This episode features the Career & Small Business Hub that I'm jointly hosting with Helen Ward. We know it's going to be an amazing weekend and will be kicked off by the Salon Education Journal and The Hair & Beauty Directory LAUNCH PARTY!

The Career & Small Business Hub is the collaborative event created by Helen Ward (The Hair & Beauty Directory) & Sue Davies (Nabuno & Salon Education Journal in association with Professional Beauty. We are aware that over the last few years the salon industry has become an ever more challenging space to work within, whether you are a professional or as a salon/business owner. The salon workforce has faced considerable stress, challenges, changing backdrops and financial constraints that have not been felt before or in so many ways. We also have a changing industry for students and learners who are entering industry without the clarity of career pathways and besst options. With these challenges there has never been a more important time for the industry to come together to help those that may be going through challenges, need advice on their futures and maybe just a friendly face that understands how the world has changed. Our experts and experienced professionals are on hand to provide you with support, a safe space, no judgement and nothing but help and guidance to get you through what may be a challenging time. With informal round tables where you can share an expert led conversation around a certain subject, panel discussions, networking opportunities, ‘ask us anything’ sessions, drop in opportunities to chat with a mentor, 1-2-1's with some of the industry’s best known coaches and experts; the list of what you can take away from this event is huge. Alongside this we have showcases for small businesses who are joining us to promote their services and products in our informal and intimate space. We know the value of this event is immense and when you call in you’ll be able to access our FREE Virtual Swagbag which is full of digital resources and discounts for some amazing opportunities to improve your mind or try a variety of products/services.

Joining me on this episode is salon cheerleader, Hollie Power from The Source & Salonology. Hollie has been a spa owner, recruitment specialist, salon coach and more over her career and joins me to talk about recruitment in the salon industry and her new baby Salon Source. Hollie shares her thoughts on recruitment and tells it like it is. Advising salon owners looking to recruit new employees to advertise their roles as if they were advertising treatments to attract new clients. A great way to improve candidate numbers for salon owners that are currently finding it hard to entice salon professionals away from the draws of self-employment. With hidden employment becoming common place in the industry, it’s perhaps time to review our working practices and go back to basics with employed teams who get rewarded positively for following a successful salon ethos. We also talk about Hollie & Ryan Power’s new wing to their Salonology business, The Source which is an online directory connecting industry brands with salon owners and solo business owners. Doing the first stage of research for you and letting you know if they are brands that fit your needs rather than spending hours researching and meeting reps only to find out the opening order doesn’t meet your criteria! Time-wasting for both parties and something the Hollie explains, they are trying to help them avoid. The Source can be found at www.salonsource.com and brings a magazine style directory to the industry with no A-Z or small to big brand, in fact the whole thing is an even playing field for every brand to shine as the salon owner peruses their offerings. You can connect with Hollie at

www.salonsource.com

www.salonology.uk

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/holliepow...

Today is launch day for the all new salon industry publication, Salon Education Journal.  SEJ is the creation of myself and my business partner, Di Hughes, who has worked with me on Nabuno and many other salon related projects since 2014.  Here is a little background on Salon Education Journal.

Salon Education Journal focusses on education in the salon industry. At SEJ, we believe that education is the Keystone of the whole industry. without education we would have no industry.

We are a little bit different to other industry publications as the majority of our editorial and features content is provided by our Collaborative Columnists. They have been invited to join us as they provide valuable experience and knowledge in their specialist area and cover all sectors of the industry. Within each sector you’ll find recognisable names from peers, mentors, coaches and educators talking about what they’ve done best over decades of experience, but focussing on actionable information to help you grow your career, business or academy.

Our approach is different in both informational content but also in advertising with us. If you’re a smaller supplier our aim is make advertising more affordable to allow a new light to shine on the roots of our industry.

If you want to know more please visit the Salon Education Journal website

To order or subscribe to the publication you'll find out all you need to know here

If you are a smaller brand and would like to advertise with SEJ please see our Rate Card

As always you can find out all about Inspiring Salon Professionals and listen to other episodes here

In this weeks episode I'm talking all things trade test and salon trials.  Inspired by a post on a SM forum where a young therapist was called back for 1 day trial but wasn't paid whilst the salon gave her a full list of paying clients.  How does this sit with you?  

I'm discussing what to expect in a trade test from both perspectives.  Having an unpaid trial is not what most salon's require so as a prospective employee should you have to do this to win that dream role?  

There are H&S issues that surround unpaid work on a trial and I'll be revisiting that area with Sam Blake in a later episode.

I share a few hints and tips on what not to do on your trade test from one that was not a success in my salon.  

We all need to test each other when we are in the recruitment game and that's whether you are an employee or an employer.  Both sides are checking the other out and remember that it's an employee's market out there currently as there aren't enough to go round so make sure you sell your business as THE place to work!

You can find out more about Inspiring Salon Professionals on my website 

Adversity can strike at any time from many places.  It may be self doubt, loss of a loved one, a business issue, poverty, dealing with toxic people.  There are many causes but how you deal with the impact and move forward helps define you personally and as a professional.  

I'm sharing some back history on this episode as, like many others, I've faced adversity personally and in my career and I wanted to let you know it's ok to feel like the world's falling away under you and that you will recover and you will find resilience. 

Managing those ruminating thoughts when something negative happens can be tough but I'll give you some methods of how I've coped and the mechanisms that professionals have given me when I've gone through CBT and other mindset reprogramming sessions. 

There's much you can do to help yourself like journalling, distraction, saying no and more and together we'll look at several ways you can move on and regain a positive outlook.

I hope you find the episode useful and if you want to hear other episodes please visit the website www.suedavies.org where you can find all the archive of episodes.

In this week's episode we'll be taking a look at the images you use for your client facing world, whether that's your socials, your website or your print documents. 

Professional images play a crucial role in establishing your credibility and in attracting clients to your business. When potential clients come across your website or social media profiles, the images they see create their first impression. High-quality and professional images set you apart from the competition and build trust in your services.

For one off photography a professional photographer may be the way to go, but in an image based industry, regular photographic updates to our platforms is essential and making cost conscious marketing images is often a DIY task.

I'll be talking about reflecting your professionalism, hygiene and work stations within your images and some suggestions on getting the best photographic composition.  How using some simple photography theories can help boost your photographic results and help you attract the right clients.

As always you can visit www.suedavies.org/listen to hear the back catalogue and please do leave a review, share the podcast and subscribe as it's important to the show to keep moving forward. 

Marta Zaczkowska joins me to talk all things waxing standards and growing your waxing business the right way.  The waxing industry has been a growth market within the wider salon sector for many years and with this it brings more attention from outside the industry and from social media influencers and tik-tokers more recently.  We've all seen that there are unqualified people making these viral videos and Marta has seen and heard from enough of her followers to know it's time for there to be a step up from the professional industry to make sure we are setting the standards and not following poor hygiene and techniques often shown online. 

Always at the forefront of waxing, Marta has recently added a paid for consultation and patch test to her treatment list and she explains the reasons behind this and how it's being welcomed by her clients. 

We discuss CPD, and the lack of it, in waxing and how beyond intimate and pregnancy waxing there aren't many ways to refresh and improve beyond your Level 2 or entry level classes.  Waxing is often the least liked service for any newbie with a fear factor attached to many wax services.  So are educators missing an opportunity to improve confidence and skills amongst the sector.

We also discuss Marta's upcoming Retreat for Waxing Professionals that she is hosting in Marrakesh in January 2024 and with a limited number of places available, if you want to be in it you need to book soon!

Marta is generously sharing her E-Book which she developed following setting up the Support Group for Waxing Professionals on Facebook earlier this year.

Marta's Website 

Raising Standards In Waxing Campaign Free Guide

If you want to find out more about the Marrakesh Business Retreat in January 2024

Join the Facebook group - Support Group for Waxing Professionals 

If you want to hear the Inspiring Salon Professionals back catalogue you can visit my website.

In this episode we'll explore 10 Top Tips for recruiting an expert in website design and delve into the important things to look for in a collaborator to help you build a strong web presence.  We'll go through the value that can be added to your business when working with skilled web designers who can transform your online vision into a beautiful and client attracting reality.

Join me as I talk about the the sometimes challenging world of web design and look at how you can unlock the power of a captivating web presence for whether you are a solo business owner or a team leading salon owner.

I'll be covering how to think about and create your brief and why this is absolutely vital and how getting it wrong can be costly.  Topics covered include page types, information to give or not to give, branding, SEO and more.

To hear more episodes you can visit the website

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In this episode we are taking a deep dive into the world of creating your own website and we delve into the crucial role that a strong web presence plays in today's digital landscape. 

In a Top 10 guide I'll provide you with valuable insights and a few tips to empower you to design and develop your website from scratch, even if you have little to no technical background.  We'll look at design, hosts & providers, page types, what information you want to share, what you do and don't need and a whole lot more.

Join me as I talk about the importance of creating an impact with your online presence whether you are a solo professional or have a salon and are looking at creating your first website.

Get ready to unlock the potential of your business online and take control of your digital destiny.  

Check out more episodes on the website and you can connect with ISP on Facebook

With yet another employment tribunal finding in favour of the 'self employed' worker the salon industry needs to get a rein on how we are operating our businesses.  

If you have self employed workers operating in your establishment and particularly if they have moved from employed by your to self employed without any major changes it's time to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee.  

In this episode we look at what makes a self employed business and how it should be operating in your establishment.  What doesn't constitute a self employed person and what can happen when HMRC come knocking on the door. 

Here's a link to one of the HMRC guidances on employer responsibilities 

Connect with me on Facebook

Or visit the website to check out previous episodes.