DOWN TO BUSINESS

Michaela Meredith, managing director of Bespoke You, with salons in Worthing and Hove, tells Erin Leybourne how she opened the first at age 21 and her advice for aspiring young salon owners

What inspired you to open a salon?

“I trained in beauty when I was 16 and qualified when I was 18. I’d worked from 16 until 21 and was an assistant manager from when I was 19, so the next step was to go out on my own. My dad’s always been a business owner, so I think I always knew I wanted to eventually work for myself.

“I was doing mobile work full time, building up my client base. I’d worked in salons where I’d learned what I liked, what I didn’t like and how therapists like to be treated. I wanted to go to the absolute top, and for me, the ultimate dream was to have a salon.”

Were there any challenges opening a salon so young?

“I think I knew how to be a good beauty therapist, but not how to run a business. I’ve learned a lot along the way.

“I knew how to do all the treatments and make people feel good, so I knew how to get people to come back. I’ve been quite lucky that my dad was my business partner and kind of my mentor.

“When you train, they don’t teach you sales or pricing. Networking was something I’d never done, so that took me outside my comfort zone in a lot of ways.”

What’s your management style?

”i’m quite laid back. I obviously expect a good quality of treatment; that has always been top of the list. The team know I would never buy something just because it’s cheaper, or cut a corner to save. I think they would say that they don’t dread me coming in. When I walk in, they’re quite happy to see me; we’re all friendly. When there is stress, I try not to get too irate because it rubs off on them. Everything’s fixable, we can get through it.

“As long as we’re getting things done and the standard is there, I’m very give and take. If you want to finish early on a particular day, that’s fine.”

What’s the most rewarding part of owning your own salon?

“Building a little community – I’ve got my clients and my team. Some clients I’ve done since I was 18 and I’m now 31, so they know my life. They know so much about you; you know all about them. They feel like family members, to a degree. You become quite important in each other’s lives.

“My team are just a bunch of good girlfriends, really. There’s no maliciousness, and we don’t have a hierarchy as such. If I need to clean wax off the floor, I’ll clean wax off the floor. It’s the same for everyone.

“It’s my life, I’m in here pretty much every day, and it’s really rewarding just having that as part of my life.”

What are your tips for someone wanting their own salon?

“One thing I struggled with is learning your boundaries as an owner. It’s hard to learn the line between friends and employees.

“Then, with your clients, know when there’s a red flag and act on it. I would think, ‘Oh, is it that bad?’, then it would just get worse and worse. Then obviously the team would get upset. It can be hard to know when a line is being crossed and when you have to say something.

“Also, don’t be afraid to put your prices up. I think as an industry we are terrified to put our prices up. It’s a hard lesson to learn because my clients are my friends, but it’s also a job. Maybe do a deal to start with, but then you have to step away from that and charge your worth.”