Hair Life

Surviving The Pandemic

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In this episode Nathan Plumridge brings you up to date with where his business is at today, surviving the pandemic and the learning that came out of it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • After my Dad died, I felt alone but I also felt more in control, everything about the business was now down to me and I found it easier to get on a grow in the way I wanted it to. It was almost as if the shackles had come off and gave me utter clarity about how I wanted Energy to look and feel. So, I refurbished the salon completely.
  • I remember clear as day walking around the salon on the Sunday night after all the work had been done and I was talking to myself and my Dad about the excitement of opening and seeing the team’s and the client’s faces when they saw it was incredible.
  • A few years later we expanded again and added about 2,500ft2 and is something I’m really proud of. It won Best Designed Salon in the UK. We had five months doing insane business and then Covid came along and shut us down. The day I had to close the doors was one of the saddest, scariest times of my life: 30 staff to look after, huge bills and no cash coming in. There was a moment when I thought “this is it”.
  • The first week was a blur, I drank a lot, because I couldn’t handle that my business was losing money each week and yet still I had to put a smile on my face and had to stay positive. My wife’s recruitment firm shut down overnight as well.
  • One night I pulled myself together and wrote pages and pages of the things I was going to have to do to survive. Firstly, reassure our clients and let them know we were thinking of them and their families and that when we reopened we’d look after them. Secondly, it was keeping us in people’s faces, making videos of what we were doing and getting them to ask us questions as hair hacks for keeping their hair looking good at home. It’s where the idea for this podcast came from.
  • I’ve probably got less cash than I’ve ever had in the business, but I’m having the best time. It’s been like starting again and you always grow after starting again.

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    BEST MOMENTS

    ‘This was the start of something new and fresh and I couldn’t wait.’

    ‘We killed it for the next few years, winning loads of awards.’

    ‘As a boss, you always have to show that it’s all going to be OK, but my stomach was knotted like never before.’

    ‘Write a journal, it’s so powerful and helpful with so many things.’

    ‘It was amazing to watch my industry come together and share ideas and pointers. The competition that existed before Covid has been torn up.’

    ABOUT THE HOST

    Welcome and thank you for reading this, I’m Nathan Plumridge salon owner and Hair Stylist. I’ve been in the industry for nearly 30 years and have been a salon owner for 23 of them. I have been fortunate enough to work and learn with some of the biggest names in the industry and this has given me the experience and drive to now be here with you sharing my experiences.

    CONTACT DETAILS

    Website: https://energyhair.com/ 

    Email: [email protected] 

    Instagram: @nathan.hairlife

    This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

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    Hair LifeBy Nathan Plumridge