Savvy Salon Club have recently introduced two yearly awards that recognise the performance of salon professionals participating in our company’s signature “GAPs Into Profit” salon & spa marketing programme.

For years, creative excellence has been celebrated at every industry award. The pursuit of creative recognition amongst peers has often, if not always, come at the commercial expense of the business supporting the creative individual or team. From the early days as apprentices, all the way up the career ladder, the focus is immensely skewed towards creative development.

Imagine where our industry would be today if soft skills such as communication & problem-solving were practised just as much as sectioning a classical haircut? Imagine where all salon businesses would be today if 10 years ago, the government made these soft skills mandatory within the qualification processes. Imagine if you were constantly acquiring more & more commercial IQ throughout your salon career? If at every stage of your development, you gained a deeper understanding of why mastering key business metrics is as important as nurturing your inner creative soul. Along with our partner salons, we want to contribute to planting these seeds and watching the next generation of salon professionals flourish within a thriving industry.

Next Generation Salon Professional Award

The first award recognises a salon professional’s incredible balance between commercial IQ and creative development. We believe the next generation of salon professionals needs to be taught, and led, to hone these two opposites. In our view, the future of our industry belongs to those able to balance these two polar opposites. Hence why we called this award, the Next Generation Salon Professional Award.

Our 2024 Next Generation Salon Professional Award winner is Cleo Close from Academy Salons Weybridge.

Last year, our “GAPs Into Profit” salon marketing programme booked 160 new client visits during times in Cleo’s column that would have otherwise gone to waste. Cleo earned the trust of 141 of these new clients (9 out of 10) who all rebooked before leaving the salon. The ability to balance the commercial elements & creative excellence is truly special. In total, Cleo was able to transform what would have been 160 GAPs in her columns into over £10,000 in additional revenue and potentially gained 141 long-term trusting clients in the process.

Cleo was thrilled to win the £300 cash prize and commemorative trophy.

When asked how she felt about being recognised for her efforts, Cleo said:

“I can’t believe that at 18 years old, I’m already a Creative Designer at Academy Salons. I’m earning a good living doing what I love every day. Clients rebooking with me not only gives me the satisfaction of knowing I earned their trust but also the satisfaction of knowing I’m taking control of my future earnings & utilisation.”

 

Next Generation Front-of-House Award

The second award is designed to recognise the incredible support a successful Front-of-House team member brings to their team. The Front-of-House is key to supporting the salon team with their targets. A commercially focused salon needs a well-trained Front-of-House to assist the salon professionals in rebooking their clients before they leave, minimise no-shows and help with all the commercial, non-technical aspects of the salon professional’s day-to-day tasks.

Our 2024 Next Generation Front-of-House Award winner is Kizzi Bird from Academy Salons Weybridge.

Last year, Kizzi’s collaboration with the team allowed her to rebook over 75% of all new clients introduced by our “GAPs Into Profit” salon marketing programme. It’s clear to say she’s a rebooking machine!

Kizzi was thrilled to win the £200 cash prize and commemorative trophy.

When asked how it made her feel to be recognised for her excellent work, Kizzi said:

“I have a great team of people around me. I understand how important rebookings are for the business, for the team, for me and the clients. That’s why I hate to see a client leave without booking their next appointment. It’s a clear win-win for everyone.”

Big shoutout to Salv Mulé, director of Academy Salons, for his hard work and investment in training salon professionals with a business mindset. Thanks also to Christine Madigan, General Manager at Academy Salons, and all the salon managers, as well as Meryl Rosser and her incredible education team, for showing the industry what's possible! Congratulations to all!