What Does The Future Hold For The Hairdressing Industry?

How lucky are we that we get to work in such a fast paced industry?

An industry that evolves quickly with new products, styles, techniques etc.

But, as an industry, I want to know, are we evolving and adapting quick enough?

I have felt for a good few years that there is a big shift happening but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

I am a salon owner, hairdresser and educator so to say that that the industry is ingrained into me would be understatement.

I have dedicated over half of my life so far to this industry.

It is an industry that I love and a part of who I am as a person!

Fast Paced and changing or Institutionalised?

So I started this blog talking about what a fast paced industry we are lucky to be  a part of….

But actually when you scratch the surface of the industry, I think, a lot of businesses are very institutionalised.

Lots of salon owners run their business like they always have, or like they were ‘taught to’ 

For some salon owners, and this applies for me, you go into business without ANY business training whatsoever.

You are usually the busiest stylist in your salon and once you hit that status, really, I suppose the next step is to open your own salon.

And so, off you go, opening your business, taking on staff and deciding that your business is going to be the best,

You'll treat your staff fairly, pay them more, never run out of stock, make loads of money and you will all live happily ever after.

EASY!

But the reality is not quite as simple as you think it would be and before you know it, your working all the hours IN your business, struggling to work ON your business, not really sure what your profit margins are, buying stock and advertising space off local reps and sales people, thinking that every new product range or advertisement will turn your business around, and wonder when will life get easier.

Unbeknown to you, you have just trapped yourself in your brick and mortar business, and it isn't as easy as you thought.

The next problem to crop up, staff want a pay rise, someone leaves and takes ‘their’ clients with them.

Staff are suffering with anxiety and mental health problems that you just simply aren't qualified to deal with.

You are running your salon in a way that you know how, and that is the exact way you've seen your previous employers run theirs. 

I often hear (and have said myself) salon owners say things like ‘but this is how we have always done things’ and ‘hairdressers should expect to work Saturdays’ and ‘back in my day….’

This is a  very ‘institutionalised mindset. This is a mindset not willing to change. This is a mindset that believes in the old ways and not looking for new solutions to these new problems.

Now don't get me wrong, I have been very much institutionalised for a vast part of my career so far.

And I recognise that this is no longer serving me or my business. I have had to really take myself out of my comfort zone to try to adopt a new mindset that is open to change and it has been HARD!

So, if we were really a fast paced and an evolving industry then why are we pretty much all working like we did 20-30-40 years ago? 

Is the future of the high street hair salon at risk because we haven't been able to shift our mindsets?

There isn't a week goes by at the moment where I don't see a fellow salon owner recruiting.

I see the same adverts popping up time and time again:

Recruiting an experienced hairdresser to join our team (this can be employed or self employed), due to high demand, we are expanding our team etc etc.

But I am also talking to lots of salon owners that are saying they simply can't recruit. No one is applying for the jobs, or if they are they don't fit the criteria. What is going on?

The Rise Of The Freelancers

During the last couple of years there has been a dramatic rise in the number of ‘home salons'.

Hair stylists are leaving high street salon life to set up a home salon in order to get that all important work/life balance.

But, have they now just tied themselves into a life of servitude where, by being self employed and working alone, they now don't earn if they don't work, so therefore will struggle to get that all important work/ life balance because they cant say no to clients for fear of losing them and losing revenue?

There is no team to fall back on if something goes wrong or if you are ill.

To top it all off, if more and more hairstylists see this as the best option then does that mean the decline or even an end of the traditional high street salon?

Perhaps, like many struggling high street businesses, salons now need to adapt to stay relevant and keep that footfall coming through the door,

but how?

Well the first change would absolutely be the mindset of the owner, to be open to change and not resist it!

I read a study recently that the market size of the hairdressing industry has declined 3.2% per year on average between 2016 and 2021.

Is this because those top stylists who would have been the next salon owners are now instead going freelance, or is it because salons are closing down? Or perhaps a mixture of both?

Work/Life balance

So my question is,

How can we keep our high street salon open, thriving, part of the local community but ALSO give our staff a better work life balance?

How can we offer the flexibility that most hairstylists now crave?

How can we implement these changes into an institutionalised working culture?

Amazon salon

2021 has seen the opening of the first ever Amazon salon. With lots of mixed feelings about this industry change, I am thinking that this is possibly the start of a new era in traditional hairdressing. Ok so, we can never ‘automate’ hairdressing, but the use of technology can actually personalise the service we offer our customers. For example, the client may be able to personalise their salon experience from the music they listen to right down to the temperature of the space they sit in with the use of technology. So whilst hairdressers are unlikely to be replaced by robots, the whole salon experience absolutely CAN be automated, and in my opinion will only be a matter of time before we have to start to embrace this new culture. 

So, what is the future of our industry?

Is there a future for high street salons? 

Will we be taken over by technology?

Will our institutionalised workers be able to adapt?

I would love to know your opinions and own experiences on this subject, comment below or connect with me on Instagram @heir.education