For the second Professional Beauty Roundtable eight industry experts discussed, among many other topics, how to create a great company culture.
Our experts included Tina Copland from Jax Wax Australia, Kelly Dermody from Ivy Skin, Cameron Campbell from Marque of Brands, Stacey Manning from Malibu Spray, Roman Garai from Advanced Beauty Australia, Suzana Ruzinov from Swissotel Spa, Rory Houston from Linda Meredith Skincare and Gillian Adams from Gillian Adams Salon & Spa.
Our beauty industry professionals agreed unanimously that maintaining a professional, friendly culture though regular communication was crucial.
Gillian said it was very important to have a strong culture with a strong purpose that everybody engages in, while Kelly said we needed to encourage good ethics.
Stacey emphasised a professional culture was key, especially in the beauty industry, while Suzana placed pride at the forefront of company culture.
Rory said it was crucial to make sure the team within the spa were being supported, while Tina said she fostered a family friendly and people-oriented environment.
Roman said the culture started with the logo, while Cameron said people wanted to be part of something.
Read their edited responses below or watch the video for the full discussion.
Gillian:
“It’s very important to have a strong culture with a strong purpose that everybody engages in, whether it is your team, your suppliers, or your clients. When you have that strong purpose with your values, then you create a great experience, and my value is to make sure that everyone that comes into my spa has a great experience. You have to constantly communicate that and enforce it, and talk about it, and create that loving, caring environment. It flourishes from that.”
Kelly:
“It’s important to have good ethics and morals that can actually flow through to your staff. That then flows onto the clients, so that you’re all on the same page ethically, and you all share the same philosophy. That comes through to the clients, so they aren’t getting confused with different messages they’re receiving.”
Stacey:
“A professional culture is key, especially in the beauty industry. I continuously tell my staff members that first impressions start outside; how they see the business, how they view it. Our goal is to exceed a client’s expectations when they come in. It’s how the client is dealt with from the phone, to in the store, to then following up with them. Everyone is in uniforms. The staff feel really proud to work there, and be a part of the name and a part of that culture.”
Suzanna:
“We take pride in what we do, my team and I. We are part of a culture where we care about every client, every hotel guest. We try to create the best experience for everyone there.”
Rory:
“You have to make sure the team within the spa are being supported, so they’re not getting frustrated by suppliers. This means breaking it down to the simple things like delivering product quickly, being a point of communication or being able to be there to talk to the spa team as well as the managers, and help them be confident with the product they’re being supplied. If the team is comfortable and happy they’re being supported from the suppliers, as well as their own managers and owners, it’s going to help the culture of the spa.”
Tina:
“We supply very small salons to very large wholesalers all around the world. It’s very important that we are available, and if someone calls us, if they have a problem, or if there’s an issue or they want information, they’re not fobbed off. We try and work with our customers to make sure they have adequate training, are they are using the product how it’s supposed to be used. Our culture is very much that we are family friendly, we are people-oriented, and that our products do what they’re supposed to do. If things go wrong, you will get found out. It’s the same as on your social media – don’t put out messages that aren’t true. You will get found out, and then you will look like an idiot. Do it right and do it correctly. Don’t promise something that you can’t deliver. Always under-promise and over-supply.”
Roman:
“From the supplier point of view, we need to help to build the identity of the spa or the culture, so in representing a wonderful brand, say from Switzerland or Norway, we keep the standards at the same level. As a former spa owner, the culture starts with the logo. It’s the creation of the brand identity. It’s the staff member proudly carrying the logo on her uniform.”
Cameron:
“People want to be part of something. We have a very small business, and a very small industry, and to gather together in that industry, and be part of something, is what we feel drives culture. People don’t want to turn up to work in an environment where they’re just a number. They want to be part of a team that cares about not only themselves and what they do, but what they do for their job each day, and what they do later at night. That’s done in our business by opportunity and empowerment.”