Boost Your Barbershop Business with Business Live Seminars

If you’re looking to give your barbershop business a boost, Salon International’s Business Live seminars are perfect for you. From ‘Building a Brand’, ‘Recruitment Matters’, ‘Software Secrets Revealed’ and so much more, you can check out the full lineup below…

Saturday 14 October

11:00 WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
Everything you need to know about chair rental, presented by the NHBF
Whether you are a salon owner or looking to rent a chair, this session will cover everything you need to know about hiring or being hired and the legalities of employment. Hear from salon owners and freelancers who are already doing this successfully.
already doing this successfully.
Speakers: Caroline Larissey, Director of Quality & Standards at the NHBF, Amanda Lodge-Stewart, President at the NHBF, Justin Giles, Policy Advisor at the HMRC, Laura Williams, Head of Team & Solicitor at Worknest

12:30 HOW TO SPEND IT!
This panel explores the essentials of salon finance, when to spend and when to save, when to invest and when to pause. This panel is top when it comes to making savvy business decisions around finances so bring your hardest budgeting questions and put them to the panel.
Speakers: Colin McAndrew, Maddi Cook, Leah Durrant and Salv Mule

14:00 WHO HAS THE POWER?
This session explores the art of negotiation and how to ensure that you get the best outcome for you and your business. This panel explores common pitfalls and successful negotiation tips.
Speakers: Melenie Tudor, Phil Smith and Nick Tyrer

15:30 BUILDING A SALON BRAND
This session looks at building your brand identity, brand values, tone of voice and ensuring that your brand messaging and customer brand experience aligns.
Speakers: Nuala Morey, Robert Eaton, Nikki Neale & Becci Pell and Jo Martin

Day One Round-Up

In ‘How to Spend It’, Colin McAndrew, Maddi Cook, Leah Durrant and Salv Mule all sat down to discuss their experiences with salon finances. The first question posed to the panel centred on the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ – what can we start doing to help manage our cashflow in these challenging times? Maddi shared: “We need to get our heads out of the sand and look at the numbers, don’t be afraid of them.” Speaking of not being afraid, Colin explained that when running a business, you can’t be afraid of pricing, adding that in Medusa (his chain of salons) they increase prices twice a year.

Meanwhile, the panel were also asked how they create the discipline needed to fluctuate between the creative side of hairdressing and the financial side of running a business. Salv responded: “It’s almost two different jobs, you need to run your creativity completely separate to your numbers.” Leah shared the best advice she had been given in regards to running a business, saying: “I was told to stop thinking of myself as an employee; you can still have fun and be creative, but remember that you’re working on the business, not for it.”

In ‘Who’s Got The Power’, Melenie Tudor, Phil Smith and Nick Tyrer sat down to discuss the art of negotiation. The panel were asked what the most important aspects are to look for before entering any contract or lease. Phil Smith advised the audience to allocate enough money to a good law firm to act on their behalf. The panel then went on to discuss helpful tips in negotiating to get more from suppliers, highlighting that if you don’t ask, you don’t get, and to make sure you are getting, and the supplier are giving you everything you need.

Sunday 15 October

10:30 TRENDS & INFLUENCES IN THE HAIR INDUSTRY, presented by the NHBF
The NHBF has undertaken a survey into ethnicity in hair & beauty in the UK. They will be discussing the results and the factors affecting this key part of our industry, along with the trends and influences.
Speakers: Erica Liburd

12:00 RECRUITMENT MATTERS
How do you attract and retain top talent? How do you bounce back when key team members move on? Taking a new view on recruitment: ensuring that change doesn’t mean catastrophe.
Speakers: Kaye Sotomi, Declan George Parkes and Tim Scott Wright

13:30 SOFTWARE SECRETS REVEALED
A session with software and content specialists to help the audience understand how salon software can be instrumental, especially when combined with social media.
Speakers: Heffy Wheeler, Sarah Brawley, Phil Jackson and Claire Martin

15:00 TEAM TALENT
How to manage and motivate a team to bring the best out of each of them. An expert group of panellists will help the audience think about strong development plans and supportive working environments.
Speakers: Jo Irving, Hayley Jepson and Polly Rose

16:30 RETAIL IN DETAIL
This panel will explore how to unleash the power and profit of this untapped service along with creating an online shop, harnessing the power of social media to boost your business.
Speakers: Danilo Giangreco, Gina Conway, Nicola Smyth and Kerry Mather

Day Two Round Up

Day two kicked off with ‘Trends & Influences in the Hair Industry’, where we saw Erica Liburd, Rio Agor-Watts, Paige Lewin, and Irene Shelly sit down to discuss the importance of texture inclusivity in salons. They discussed how now is the time to begin to act on promoting awareness for the inclusion of all hair types from the beginning and how it’s important to have conversations on what role the hairdresser plays and also the wider community. They also went on to say, it’s all about learning to reach people where they are in all backgrounds, with Erica Liburd commenting: “It’s only when you’re not included in something that you realise the problem.”

Monday 16 October

11:00 FUTURE TECH TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS, presented by the NHBF
Great salons, barbershops and professionals embrace tech to help run a successful business. Learn about the latest and future tech you need to make your business life easier and more profitable. This also includes how to prepare for new laws, such as the switch to digital accounts in 2024 and the Big Switch Off in 2025.
Speakers: Tom Mason-Smith, UK Lead Technical Trainer at Vagaro

12:30 SETTING SALON STRATEGY
Whether you’re a first-time solon owner, or rethinking how you run an existing business, this panel is for you. Our experts will talk you through the nitty gritty of creating a successful salon strategy, from location to budgets, identifying your USP, specialist services and target market.
Speakers: Naomi Brooks, Siobhan & Phillip Haug and Jennifer Swain

14:00 RECESSION BUSTING
Tips and tricks to save you time and money – we have pulled together a panel who bring different and diverse experience of salon life from the group to the individual to the freelancer – there will be practical tips and great advice.
Speakers: Josh Goldsworthy, Janene Hawkins-Bush, Hellen Ward and Jamie Brooks

15:30 DIGITAL MARKETING 101
How to maximise your digital channels to turbo-boost your business – this is the skill set everyone needs to grow their business, reach an audience and measure impact. Don’t miss the gems of wisdom from our digital marketing specialists.
Speakers: Kate Woods, Sara Mann, Ayanda Soares and Fergal Doyle

Day Three Round-Up

In recession busting, Josh Goldsworthy, Janene Hawkins Bush and Jamie Brooks sat down to discuss how they’re currently managing their businesses in light of the current financial situation. Josh explained that his family business, Goldsworthys, is focusing on the now, looking at where they can skim down on certain areas, like coffee menus, to avoid increasing prices where possible. Janene echoed this, explaining, “We have a small treatment menu called the Temptations List, as we’ve found that our clients like top ups and treats, just small-budget additions.” Meanwhile, Jamie explained that at Brooks and Brooks they used to operate a volume-based business, whereas now they focus on providing a more focussed service. “People don’t want to be rushed, I think if you tried to run a volume-based model now you’d be in strife.”

Salon International also had a dedicated Modern Barber Stage, and you can find out more about what went on here.