Delhi Edition

Salon Management Congress, a one-of-its-kind initiative by Professional Beauty India, has over the years garnered a sturdy following in the Indian salon industry. The latest edition of Salon Management Congress proved once again that the industry looks up to it for business lessons and guidance. Here’s a special report.

Salon Management Congress 2023 – Delhi Edition – was held on the 2nd and 3rd of July, concurrently with the Professional Beauty India Exhibition, at Pragati Maidan. Popularly known as SMC, it welcomed the top business and marketing professionals from the Indian salon industry to participate in panel discussions on burning issues that salon owners face while running a business. The experts spoke from a position of experience and authority while the members of the audience gained a wealth of information from them. The delegates attending SMC Delhi comprised salon owners, salon managers, aspiring entrepreneurs and freelance beauty professionals. Kanishka Ramchandani, Consulting Editor, Professional Beauty x Hairdressers Journal facilitated the two-day event and moderated the panels discussions, too.

SMC Delhi offered existing and aspiring salon owners a knowledge arena to understand the nuances of running a salon with experts sharing their personal journeys, struggles and solutions with them. The delegates were able to relate to the issues being discussed and eager to know about tried and tested solutions. Here’s an overview of what each session entailed.

SMC Delhi was flagged off by Vikas Vij, Managing Director, Professional Beauty India. In his opening address, he spoke about the importance of business protocol for salons and a need for each salon to be more systemoriented and digital-savvy to improve efficiency and make the industry into an organised sector.

In her introductory speech, Ramchandani mentioned that India is ranked fourth globally for generating the highest revenue from the beauty and personal care market in 2022. India’s beauty and personal care market is presently valued at $16.8 billion.

Talent Talks: Skill at the heart of the beauty industry and importance of grooming budding talent in entrepreneurship

SPEAKERS

• Monica Bahl, CEO, Beauty and Wellness Skill Sector Council (BWSSC)

• Indra Ahluwalia, Managing Director, Grace Beauty Clinic Ludhiana

• Professor Dr Rehan Khan Suri.He is the Pro Vice Chancellor of Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University, Government of India, and a professor at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi.

Points of discussion

• When to start your own salon?

• What would you need to become an entrepreneur?

• What are the current policies and support extended by the government?

Bahl said that the beauty industry is a recession-proof industry because people will never stop grooming themselves. She also spoke about the various vocational courses offered by the BWSSC as well as the returnable grant currently offered for starting small scale businesses for women entrepreneurs.

Ahluwalia shared tips on entrepreneurship from her experience. She said that once you feel you have acquired enough skills, you should not fear failure and take the leap into entrepreneurship, even recommending partnership ventures if one can find investors.

Dr Suri spoke about the ease venturing into the beauty industry in today’s times, and the support extended to students opting for beauty vocational courses. He pointed out that it is important to have the right mindset before starting your own salon business - ‘be a learner and know how to collaborate. ’commitments for the next 2-3 years. Setting up and growing your business should be your only focus. He elaborated, “Start with answering your ‘why’. Be clear about the ‘how’. Don’t compare yourself with others while answering your ‘why’. Keep your expenses high and income estimates low to ensure you have a buffer.”

Unlocking entrepreneurship – The transformation from hair/beauty professional to salon owner

SPEAKERS

• JJ Savani, Owner, JJ Savani Hair Studio

• Savio John Pereira,Owner, Savio John Pereira Salons

• Vipul Chudasama, Creative Director, Vipul Chudasama Salon and Academy

• Kapil Sharma,Owner, Kapil’s Salon and Academy

Points of discussion

• When is it the right time for a hairdresser to start their own salon business?

• Dos and don’ts of starting out on your own.

For Savani, it was more about what more he can do as a hair professional that prompted him to identify a market gap in barbering in the UK. He said, “Do your homework, find your target market, niche, clientele and price range and focus on that. Build your brand around that clientele. Don’t turn down opportunities to collaborate. Don’t mix personal and business finances. Learn when to say ‘No’.”

Chudasama shared how he approached entrepreneurship differently. He started with an academy first and took selective hairdressing appointments. In a couple of years, after establishing the academy, he started his salon brand. He said, “If you’re a creative artist, don’t get into finances. Build a strong team so you can focus on business. Don’t open a salon if you don’t have 700-800 clients.”

What motivated Pereira to start his own salon venture was the freedom of time and the idea of being your own boss. He commented, “Do your homework well; spend time on the floor; don’t get too emotional; cut your losses, if you are not moving in the right direction. Invest in a very good legal consultant and a very good CA.”

The right time according to Sharma to start your own business is when you do not have any other major commitments for the next 2-3 years. Setting up and growing your business should be your only focus. He elaborated, “Start with answering your ‘why’. Be clear about the ‘how’. Don’t compare yourself with others while answering your ‘why’. Keep your expenses high and income estimates low to ensure you have a buffer.”

Customer connect – Salon owners catering to the new age customer in the new normal

SPEAKERS

• Rachit Malhotra, Owner, Femina Plus Beauty Salon & Spa

• Rod Anker, Owner, Rod Anker Salons

• Sachin Kamat, Director, Enrich

Points of discussion

• The challenges salons face in connecting with their customers.

• The influence of social media.

• How to handle customer complaint?

Speaking about pricing and cost from a customer’s perspective, Anker said that it depends on the expectations vs delivery and the quality of service provided.

The panelists agreed that proper consultations are required to manage customer expectations. Kamath said, “You can ensure minimum complaints if you can avoid a discrepancy between expectations and delivery. Understand the customer’s needs with right consultation, and during the service keep checking if everything is going fine.”

Regarding challenges with customer connection, Malhotra pointed out that today’s customers want fast and prompt information. He stressed on the importance of non-verbal communication and body language while dealing with customers. “Inform them about the products you are using and how you are using them - don’t hide things from your customers.”

Service menu strategy – how to have a healthy mix of hair, skin, make-up, nails and spa services

SPEAKERS

• Arpita Das, MD, Beauness by Arpita

• Mukul Pawar,Director, Lookwell Salons

• Annalouise Kenny,Founder and CEO, Skin Philosophy

Points of discussion

• Is it a good idea to have a mix of services or to stick to a single forte when preparing service menu?

• How to design a service menu?

Bringing in a global perspective, Kenny said, “In the UK, everything is about the niche. It means I’m going to get my nails done in a nail bar and my skin peels at a skin clinic. So, if you are going to combine those treatments at your salon, you need to market it as individual businesses within one business rather than trying to mix brands.”

Mukul elaborated this further by stating that your marketing budget will drastically decrease if you have a niche service menu but if that particular segment declines in the future, your business will get directly affected. “I prefer to have the all-in-one salon, where you will get a larger audience to cater to and have versatile ways to upsell and cross-sell your services.”

Speaking about a menu revamp, Das said, “After 1.5-2 years, a salon should change the menu by adding a few new services and removing ones that are not working. Currently, a lot of people are adding HydraFacial to their menu as salons are getting into cosmeceutical services. It takes 3-4 months for a salon owner to get clients for the new services and achieve expertise. A complete changeover can be done after 3-5 years.”

From insights to impact – Transforming your salon business with data and technology

SPEAKERS

• Yuvraj Ahluwalia, Director, Grace Beauty Clinic Pvt Ltd

• Vinay K. Mayer, Director – Market Research and Consulting, Asia Research Partners LLP

• Sunil Khatri, Co-founder, Zalon

Points of discussion

• Availability of software and the use of data on a day-to-day operation basis in the salon business.

• Trend tracking, pricing strategies and analysing customer behaviour.

• Introduction to chatbots and tech support appointments and customer complaints.

“Right from your marketing to your operations, everything depends on data and technology these days. Getting marketing data is a very difficult job. Getting the customer to your doorstep is one of the biggest challenges. But data and technology has really helped us to achieve that in a very big way,” explained Ahluwalia.

Khatri commented, “Data and technology are important in any sector. It is important to study the data, and for that we need the right software and technology in place. Depending upon you know how big your business is, we can integrate tools such as Artificial Intelligence in your system.”

Mayer added, “Today’s customers are not very patient. They want fast results, faster interactions. There are many ways in which artificial intelligence can help you, such as analysing customer experience and scheduling your appointments. Virtual try-ons is yet another way to use it. The salon industry, at this moment, is not using technology enough, mostly because people think it is expensive. But you can find affordable solutions depending on your requirement.”

How to collaborate with freelancers – Salons need to be smart about partnering with freelancers.

SPEAKER

• Najeeb-Ur-Rehman, Consultant Schwarzkopf Professional and Brand Ambassador for Kerasmooth by Godrej Professional

Points of discussion

• Why do we want to collaborate with a freelancer?

• Parameters to look at before deciding to collaborate

Rehman stressed on the importance of transparency. “It is highly recommended to have proper MoU or contract with the freelancer, listing out the charges or revenue share for the service offered to their clients and any extras that will be charged for. Collaborating with a freelancer brings in free publicity and also the opportunity for the salon to introduce themselves to new clients as well as the learning opportunities. However, there should be a clear point regarding poaching of clients for the same service by either of the parties involved.”

Vendor selection secrets – Strategies for selecting and cultivating a thriving partnership for your salon

SPEAKERS

• Pooja Garg, Founder, Pedicalm

• Aankith Aroraa, Owner, Streamline beauty India Pvt Ltd

• Ayush Ahuja, Co-founder, Zalon

• Varun Attri, Owner, Varun Attri Salon, Founder VA products

Points of discussion

• Maintaining healthy vendor-salon relationship

• Addressing challenges and issues arising therein

Garg stated, “Every relationship requires a level of give and take, so if the vendor provides good quality products on-time, the salon should provide a better placement of their product in the salon. It all boils down to how the vendor and the salon respect their commitments towards the business.”

Speaking about his experience in the Indian market, Aroraa said, “I think the biggest advantage of being in India is that we have the concept of distribution here. We have a network of 70-80 distributors in metros and tier II and III cities. Apart from this, there are many categories where we have introduced mono doses. So, either through distribution network or through packaging or offers and combos, we support salons to manage their inventory.”

Ahuja spoke about the challenges of being in the sphere of digital distribution. He was focused on providing support to salons. He clarified, “We are taking care of the salon’s inventory requirement so that they can focus more primarily on their sales.”

Analysing vendor-salon partnership, Attri expounded, “If we talk about vendor-salon relationship, three things are important. Firstly, what are the requirements of the salon. Secondly, what are the requirements of the vendor? And thirdly, what kind of good will the vendors have in the market. When we evaluate this, we will see how important they are to us and how much regard they have for us.”

Staff: Is your team costing you money and giving you headaches?

SPEAKERS

• Shine Janarthanan, Founder and Director, Time Machine Salon and Academy, Mumbai

• Sidney Ho, Owner, Mirrors and Comb Salon, Kolkata

• Ashok Paliwal, Director, Prabhat Spa Salon n Institute, Udaipur

Points of discussion

• How do you create a good team

• How should team building be done?

As the discussion on team building and hiring the right staff got into the flow, Ho pointed out, “Apart from training, the most important thing is that you should listen to your team. As a salon owner, you should hear them out and address their issues. It is also equally important to remain impartial and have complete transparency. If you start favouring one stylist over the rest, you will lose the discipline of your salon. And above all else, do not tolerate politics within the salon. All group talk and politics should be immediately shut down! Another issue we face is stylists coming in and demanding one lakh salary. If you want that, you have to get me business worth three or four times one lakh. If you can do that, I am willing to pay you.”

Janarthanan stressed on the importance of having staff protocol. “As a business owner, I like to have standardisation, which can come only with protocol. It is important to treat the staff well but don’t think of them too much like a family. You will get too involved and your business will suffer. Make them understand the importance of your protocol and help them adjust to it.

Paliwal emphasised on the role of the salon owner as a team leader. “You have to keep the staff motivated by giving them additional training and treating them well. But it is important to maintain a balance and ensure that they respect you, too. People will leave and join other places. That’s part of the game. What you need to understand is that you cannot run a salon without a team. You need people and you need teamwork. You have to treat them like family, and you can’t be too strict with your family. At the same time, you have to ensure that they don’t take disadvantage of you.”

Finding the right candidate using digital tools – Sponsored by Kohot

SPEAKERS

Sanchit Udhwani, Senior Project Coordinator, Kohotn

Points of discussion

• Sanchit Udhwani, Senior Project Coordinator, Kohot

Udhwani explained, “Kohot is a platform where you can make your profile as a business owner or as a professional looking for a job. It works for both stakeholders of the salon industry. You can make your CV on Kohot, upload photos of your work and certificates. In the salon industry, certification is not enough. Unless you see the kind of the work the candidate is doing, you will not think of hiring them. So, here we have an interface where they can upload their work photos and videos. They can update their profiles, too, and recruiters will be updated simultaneously. If you are in their bookmark, they will give you a callback. As a salon owner, you can also evaluate the candidate, basis different criteria, and make an informed decision about who to hire.”

Evaluating beauty education: Is uniform education and training in beauty the right step towards making the industry more organised?

SPEAKERS

• Seema V Jerajani, Owner, SVJ Academy

• Disha Meher, Principal Expert Beauty and Wellness, Urban Company

• Unnati Singh, Founder and Director, Unnati Singh The Finishing School Beauty Education

• Mahesh Ravaria, Co-founder and CEO, Beauty Garage India

Points of discussion

• Is it important for salons to hire staff that have had uniform education and training?

• During hiring you check the qualiflcations and certifications are in place but the on the floor experience is little less and this may lead to mistakes during procedures. So, how do you prepare your students for this situation?

Jerajani said, “Uniform education is very necessary, especially in positions where there is more responsibility, such as senior level and management level positions. There are City and Guild exams conducted in India, which has standardisation of education. Similarly, there are qualifications like CIDESCO. When students with these certifications come to you asking for jobs, you know a certain level of education has been imparted, theory has been done, practicals have been conducted.”

Meher added, “Yes, uniform education is desirable but it’s not the ground reality because our idea of fundamentals is different. For skin training, it is important to understand the skin’s structure but are our trainers talking about the different layers of the epidermis. They are not! So, the fact remains that we cannot be too stringent about basic training or uniform training, otherwise we will not have people to work with.”

Ravaria pointed out, “Products and technology are continuously undergoing a change. Technology is getting upgraded and we need to have a continuous training system to keep professionals upgraded as well. As beauty professionals, we have to educate ourselves every step of the way.”

Singh opined, “Educational certificates are important but as a salon owner, before hiring, you need to check what those certificates mean. Who has given that certi昀椀cate? What’s the institute’s standing? Who’s the principal of the school? Who are the trainers? Similarly, students should not get carried away by the awards their trainers show. You should know the value of those awards before learning from the so-called ‘celebrity’ and ‘awardwinning’ trainers.”

Retail Power Play: Executing an effective game plan to fuel sales and maximise salon profits

SPEAKERS

• Uday Takke, Director U Takke’s Institute of hair & Skin, Director U Takke’s Hair & Beauty studio, Director SkinAmore by Uday Takke

Points of discussion

• Importance of retail in salon business

• Gaps in retail education in salon industry

In his presentation, Takke made some valid points about the art of doing retail in salons: “Training and incentivising your staff for retail sales is crucial. They should know the products thoroughly before recommending them or trying to sell them. If they are getting a commission on the sale, they will put in more effort to sell them. Staff members should know how to speak to the clients while selling the products. Their tone and body language are important. As the salon owner, you should encourage the usage of correct product within the salon. Only then will the client get convinced and buy the product for continued use. And lastly, remember that retail is your second business. It is a steady source of income and it is your business partner, one who will never leave you.”

Salon Marketing – How to gain clients by implementing the correct content marketing strategy?

SPEAKERS

• Khushbu Malde, Co-founder Hair castle Salon and Social Media Academy, Mumbai

• Ashwin Mahajan, Owner, Opulent Salon, Delhi

• Karanbir Singh Sidhu, Managing Director, Headmasters Ludhiana

Points of discussion

• How do you position your salon on social media?

• What is a salon’s marketing strategy and brand positioning?

As a social media expert, Malde gave her suggestions, “There are more than 300 social media apps right now. You cannot possibly be present on each and every one of them. It is important to be present only on those that are extremely relevant for our business, which is for the hair and beauty market. So, out of all the 300 social media apps, the most relevant ones – 1. Instagram, 2. Facebook and 3. YouTube.”

Sidhu said, “You have to advertise exactly what you’re selling. If you say 50 per cent off in your ad and when the client walks in, you inform them its 50 per cent off only on certain services, they will go back with a negative experience. Through your marketing efforts ensure that the client is not dissatisfied in any way. Salon business is a local business. People have to physically reach your salon. So, how do you plan your advertising or marketing activities around that? What are the tools that you use? For online marketing, you can look at social media platforms and SEO, and for offline campaigns, you can consider newspaper ads and pamphlets. My rule of the thumb is if you are a new salon, the marketing spend should be 5 per cent, and if you are an established salon with good sales, it should be 2 per cent.”

Mahajan shared, “We create a monthly, quarterly and half-yearly marketing plan. We keep our staff also engaged in this so that it is all integrated. Right now, we are focussing more on Instagram, like the rest of the world. But we also invest in one-on-one experience wherein we call guests over to the salon and offer them complimentary treatments. They go out and talk about them, both online and offline. We also do paid marketing.”

Intellectual property in the beauty, hair and salon industry

SPEAKERS

• Gunjan Taneja, VP, Chamber of Trade Industry, Beauty Products Council; Salon Management Guru; and ED, Alps Beauty Group

• MS Bharath, Lawyer; KRIA Law Bangalore

• Rayed Merchant, Owner, SSIZ International

Points of discussion

• What exactly is meant by Intellectual Property (IP) and how is it relevant in the beauty industry

• When your identity is linked to your brand, how do you handle cases when people try to copy your products or brand name?

Bharath explained, “IP is there in every product and in every business. The technology used in a product is called a patent, and whatever is written on the product, including its logo, is copyright. The brand name outside your salon is your trademark and the services you offer are also a part of it. So, before opening a salon, you need to check whether the trademark has been registered by someone else. Each business is a different case. You never know when you might need to take action against someone else using your brand name. You don’t need to go after anyone, everyone, every day. But you need to be clear about what you is your plan, your budget for legal proceedings, how big you wish to become in your arena, etc.”

Taneja pointed out, “In case of copyright issues, 90 per cent of the time the issue gets sorted with the help of a legal notice. If you see someone copying your brand or product name, send them a legal notice with your copyright number and they are quite likely to withdraw it. For the rest 10 per cent, you can take legal action.”

Merchant added his personal experience as an example: “At social events, I often get introduced as the owner of Ikonic and not SSIZ International. The brand name has become my identity. If IP wasn’t there, if there were 10 Ikonics, then what would my identity be? IP is about protecting your company and your business, because people start associating your brand with you. My legal team sends me updates when Ikonic is getting used as the name of an AC or juicer-mixer. This keeps happening constantly. You cannot just give a birth to a baby and leave it. You have to protect your child, no matter how big the child grows. But you have to choose where you want to take legal action.”

Fireside chat: What’s the next step for the salon industry?

SPEAKERS

• Sukriti Patnaik, Owner, Indulge Salon

• Vivek Shyam Bhatia, Owner, Very V Salon & Creative director, Shyam’s Salon and Academy

• Samir Srivastava, CEO, LOOKS Salon

Points of discussion

• What is next for the salon industry? Can we try a new format for the industry?

• Once you have identified a requirement and know that the customer will start demanding this service eventually, what kind of social listening is needed to understand and anticipate that the customer will eventually need this service and start building it up in your salon?

Srivastava said, “One of the categories that I am very fond of is hair extensions. The pandemic has triggered a lot of hair problems for both women and men. Men might be okay with it, but for the women hair is a symbol of beauty. In the UK, there are exclusive hair extension salons with rows of chairs with clients getting extensions done. In India, the male clientele is price sensitive. So, I think every salon should have a specialised men’s corner.”

Speaking about her innovative ideas, Patnaik said, “At my salons, we started a concept called the Bridal Mall. It is a one-stop solution for everything bridal, including hair, make-up, lehengas and sarees, hair accessories, bridal nail art, wedding photography, and even wedding cards. We developed this niche for ourselves. Now, we see a lot of salons getting into niche segments like brow bar. It is important for salons to ‘walk the talk.’ I have been vocal about Dermalogica and GlimmHer hair extensions. So, whatever you decide to do at your salon, stick to good quality and get the right vendor.”

Bhatia added, “We understand how sensitive men are about getting hair extensions. That’s why we have created a private room at our salons for services like hair weaving so that the clients who wear hair patches are comfortable in removing them, without others watching. This room has a separate backwash, chairs and air conditioning, too. Today, this business is contributing 18 per cent to the salon’s business revenue, with each client paying approximately Rs 24,000 to Rs 30,000. The hair extension business is here to stay, because by doing extensions we are solving a problem. That’s what entrepreneurs do and I am a hardcore entrepreneur.”

The Salon Management Congress 2023 – Delhi Edition brought with it treasure trove of information and business ideas. But it is a milestone for us and there are many more to achieve. The next edition of Salon Management Congress 2023 will come to Mumbai on the 2nd and 3rd of October at Bombay Exhibition Centre, along with the Professional Beauty India Exhibition. To register, visit www.professionalbeauty.in.