HJ Business Live Archives

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Hairdressers Journal Interactive in the HJ Business Live category. They are listed from newest to oldest.

Clothes Show Live is the previous category.

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News & Events > HJ Business Live

HJ Business Live - an inspirational event

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Posted by Matthew
Dated: June 27, 2008 9:45 AM

Dated: June 27, 2008 9:45 AM

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Motivating Your Workforce Will Carling Style

Posted by

Posted by Kate
Dated: June 25, 2008 5:36 PM

Dated: June 25, 2008 5:36 PM

Sahar Hashemi on entrepreneurship
Peter Lunn on self motivation

Former England rugby captain, Will may not sound like the obvious person to inspire hairdressers and salon owners, but his experience of leading the team to numerous victories contains valuable lessons for anyone needing to motivate a team.

Will was just 23 when he was made captain of England, and he soon recognised that the players were not acting as a team.

"Most of the players didn't even speak to each other because they played for different clubs," Will told delegates. "They didn't talk about winning - their main concern was how long they would stay in the team. All they cared about was not being dropped."

When Will took over the job of captain the team was winning 20% of its games, when he left they were winning 80%.

The strategy Will employed could be applied to any salon business. It all came down to setting players long-term goals and constantly motivating them.

At the beginning of his captaincy Will presented each player with a wallchart, which plotted their lives for the next three years, broken down by each week.

"This started players thinking about three years down the line rather than the next game," said Will.

The other major change in approach was to start analysing how results were achieved. "I wanted us to stop just looking at outcomes and start looking at processes," said Will. "We needed to understand why we won the games we did win so that we could repeat the success."

Getting to know the team members as men and not just players was also integral to the team's success, said Will.

"It was important to get to know every player as a person so that when they walked through the door I knew what frame of mind they were in," he said.

Focussing on what players did well was also important, said Will. "In sport a lot of coaches focus on what a player can't do, I praised the guys about what they could do."

carling 1.jpg Will recounted an occasion where before a match against France he put a card under the door of each player's hotel room, with a personalised account of why he thought they were a great player. "It's little efforts like this that make a huge impact on people," he told delegates.

Learning to listen was another important element of Will's success. "I needed to know what the team needed from me. I needed to listen to them. I asked 'what can I stop doing to make it easier for you?'" said Will.

Delegates were certainly happy to listen to Will's story, and no doubt took away some valuable techniques for motivating their own workforces.

Tags: HJ Business Live , Will Carling

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Learning to Keep Clients Happy With Peter Lunn

Posted by Kate
Dated: June 25, 2008 5:18 PM

Peter Lunn 2.jpg HJ Business Live: inspiring hairdressers
Sahar Hashemi on entrepreneurship
Will Carling on leadership

Peter bounded on stage to an enthusiastic response from delegates and began his presentation with a bold promise: "I guarantee that you will take something away from the next hour that will make a positive difference to your salon."

The theme of his presentation was how keep clients happy by learning to listen - and ensuring staff share your vision.

"In British hairdressing we haemorrhage clients," said Peter. "We lose so many opportunities to grow client numbers. As managers, we may have high expectations by can we manage our people to deliver them."

Continued Peter: "A client expects your staff to be experts in terms of their skills, knowledge, advice and the service they offer. Clients are getting more and more educated - but we should be the ones getting educated and giving advice."

The aim, said Peter, should be to make all hairdressers hair review specialists - skilled at interacting with the client, engaging them mentally and emotionally and making them feel valued.

One of Peter's pet hates is hairdressers who talk to the client through the styling mirror. "Who else talks to people like that? It constantly puts people in a position where they feel uncomfortable."

The secret to getting staff to offer a more skilled service is to build their confidence, said Peter. "When you start new staff part of their initial training should be confidence building."

Peter's other major piece of advice to delegates was to ensure every one of their clients had a personal hair plan, including advice on what products to use and a schedule of when to return to the salon.

According to Peter just 20% of clients actually visit the salon every eight weeks, while 80% probably average no more then three times a year - a trend that could be turned around by an effective hair plan for each client.

But change must start with the salon owner/manager, said Peter. "If we don't improve our management skills, we will never improve the people that we manage," he concluded.

Tags: HJ Business Live , Peter Lunn

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'Anyone Can Do it' Sahar Hashemi Tells Hairdressers

Posted by Kate
Dated: June 25, 2008 5:06 PM

HJ Business Live: inspiring hairdressers
Peter Lunn on self motivation
Will Carling on leadership

Sahar is the woman who kicked off the coffee house revolution in the UK. She is also the author of motivational book, Anyone Can Do it, a title that sums up her life philosophy. But she didn't always possess entrepreneurial spirit.

"If anyone had asked me when I was younger if I was an entrepreneur I would have said 'no'," said Sahar. "Growing up, my image of an entrepreneur was someone like Richard Branson. I didn't make my first million selling sweets in the playground, so I didn't place myself in the same category."

Sahar followed a career that she thought would please other people - she became a solicitor.

"I was doing a job that didn't suit my personality. I was leaving 40% of myself at home every time I went to work. When I asked my colleagues why work wasn't more fun the reply was 'you're not being paid to enjoy yourself.'"

It was the premature death of Sahar's father in 1994 that forced her to reassess her life and take the decision to leave her job and visit her brother Bobby in New York. She had planned to use the time in America to reflect, but instead, the trip provided the inspiration that would make her a hugely successful entrepreneur.

While in New York Sahar discovered a coffee bar and fell in love with the range of lattes, cappuccinos and espressos available there, served with blueberry muffins by professional staff in modern uniforms.

During her time in New York, Sahar visited the café every day and found that when she returned home to London, she missed it.

A casual remark to her brother when he returned to London, that she wished she could find a similar bar in London, started the ball rolling. Bobby recognised there was a gap in the market and suggested the two of them be the ones to fill it. Reticent at first, Sahar began to research the London market. She soon became convinced that the UK was ready for a New York-style coffee bar.

The first 19 bank managers the pair visited looking for a £90,000 loan were not so easily convinced, however. "They asked me why a nation of tea drinkers would want American coffee bars," said Sahar.

Fortunately, the 20th bank manager did share their vision and the pair opened the first Coffee Republic on South Molton Street in Mayfair.

One important piece of advice Sahar passed on to the HJ Business Live delegates was: "Don't be put off by a 'no'. People are always going to say 'no' - factor that in and there is no dream you can't accomplish."

Sahar also stressed that Coffee Republic was not an instant success. "It takes 15 years to become an overnight success," she said. "We needed to turn over £700 per day to break even and for the first six months we were only taking £200. When you start something new, you have to factor in the fact that customers don't like change initially."

Customer came around, however, and in 1996 the pair opened their second store and by 1997 the number of outlets had risen to seven.

"I was beginning to feel like an over-protective parent and decided it was time to sell my shares in the company," she recalls.

The morning after she and Bobby had signed on the dotted line, however, she realised she had made a terrible mistake.

"It was like bereavement," Sahar told delegates.

There was no looking back, however, and following her foray into publishing, Sahar turned her entrepreneurial skills to confectionery with the launch of Skinny Candy, a range of healthy sweets and cakes.

Whether this brand will revolutionise confectionery in the same way that Coffee Republic did coffee bars remains to be seen, but if anyone can do it, Sahar can - and according to Sahar, so could anyone.

Tags: HJ Business Live , Sahar Hashemi

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Be Inspired at HJ Business Live

Posted by Kate
Dated: May 26, 2008 4:13 PM

HJ Business Live
Monday 23rd June 2008
Kensington Roof Gardens, London

What is HJ Business Live?

HJ Business Live is one day conference that will inspire and educate all salon professionals who wish to lead their organisations to greater heights.

With insights and information from award-winning business speakers, plus a panel discussion with successful salon owners, this day will give you tips, techniques, advice and information on how to grow your business and stay ahead of the competition.

What will I learn?

The day will be packed full of inspiring, informative speeches and networking oppportunities. Key topics covered will include, entrepreneurship,
self motivation and leadership:

9.00: Registration
9.15: Welcome
9.30: Sahar Hashemi - Entrepreneurship
10.30: Coffee
10.45: Panel session debate
12.00: Lunch
1.30: Peter Lunn - Self Motivation
2.30: Coffee
2.45: Will Carling - Leadership
3.45: Drinks Reception

Is HJ Business Live for me?

This conference is aimed at salon owners, managers and partners who currently run their own business.

It will also be of interest to all aspiring stylists and the salon owners of tomorrow - anyone looking for fresh inspiration as well as specialist industry
knowledge.

To give you more of a taster, here's what happened at last year's HJ Business Live.

How do I book?

For more information and to book tickets, please contact Dan Eversfield on 0208 652 8845.

Tags: HJ Business Live

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HJ Business Live Keynote Speakers

Posted by Kate
Dated: May 23, 2008 4:23 PM

HJ Business Live
Monday 23rd June 2008
Kensington Roof Gardens, London

HJ Business Live is a one day conference for aspiring salon professionals who want to lead their organisations to even greater heights. Expert speakers will give you key information on improving and growing your business as well as motivating and leading your team.

Leading hairdressing professionals will debate industry topics and keep you up-to-date on key issues facing the hairdressing industry today.

Sahar Hashemi

Sahar founded Coffee Republic, the UK's first US style coffee bar chain with her brother and built it into one of the UK's most recognised high street brands with a turnover of £30m.

Giving up highly professional jobs, she a lawyer in London and he an investment banker in New York, they staked
everything on a dream - and made Coffee Republic one of the main players in the 'coffee revolution' that transformed a nation of tea drinkers into one obsessed with 'triple decaf half-caf lattes.'

Her book 'Anyone Can Do It' has become the 2nd highest selling book ever published in the UK on entrepreneurship after Richard Branson's book -
according to Nielsen Bookscan.

Hear the powerful story of lawyer turned entrepreneur turned best-selling author!

The role of a Business Coach is to coach business owners to improve their business through guidance, support and encouragement helping salon
owners improve their profit, marketing, management, team building and so much more. Just like a sporting coach, your Business Coach will make you focus on the game.

For over thirty years Peter has been performing at the very top in hairdressing, and others now frequently benefit from his invaluable worldwide experience.
Having sold his training and product company in 1999, Peter now concentrates fully on his passion as a business coach.

Will Carling

Will was England's youngest and the worlds most successful rugby captain, taking on the position at the age of 22 and steering the side to memorable back-to-back Grand Slam wins in 1991, 1992 and 1995 and to the World Cup Final, before taking his retirement in 1996.

His business career has been as impressive as his playing successes. From Sedbergh School and Durham University he was commissioned as Lieutenant in the Royal Regiment of Wales before moving onto a marketing post with Mobil Oil in 1988.

In 1991 he founded and became Managing Director of a company presenting motivational seminars to Captains of Industry by Captains of Sport. He has also set up WCM Ltd a hospitality and event management company.

Will Carling is an inspiring and humorous speaker who is able to speak first hand on the synergy between business and sport and leading teams to success.

Panel Session
Debate the industry's hottest topics with our panel of hairdressing business experts. The panel session will offer a wealth of experience and insight into the issues that really matter to your business.

Get top tips on recruitment & retention, training or even PR and marketing.

Tags: HJ Business Live , Peter Lunn , Sahar Hashemi , Will Carling

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