Wella RED ignites
Meeting, mingling and being inspired were the key takeaways for the Wella Red Business Network Live that took place at the beginning of this week.
It saw over 100 hairdressers, salon owners, brand mangers, members of the press and more, descend on the quintessentially English Belfry hotel in the Midlands to hear the inspirational stories of icons such as Olympic Gold Medallist Sir Steven Redgrave.
Dom Lehane was the host throughout. Here are our takeaways from each of the speakers;
Priya Lakhani OBE – No, plus no, plus no, plus no…plus time, equals yes. Starting with Priya’s diabolical school teacher who refused to sign her UCAS form as she “wasn’t bright enough” to become a barrister, to the private equity firms who wouldn’t support her idea for an AI that would learn how people learn, to ultimately educate them better, Priya was told no. However, every time, she took stock, adapted and asked again, until eventually she got yes. Having initially worked as a barrister, she has since launched a successful FMCG business, and is most recently the Founder CEO of CENTURY, the award-winning AI education technology company. So next time you’re proposing a product idea to your manufacturer or you’re even trying to bring in a new way of running things in your salon that others don’t initially like, listen, adapt and go back, until you get a yes.
Richard Newman – The science of storytelling. Communication is key isn’t it? And the biggest tool for communication that hairdressers have is the consultation. Can yours be adapted, improved upon, are you and your client getting the most from it?
Sam Conniff Allende – Doing things differently, Be more Pirate. When you’re being told no, but you disagree, don’t give up. Think outside of the box and if you believe in your way, then stick to it. It reminded us of the saying, “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness, than for permission.”
Sir Steve Redgrave – Needing little introduction, Sir Steve Redgrave is one of the finest athletes this country has ever known and yet it wasn’t always the case. As he said, when he was younger, and was winning all of the rowing competitions he entered, he believed he was unbeatable. He and his team mates decided they didn’t need to train as hard during the winter as a result, however a few defeats later, they changed their track to prove that training, perseverance in hard times and determination are the true markers of success.
Caspar Berry – A professional poker player, Caspar spoke about the uncertainty in everything we do. As business owners ourselves, we’ve been analysing future predictions on interest rates, energy prices, wondering how long this rocky road will last. Yet, according to a huge study by Research Council, experts are no better to predicting the future than you or I, because things don’t go to plan. So while we still advocate having a plan in place for the worst case scenario, don’t make all of your decisions around it, but weigh up the odds. What are the risks if you don’t take the difficult decision.
Linda Moir – Having worked at Virgin for years and then leading a team of volunteers at the Olympics in 2012, dubbed the Game Makers, Linda knows thing or two about customer service. There are few industries that do customer service better than hairdressers, however she reminded us to think differently. Yes offer refreshments to your clients, but what are other salons not offering that you could offer without breaking the bank. At Virgin, it was a teddy and their first class beds being prepared by cabin crew that saw them achieve Business Airline of the Year over Singapore Airlines, who in actual fact had superior beds when it came to comfort.
Oli France – An intrepid explorer, Oli served to remind us what happens when you don’t prepare after he found himself alone in the Moroccan Desert with no water, having not prepared for the trip. Luckily for him, five hours after his ordeal began, a truck stumbled upon him and drove him to the nearest city, He learned his lesson though [sort of!] and prepared for many more eventualities as he prepared to travel solo across the world’s largest frozen lake, battling well below freezing temperatures and snow storms, all the while dragging 60kg of equipment behind hi. After 16 long days, he made it leaving a lasting memory of what can be achieved when you put your mind to something.
With information overload, guests welcomed the opportunity to let their hair down while ‘The Dudes’ entertained the crowd. While a poker table and 360 photo booth provided some much needed distraction.
All in all, it was a hugely inspirational event – the 25th of its kind from Wella – and we really hope we get to see the next 25.
