Many people open a salon with a dream to grow it into a big business. Unfortunately, only very few achieve that dream. 

In today's hairdressing industry there has been a growth in the independent stylist. The salon suite, The booth renter. The freelancer. The business unit of 1. But that business model certainly isn’t for everyone.

You can still build a brand, create a career path, and offer training and benefits and an amazing workplace culture that gives people a place to belong that is bigger than just them.

My guest on today's podcast has done that and so much more. He is David Wagner; hair stylist, artist, entrepreneur, educator, author and founder and owner of JUUT Salons.

In today’s episode we discuss:

• What it takes to build a successful salon brand
• The meaning of being a ‘day maker’
• Creating salon culture 
• The Covid impact …

And so much more!

In this Episode:

[03:13] David shares an overview of his journey from one of the very first Horst Rechelbacher scholars to the founder and CEO of Juut Salonspa.

[12:45] How David transformed a last-place salon into a first-place salon. 

[15:02] The serendipitous moment that David decided to open his own salon, and the growth that his business experienced in its first 3 years.

[17:05] Why David recommends either having one salon or more than two, and growing through acquisition rather than building from the ground up. 

[23:34] The key to successfully running salons across multiple states. 

[27:24] David shares the experiences which inspired Daymaker Movement, and his book, Life As a Daymaker.

[36:36] What David has learned about the value that the hairdressing professional brings to people’s lives. 

[41:22] How David created (and maintains) a thriving employee-based culture in his salons.  

[55:03] Why David refers to his salons as a collection rather than a chain. 

[57:14] The percentage of revenue that David considers to be a good profit (and why this has gone down over time).

[1:01:11] David’s suggestion for measuring retail sales. 

[1:04:10] An overview of the payment structure at Juut. 

[1:06:05] David shares his thoughts on the evolution of the salon suite model. 

[1:09:57] The impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on David’s business.

[1:14:44] What David believes to be his greatest strengths, the lesson that he would like to pass onto future generations of hair stylists, and what he wishes he was better at.

[1:21:43] Traits that David believes make for a good leader.

Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! 

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast. 

I also love to hear what’s been helpful and what you love about the podcast! Just click here to review, scroll to the bottom, tap “Ratings and Reviews” tap to rate with 5 stars and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favourite part of the podcast is. Thank you for your support!

Special thanks to David for sharing his insights with me for this week’s episode. Until next time! 

Antony

Links and Resources:

Grow My Salon Business 

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Juut Salonspa

Website | Instagram | Facebook

David Wagner 

LinkedIn | Instagram

Daymaker Movement

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Podcast

Life As a Daymaker

 Book