Irene Ireland

Malcolm came into my business when I was at a cross road, I had to make some decisions as to whether I increase my staff and take my business to the next level, or stay smaller. As my lease was about to expire I needed some guidance in how to make the best decision for myself and the business in a logical and factual manner as opposed to an emotional and panicked one. I was to some extent confused as to whether I had the right skills and support to go bigger.

After talking to Malcolm and getting a clearer understanding as to what that would entail I realized I needed to be or employ people who were trained in HR, marketing, and recruiting. That way I could work more on the business as opposed to in the business. All of this would require money, which I didn’t have and I didn’t want to go into debt to get as I always had the option to stay small and keep my overheads down.

My big realisation was that for me to go bigger I was going to need another person to go in partnership with other than my husband. I felt that personally I didn’t have all the skills required to go bigger. Getting such a person who is right is challenging. At the end of the day I decided that in my particular business it is better to stay compact, keep my overheads as low as possible. This means looking for a more reasonable lease, something I am currently pursuing. Also taking ownership of the situations I was finding myself in over and over again, and looking at ways to deal with them.

My challenge was that I had a belief that I could do anything, which meant that I was doing everything, and to no surprise I was getting exhausted and making bad decisions. Malcolm assisted me by helping me to get more clarity. Working out what the facts were, keeping emotions out of it. Taking a good hard look at myself and deciding if I was up for the challenge. Malcolm has a real ability in making you find the answers out for yourself while not taking yourself too seriously.

Malcolm just "gets it" as to how frustrating running a salon can be. People/staff can be very complex. Malcolm gave me confidence to stand up to my staff in a better way and to turn potentially disastrous situations into positive ones for both myself and my staff. He also helped me to achieve more confidence and realising my strengths and weaknesses. Accepting what I was able to do, and not able to do, as well as my husband and my staff. This was huge for me and I now find I’m not moaning to myself and getting frustrated as to why people are the way they are. Basically get some systems into your business and life where the weaknesses are and move on.

I have downsized by one staff member and currently looking for a more reasonable lease option. This way I am able to keep my profits at a level I am happy with as well as maintain my stress levels at a manageable rate. It is great to have someone else other than my husband to talk to, who actually understands hairdressers, and who also had a great mind for business to boot. Malcolm really knows about running a salon. Thank god. Otherwise my husband and I may have killed each other!

The best part is I didn’t kill my husband and my staff is all still alive. I believe my blood pressure has returned to normal as well. Oh yeah Malcolm also helped me make decisions on facts instead of “if’s, buts’ and maybe’s” that were never going to happen. I’ve learned that a toxic staff member will never be on the same page as you, this will always affect other staff and clientele. Once you have a team that believes in what you are doing then everything becomes much easier. Now everyone is happy and this always results in more clients gained.