The Final Cut with Mary Hudson
Switching Lanes
My background was in catering, however I didn’t feel a real love for it. My husband Jerry opened his first salon and it felt like a natural thing to start training as a colourist. Over time, the business grew and we worked well together, with us both falling into our natural roles: Jerry as the Creative Director and I was able to adapt the skills I had learned in the catering business and use them managing the salon.
Repeat Performance
We like to ensure that our team stays motivated and excited. Whether we are busy or quiet, we feel that every client has to be treated the same – they must receive the same quality of service, get the same value for money and leave our salon feeling that they have had the same experience, whether they are new or regular clients.
Expert touch
My favourite cut is called the Firefly – it is so timeless and classic. There always seems to be variations of this cut every year. It can be difficult when a trend becomes popular and everyone wants this look. As we have such a diverse client base, that particular trend may not always suit the natural colouring, face shape or age profile of every client. This is where our expertise comes in and we try our best to adapt that trend to suit the client’s natural colouring or face shape.
In the black
The best advice I have received is practical: clean your desk every evening; pay your wages and bills on time. When starting out, I always found that once the bills and wages were paid out, I knew exactly what we had left to spend on updating and maintaining the salon, or bringing in new products. We never allow ourselves to become complacent and make sure we are always moving forward, whether it is simple improvements to the appearance of the salon, or continuing the education of our team.
Dynamic duo
Achieving my Masters in Colour with Wella Professional, which I did seven years ago, is a career
highlight. One of our Senior Stylists, Karen, who has been with us for nearly 15 years, has also recently graduated as a Master Colour Expert, so it is a huge achievement to say that our salon now has two Master Colour Experts.
Tools of the trade
Our team is inspired by our Creative Director, Jerry who has over 45 years experience in the hair
business. We are motivated by Paul Mitchell as we are also a family-based business so there is a lot we can learn from their work ethos and we try to use some of their training tools when working with the members of our own team.
Reality check
The personalised experience is key for all our clients. Although we know it is important that we move with the times and embrace the internet and the power of social media, the trend seems to be headed towards convenience and online bookings. We are an individual salon so we wish to continue having that personal connection with our clients.
Family fortune
Our salon is a family-run business and we are blessed to have our son, Karl, sharing the role of manager, as well as being an experienced stylist, and our daughter Victoria, who is the beauty therapist and Dermalogica Expert upstairs.
For us, it is imperative that we pass on the same work ethos to both of them so we have equipped them with all the skills necessary to overcome any of the obstacles or challenges we have experienced over the last 40 years.