what numbers to watch, and how they connect to the health of the business.

We’ve got a great reputation, and the Google reviews are flowing in. As a salon, we’ve gone from around 40% booked to over 60% booked in just a few months, which is huge, considering I’m averaging 80–85% booked myself. The new stylists are still around 30%, but the ones who’ve been here longer are now up to 65%.

Without Super Stylist, there’s no way we’d have grown this quickly. After less than two years in business, we’re running at a profit with a steadily increasing margin. And my salon just works better.

We’ve all got a clearer understanding of what we’re doing, why it matters, and how to do it a bit better each time. The culture it’s created is all about growth and continuous improvement.

If you’re thinking about doing Super Stylist, just do it. I took it 16 years into my career, and even then, I realised there were so many small tweaks I could make that would lead to big results.

For my new stylists, having that framework from day one has made them incredibly successful, incredibly fast, and I’m so proud of what they’ve achieved.

It was really interesting to me that once we started the course, the Google reviews suddenly kicked off. I’d had a link on our receipts saying, “If you enjoyed your experience, please leave a review,” but nobody used it.

But after doing the course, there was this shift, a more friendly professionalism started to emerge. That’s when we started getting reviews that said things like, “They’re so thoughtful,” and “They really care.”

It came from little things, helping someone with their coat, showing them where to put their bag. The stuff that goes beyond just being a good hairdresser.

Sure, you’re an artist, but you’re also a service provider. Someone who makes people feel welcome and comfortable.

The course gave us a better picture of what it really means to be a hairstylist. And people notice. That’s the beautiful thing, it’s working, and it’s thanks to Super Stylist.