Salon ManageMent CongreSS 2022

Salon Management Congress 2022 at Professional Beauty Mumbai highlighted some of the key issues of the Indian salon industry as expert panelists discussed solutions and viable ways to overcome these challenges. Kanishka ramchandani analyses the business ideas that emerged at the conference.

Salon Management Congress 2022 was conducted on the side lines of the Professional Beauty Mumbai Exhibition on the 19th and 20th of September. Making a comeback in its physical avatar, the business-centric conference for the salon industry comprised panel discussions and topical presentations, which considered a macro view of the salon business, looked at the recovery made post the pandemic and charted out a sustainable path for the future for salon owners and freelancers.

Since its inception in 2017, Salon Management Congress by Professional Beauty India has been a platform for knowledge and processes that are essential for running a successful salon business. Bringing together the expertise of seasoned entrepreneurs, the conference has inspired a new generation of business owners to make the salon industry their workplace. This edition of Salon Management Congress was curated by Vikas Vij, Managing Director, and Kanishka Ramchandani, Consulting Editor, Professional Beauty India, and saw participation of top salons and business minds as well as wholehearted attendance from passionate salon owners and beauty professionals. The Conference hosted 21 industry speakers across a span of two days while benefitting 114 delegates.

SALON MODEL 2.0: HOW IS THE BUSINESS EVOLVING POST COVID?

The world witnessed a never-seen-before phenomenon in the form of the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. The salon industry unfortunately was dealt a rough hand due to this crisis, leading to loss of jobs and revenue. Our experts for this panel discussion spoke about overcoming new hurdles and regaining the customer’s confidence. They exemplified with personal examples and gave their opinions about emerging trends such as rent-a-chair business model. They also considered changes in their approach to usual business parameters like choosing the right brand partners, increasing retail sales, charging a premium ticket price, etc. The panel comprised Gunjan Taneja, Executive Director, ALPS Beauty Clinics & Academy; Nikisha Bhatia, Creative Head and Academy Director, Shyam’s Salon Spa & Academy; Rod Anker, Founder, Rod Anker Salons; and Dharmesh Hingorani, Co-Founder, Zido Salon, with Ramchandani as the moderator.

SUSTAINABLE SALONS: PIPEDREAM OR VIABLE BUSINESS PROPOSITION?

The Indian salon industry has been toying the idea of sustainability for a long time. From salons doing a bare minimum like installing water-saving shower heads to establishments going all out to be eco-friendly, sustainability is definitely the buzzword. It is inevitable and with India’s net zero targets, the beauty industry will have to step up their game. This panel discussion focussed on where to start while building a sustainable salon, how to make the customers more aware, and most importantly how to make an eco-friendly salon a commercially viable one. As the moderator, Ramchandani questioned and cross-questioned the panelists about their individual practises, shortcomings and the way forward. Joining this talk on sustainability were Marisa Dimitriadis, Owner, The Spa Consultants; Shruti Jain, Founder, Kiahmoi Salon; Savio John Pereira, Founder, Savio John Pereira Salons; and Viki Thakkar, Owner and Founder, Viki Thakkar Design Studio.

TRAILBLAZERS: JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES

Moderated by Vij, the opening session featured Dr Blossom Kochhar, Chairperson, Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies; Seema Jerajani, Founder & Educator, SVJ Academy; and C KKumaravel, CEO & Co-Founder Naturals Salon & Spa. They discussed the stories, the pain and the ecstasy of building a brand and a legacy in the beauty and hair industry. As each of the industry expert spoke about their individual journeys, they highlighted the changes this sector has witnessed over the last two decades. They also pointed out the opportunities available for young entrepreneurs today, and inspired them with their anecdotes.

SALONS VS HOME SERVICES: SOUNDING THE THUNDER CLAP FOR THE INDUSTRY OR OPPORTUNITY TO EVOLVE?

Salons and home services have always been at a tug of war but the pandemic changed the dynamics between the two completely. Home services emerged as the need of the hour during the last two years, giving way to newer business formats around it. Challenging the traditional salon model, are home services meant to complement the beauty business or to be considered as competition? Are they strong enough to warrant separate operational support or minor enough to be relegated the title of a ‘side business.’ In this fireside chat with Ramchandani, Samir Srivastava, CEO, Jean Claude Biguine, and Vandana Bhardwaj, Managing Director, Marie Claire Paris, discussed the pros and cons of salons and home services.

SCALING UP OR EXIT STRATEGY: UNDERSTANDING THE VC AND INVESTOR GAME

Taking up this important topic of scaling up as the next discussion, Ramchandani welcomed onboard the speakers -Vikram Bhatt, Founder, Enrich; Blessing Manikandan, CEO, Paulsons Beauty & Fashion Private Limited; Pralay Bakshi, COO, Bina Punjani Hair Studio; and Vikram Mohan, CEO, Bounce Salon. Running a successful salon is as much about passion as it is about making sound business decisions. Scaling up your current business might involve seeking outside investment and taking on investors. The panelists discussed the need for smart solutions for beauty entrepreneurs and the different financial tools available for them to spread their wings and make progress commercially.

NO BUSINESS LIKE SPA BUSINESS: UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT WILL TAKE FOR INDIA TO HAVE A SPA INDUSTRY ON A PAR WITH GLOBAL MARKET

India’s spa and wellness industry is yet to catch up to global standards. Ramchandani welcomed her diverse panelists to discuss how to push the spa industry out of its nascent stage and onto the path of progress. The experts on this panel were Sushmita Sarangi, Commercial Director, JIVA and Niu&Nau; Kiran Bawa, Co-Founder, Iosis Spa; and Leena Khandekar, Director, Lee’s Beauty & Spa Centre; with Dimitriadis brining in an international perspective.

BRAND PARTNER OR VENDOR TO THE BUSINESS: HOW TO CHOOSE AND DEVELOP A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PRODUCT PARTNER FOR YOUR SALON’S SUCCESS

Salons need to have a strong and well-balanced relationship with their brands in order to have a successful business. Transitioning from the mindset of ‘vendors’ to the concept of ‘brand partners’, salons have come a long way. As the moderator for this session, Dimitriadis engaged the panelists in an interesting tete-a-tete about brand partner selection, terms and conditions of the contract and how to make it a win-win for both. The panelists included Kanta Motwani, Owner, Kromakay Salon; Vaishakhi Haria, Creative Head and Director, Splash Salon; Pravesh Saha, Country Head, Wella Professional; and Aankith Aroraa, Owner, Streamline Beauty India.

THE TALENT GAME: TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION

Skilled labour has always been a million-dollar question in the salon business. Battling issues like poaching and lack of training, salon owners have to contend with numerous issues when it comes to staff management. Ramchandani invited her expert speakers to discuss such as pay cuts, job losses and increased workloads as well as the important issue of ‘to train or not to train: the owner’s conundrum in a staff.’ The panelists include Pushkaraj Shenai, CEO, Lakmé Lever; Bina Punjani, Founder, Bina Punjani Hair Studio; Natasha Naegamvala, Director, Nalini of Nalini & Yasmin Salon; and Rekha Chaudhary, Founder, Oneline Wellness. They related their experiences of managing their staff during the pandemic and the challenges they faced in keeping up their morale. With regards to training, our panelists agreed that continued training is a must and should be an integral part of any salon’s business format.

EXPERT PRESENTATIONS

Apart from the high value panels discussion, Salon Management Congress 2022 also had standalone presentations by different subject matter experts.

NAILING IT

Gurpreet Seble, President and Founder, Nail Spa by Gurpreet, shared her experience as a pioneer in the field of nail art in India through her extensive presentation that focussed on how to run a successful nail salon.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Khushbu Malde, Co-Founder & Operations Head, Hair Castle Salon, & Founder Hair Castle Digital Academy, discussed the role of Instagram in branding, marketing and lead generation of salons.

RETAIL SALES

Pawan Duggal, Education Director, Postquam India, presented his ideas on boosting retail sales at salons, using tried and tested methods and working in tandem with partner brands and in-house staff.

True to its vision, Salon Management Congress 2022 bridged the knowledge gap in the industry between successful business models and the struggling ones. Each session was followed by a question-and-answer session wherein the delegates got an opportunity to speak directly with industry leaders on the dais, and get answers for their individual business dilemmas. Uplifting salon owners by guiding them with best management practices and business advice, the conference successfully achieved its aim of inspiring entrepreneurial spirit in the industry. Having met their role models, the attendees gained viable ideas and solutions to their business problems, the panelists got a better understanding of the ground realities of the industry and the team at Professional Beauty India went back highly motivated to return with yet another edition of the Salon Management Congress. PBHJ