Eric Way is an industry pioneer who has contributed to the popularity and demand for top class barbering services, through Groomed salon and the phenomenal Groomed Academy where barbering education is given. Now Eric has embarked on a new venture with the opening of Groomed Ladies. Here is his business advice to barber shop owners, with some photos of Groomed Ladies interior and their opening event.
HN: What inspired you to offer the additional services of women’s hairdressing?
Eric: I was inspired to open up Groomed Ladies because of the considerable amount of times I was asked by our Groomed Men clients if we cannot offer female services for their other halves. The extensive experience I have as a ladies fashion designer I felt that my knowledge when styling and designing for a woman, I could impart on to women in our ladies space.
HN: How does Groomed Ladies differ from Groomed Men?
Eric: Firstly because of the specialized treatments we only offer in the ladies space. Groomed Ladies only uses Paul Mitchell Awapuhi products whereas the gent's section uses MVRCK by Paul Mitchell. The ladies salon has two stations with a basin and client waiting area. It is 25sqm and offers all the services our clients desire. In the gents space we have a double volume area compared to the normal ceiling height in the ladies. The gent's space is fitted out with Barber chairs and stations and has a distinctive masculine feeling, whereas the ladies space is we have gone for exposed brick and black finishings to soften the area.
HN: From a business perspective, what have you learned during the opening of this new salon?
Eric: The setting up of Groomed Ladies and stocking with professional retail products was a big learning curve for me. Ladies’ products and the amounts one needs is far more expensive than that of gents. The actual decor for our space shockingly worked out cheaper than the products needed to perform the services.
HN: How successful has Groomed Ladies been so far and to what do you attribute this success?
Eric: Groomed Ladies has only been open for one month and in this time it has been an eye opener to see from a financial point of view how profitable and successful it has already been. Part of the success has to be attributed to the highly professional and qualified Hairstylist that works for me. Shireen is a gem, the customers love her and her ability to work with all types of hair is fantastic. The other factor is the large men's database that we carry and the barbers that willingly help promote to their clients.
Q: What is your take-home message to barber shops and men’s salons, following the opening of Groomed Ladies?
A: My message would be to owners of Barbershops to definitely look at finding a way to offer some kind of ladies service and capitalize on the database they may already have. Opening the ladies section for us has been a game changer and can already see an increase of 20% at this early stage on our turnover.
HN: There has been a lot of interest recently in barbering courses, with many hairdressers and students wanting to upskill. Can you explain what sets the Groomed Academy apart?
Eric: At Groomed Academy we focus specifically on the current services that are needed to style and groom men. Our unique point of difference is that the classes are presented by an award winning Barber and kept small to achieve the best outcome for the student. We can almost guarantee that our Barbers will get a job after completing the course with us. We have good relationships with industry salon owners whom are constantly looking for Barbers that have been trained by us.
For more information on the barbering courses offered by Groomed Academy, go to www.groomedacademy.co.za or email info@groomedacademy.co.za
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