A growing number of brands are choosing to partner with salons to create regional training academies. Stephanie Orr explores the advantages and challenges for the salon owner

Training

Opening a training academy within or alongside an existing salon can be an attractive proposition for professionals looking to expand both their skill set and income, and there are several different business models to explore. Some salon owners simply rent out space to a brand looking to offer training courses in their area, while others form closer partnerships that might involve the salon becoming a regional flagship for the brand and one of its therapists being an approved brand trainer.

Often these partnerships are borne out of an existing close supplier-salon relationship. However, when seeking out a training partner, most brands are looking for more than just strong sales performance.

“When looking for suitable facilities, aside from the obvious things such as a high standard of health and hygiene and adequate number of treatment couches, we also need to consider whether the space has suitable lighting, great presentation equipment, an accessible location and a strong reputation”, says Bridgette Softley, director of Nouveau Lashes. Equally important, she adds, is the attitude of the owner and team.

Marian Harvey, managing director of the Thalgo Group, agrees, adding, “It’s important to find partners who are not only professional and skilled in what they do, but also share the same philosophy and beliefs as us in terms of how they operate as a brand and conduct themselves as a business.”

SPECIALIST SUBJECT

When the group was looking for a centrally located training space for its waxing brand, Perron Rigot, Harvey says that specialist waxing salon NKD in Nottingham was the obvious choice. “We knew they were passionate about Perron Rigot and they are specialists in what they do, like we are.”

A reputation as a specialist in your sector can be a huge selling point. Carly Howarth, education manager for Sweet Squared, which distributes brands including CND, MorrocanTan, Nimue and wax:one, says that in addition to passion for the brands, “an individual that has attained the highest qualification within their area of expertise is essential when it comes to selecting a partner.”

However, it’s a two-way street, and salon owners should also do their due diligence before signing on the dotted line. “Ask yourself if the brand you’re considering partnering with has the same philosophy as your salon”, advises Softley.

“Does their business image enhance your brand or at the least is it on par?” Find out how three very different salons are making it work for them…

PARTNERING CLOSELY WITH A DISTRIBUTOR

Kate Sawley, owner of Metamorfosis Nails & Beauty in Birkenhead, is an education ambassador for Sweet Squared. She runs courses for CND and educates for MoroccanTan and wax:one.

“I had always wanted to work with CND, ever since my Shellac beginners class in 2011. I was so inspired and knew I wanted to make others feel that way, but, to become an education ambassador, you must first be invited by the brand to take part in International Bootcamp and pass with flying colours”, says Sawley.

After working hard to grow her business and reputation, Sawley attended “The Event 4.0”, a brand education event hosted by Sweet Squared in 2015. “It was then that my mind was made up – I was blown away by the passion and dedication of the education team and knew I had to be part of that family”, she says.

She finally made it to Boot Camp in Amsterdam in 2016, and set up a training area in the upstairs area above her salon as soon as she returned. “I took part in team teaching sessions with experienced education ambassadors and spent a huge amount of time reading through my education materials in preparation for classes”, she adds.

Sawley provided her own equipment for her training academy, which now takes up the whole of the upper floor above her salon. She runs CND courses from beginner to master level, and teaches MoroccanTan and wax:one courses for both beginners and trained professionals looking to update their skill set.

The partnership works on a revenue share basis, as Sawley explains: “Class deposits are paid directly to Sweet Squared and final balance payments come to us as education ambassadors.”

SENSE OF SATISFACTION

Sawley says the most enjoyable part of being a training provider is “that lightbulb moment when something clicks or someone finally cracks a technique they have been struggling with”, adding, “Being part of helping someone to achieve their goals runs a really close second. Students undertake classes for so many different reasons and it’s a pleasure to be part of their journey and watch them grow.”

The only real challenge, she says, is balancing your time: “Things have to be organised with military precision to enable my academy, salon and household to all run smoothly simultaneously, but I like to think I have it down to a fine art now.”

For other salon owners considering taking the plunge, Sawley’s advice is to: “Learn all you can about the brand and its core values to ensure you’re a perfect match. Once you know which brand will be a fantastic fit, make sure your education is up to date and you’re familiar with the latest industry developments. Then all you have to do is define your goal and create an action plan to help you reach your dream.”

TRAINING IN A WORKING SALON

Rebecca Dowdeswell owns specialist waxing salon NKD, which has sites in Nottingham and Leicester. The original Nottingham site is an approved training academy for wax brand Perron Rigot.

Dowdeswell explains that her vision was to become familiar enough with the brand within her own salon before opening her training academy.

“The essence of NKD’s whole business model is that we are waxing specialists so we need to use the best products on the market and train our therapists in the highest calibre of techniques”, she says. “So, for us, it was an easy decision to start using Perron Rigot, because we knew it was the most advanced wax on the market. We launched our training academy in 2012, by which time we had become good customers of the brand.”

So good in fact that when Dowdeswell went to them with her business idea of setting up a wax training school in the Midlands, she says, “it was a no-brainer for them to become involved”.

WORKING KNOWLEDGE

NKD’s training academy is based within the salon, which currently spans three floors at approximately 2,000sq ft, with four waxing rooms and four lash and brow stations.

Dowdeswell believes this is a much better way for therapists to train as it offers a realistic salon environment: “We do what we train, day in day out, with real-life paying customers, so everything that our training clients get to see and do is what goes on each day in a successful and busy salon. This is very different to the experience a lot of students will get in a training environment that doesn’t sit within a commercial salon, and, more importantly, is run by trainers who don’t have real life clients themselves every day.”

NKD provides all equipment required for training, and the partnership works on a revenue-share basis, where Perron Rigot takes a percentage of course fees.

Dowdeswell advises any salons thinking of partnering with a brand to consider the fact that the income is not always steady. “The demand for training can be very ad-hoc”, she adds. However, she says the partnership also helps the salon in terms of marketing.

“It most certainly gives us a kudos that we would not get without the backing of a globally-renowned brand”, she says

RENTING OUT SPACE

Nouveau Lashes has rented a training facility within Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic since October 2017 for its LVL, Extend and SVS lash extension and lift treatments.

Clinic owner Susan Roche achieved her dream of opening the academy three years ago, after considering the idea for more than a decade. Initially, she was put off by the vast amount of extension work required on the salon but took the plunge in 2015 and has never looked back. “Training has always been of paramount importance to me. I’ve always had a hunger for it and it’s the same for all of my staff”, she says. “I realised there was a huge demand for regional training and a big gap in the market for this in the North East, specifically Newcastle, as we have a lot of award-winning salons in our region, yet there weren’t any training academies in the area.”

The academy houses seven treatment beds, trolleys, lamps, stools and a projector, and Roche now rents the space out to brands including Decléor, Lycon Wax and Nouveau Lashes. She charges a daily rate of £110 + VAT for the academy, but adds that she also feels rewarded by “the sense of being able to help others”. Nouveau’s director Bridgette Softley says the strong brand line-up was part of the attraction, “Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic is also the North’s premier training centre for Decléor’s face and body treatments, so when we decided to offer training from regional locations it made perfect sense to approach them”, she adds.

DIRECT APPROACH

Roche chooses to rent her space out rather than delivering the courses herself as she is a firm believer that direct training from brands gives the best results. Prior to opening her academy, she approached Nouveau Lashes to train her staff in 2016 and says she feels proud that she can now offer this option to other therapists in the area, in a more accessible location.

Training courses for the brands can range from pregnancy massages and facial pilates for Decléor to waxing workshops for Lycon Wax, and a wide range of lash treatments for Nouveau.

Roche says that owning an academy is incredibly rewarding, but warns other salon owners who may be thinking of opening one that it can be slow going at the start. “I underestimated how long it would take to verify the training facility standards and check that they were all compliant with regulations”, she says. “It was a long process but once that was out of the way, everything went smoothly.”