Sustainability

Episode 201

18 July 2023

Despite the changes in the social media landscape, using Instagram effectively is still one of the most important tools to help you grow your salon business!

My guest on today's podcast is Vivienne Johns, a UK-based Instagram expert. At this point in time, being competent (at least) in using this social media channel (alongside the others) is a skill that you can’t afford to ignore.

On her own admission, Vivienne was late to embrace Instagram, but she has certainly made up for lost time and has established herself as a very relatable educator in a fast-moving space.

On this week’s podcast, we will discuss:

The ever-changing social media landscape
How people are consuming content today
How to manage and set guidelines around your salon's social

And lots more.

In this Episode:

[03:13] Vivienne shares the story of her career and her initial thoughts about social media marketing.

[05:18] The moment Vivienne realized she needed social media.

[09:04] Why Vivienne has chosen to prioritize Instagram rather than other social media channels.

[15:33] The benefits of using a variety of social channels for marketing purposes.

[19:46] Why the “post and ghost” approach doesn’t work on social media anymore.

[23:36] How to get the most out of the different social channels.

[27:00] Advice for enhancing the quality of your content and ensuring it is seen by your target clients.

[35:14] Why Vivienne believes engagement is the most important social media metric to focus on.

[39:19] How to create an Instagram aesthetic that showcases your unique brand identity.

[52:02] The importance of having your social media guidelines down in writing.

[52:32] Different ways of collaborating with your team members in the management of your salon Instagram account.

[1:04:09] Vivienne’s motivation for The Hairdresser’s Social Club and the value that it offers to salon owners everywhere.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

I also love to hear what’s been helpful and what you love about the podcast! Just click here to review, scroll to the bottom, tap “Ratings and Reviews” tap to rate with 5 stars and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favourite part of the podcast is. Thank you for your support!

Special thanks to Vivienne for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

The Hairdressers Social Club

Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Filed Under

Episode 143

31 May 2022

My guest on today’s Podcast is London based hairdresser and owner of a 5 strong salon group and academy Gina Conway.

Originally from California, she has been based in London for the last 20 plus years and has built up a great reputation as one of London's leading salons.

Gina is passionate about delivering a five-star level of service and is widely known not just for doing great hair but also for her total commitment to sustainably and the ethical side of hairdressing.

In the process, she has built up a considerable business and a reputation to match… and she’s just getting started.

In today’s episode we discuss:

Balancing the demands of life as the owner of 5 salons, a wife, a mother and finding time for everything else.
Sustainability in salons today.
Creating a team and culture where people want to come to work.
The customer service journey.
Growing a team and successful expansion.

And lot's more!

In this Episode:

[03:30] Gina also has a fashion degree and became interested in entrepreneurship.

[03:39] She moved to London 21 years ago and worked at John Frieda.

[04:04] Gina wanted to bring California sunshine to London and create a team and culture where people would want to come to work.

[05:08] Yes, it was love that brought Gina to London. One husband and three children later, and she's still here!

[08:21] We talk about what the industry can learn from different areas.

[10:02] Gina accomplishes so much. She is constantly innovating. She is so passionate about what she does, it doesn't feel like work.

[12:57] Being in your zone is like meditation. The mindful hairdresser allows hairdressers to be in the flow and create mindful haircuts. It's communication in a deep creative space for clients.

[15:27] Gina has three salons in London. She collaborated with a friend to consolidate marketing and now all of the salons are called Gina Conway.

[16:47] They also have an apprenticeship program where they train about 20 hairdressing students.

[17:19] She has a staff of around 100 people.

[19:17] Gina shares how John Frieda let her go when she talked about opening her own salon. Her new salon was empty, so she filled it with art.

[20:56] Gina built her customer service reputation in the industry by giving every customer the platinum treatment.

[24:51] Gina and her partner want to franchise sustainable salons and help other entrepreneurs.

[26:28] Look at your products. Are they using sustainable materials? Look at plastics and bottles. Look at energy and recycling. Consider everything that you purchase. Reuse and refuse, if you can. Think holistically about everything including water use.

[30:12] The green fee is included in the price of the haircuts. This is who we are and what we do. We also plant a tree for each client.

[34:28] Gina talks about the importance of having a strong culture and teaching the team the why and the values from the start.

[41:19] Generational changes include focusing on mental health and supporting students in making up for lost time. Stability, security, and finding a career path is also so important.

[49:34] A good salon should be generating between 12% and 15% with a goal of 20% in retail.

[56:42] Gina is constantly innovating and improving. She's all about momentum.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!
They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Gina for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!
Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Gina Conway

Aveda

Website

John Paul Mitchell Systems

Green Salon Collective

Website

Filed Under

Episode 142

25 May 2022

Today, the need to highlight environmental and social initiatives is more pertinent than ever. Unfortunately, those causes and everything they represent are often drowned out by the latest headline of the day.

However, the increased level of social and environmental awareness and urgency isn’t about to go away. In fact, these issues are only becoming more and more pressing. So, we all need to ‘own’ our contribution and stop waiting for someone else to fix our problems.

My guest on today's Podcast is Mara Gourdine, the Global Culture Ambassador at John Paul Mitchell Systems. Behind that impressive title, Mara is very much involved in the corporate side of directing and contributing to making change happen.

In my conversation with Mara today my objective is to keep coming back to how salon owners and stylists can adapt what a big business does and integrate those ideas into their own businesses.

In today’s podcast we will discuss:

What Mara’s day-to-day job consists of
The wider responsibilities of businesses today
The importance of greater diversity and inclusivity in every business
How salons can include the wider community in more local environmental and social initiatives…

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[03:22] What it means to be a Global Culture Ambassador.

[05:56] Mara shares the story of how she became the Global Culture Ambassador at John Paul Mitchell Systems, and what this role entails.

[14:48] The link between a company’s internal culture and its external impact.

[17:26] A Walk on Water; what this organization does and how John Paul Mitchell Systems became involved with them.

[25:05] Mara’s racial lineage, and the influence that this has had on her life.

[26:23] The global movement that was sparked by the death of George Floyd, and how John Paul Mitchell Systems responded to it.

[32:11] A valuable lesson that Mara learned from her mom about equity and inclusion.

[33:08] Perspectives to be gained from listening to the stories of people who are different from you.

[34:22] The importance of imagery and education when it comes to enhancing the inclusivity of your salon.

[38:22] Mara’s approach to onboarding employees at John Paul Mitchell Systems, and how it differs from her own experience of joining the company.

[43:55] Encouragement from Mara to share your joys and passions with others and to look after your mental and physical health.

[47:47] The key to building a compassionate company culture, and examples of how John Paul Mitchell Studios has done this.

[50:26] Why Mara doesn’t use social media.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Mara for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Mara Gourdine

Angus Mitchell

Instagram

John Paul Mitchell Systems

Paul Mitchell Schools

Website

A Walk on Water

Website

Filed Under

Episode 114

9 November 2021

We are living in turbulent times and as we come out of covid the issue that is staring us all in the face is how we all need to change the way we live and work in order to stop climate change.

My belief is that that is the biggest thing we will be dealing with during our lifetime. But I also believe that we can and will do it.

I think that Covid has shown us that when the world has to react and change and find different ways of working and inventing new technology in the form of vaccines etc that we can. But it’s down to all of us to do our part.

My guest on this episode is Karine Jackson from ‘Karine Jackson Sustainable Hair’ in Covent Garden London and she is a great example of a salon owner at the forefront of change.

In this episode we discuss:

What is a sustainable salon?
Is there a compromise using organic colour?
How being ‘sustainable’ is a marketing message that can help grow your business

And lots more!

In this Episode:

[03:18] Karine shares what her journey within the salon industry has looked like.

[06:11] How Karine’s salon, Karine Jackson Sustainable Hair, celebrates Black History Month.

[11:31] Examples of how Karine reduces the amount of waste she produces in her salon as well as her personal life.

[18:41] How Karine’s clients and staff have responded to her emphasis on sustainability.

[21:10] “Plastic is not fantastic”: lessons from Karine’s four-year-old niece.

[21:52] Sustainable sources of PPE that Karine has sourced since the pandemic.

[23:36] Where Karine’s advocacy for sustainability began.

[24:30] The client who sparked Karine’s journey to find sustainable hair care products.

[27:21] How Karine offsets the costs of paying for the Green Salon Collective recycling service.

[30:46] Problems with palm oil, and the multitude of products it can be found in.

[33:41] The difference between biodegradable and compostable materials.

[35:13] Why Karine has chosen to use Organic Colour Systems products in her salon, and valuable advice for other salon owners struggling to choose a brand.

[42:33] The refill service that Sustainable Hair offers for all their products.

[44:33] Examples of the sustainability pledges that Karine and her staff have made.

[46:50] How Karine stands up against the unsustainable practices of some major brands.

[48:54] Karine shares her thoughts on the downsides of globalization and how to combat these.

[51:16] Why Karine believes humans are becoming increasingly susceptible to allergies.

[52:21] The overwhelming nature of change, and Karine’s advice on how to get started!

[56:25] An experiment Karine conducted to assess the amount of colour waste they were accumulating in the salon, and the approach she used to drastically reduce it.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

Special thanks to Karine for sharing her insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time!

Antony

Links and Resources for this episode:

Grow My Salon Business

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Karine Jackson Sustainable Hair Salon

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Green Salon Collective

Website

Green Circle Salons

Website