098 Toby Dicker and Amanda Faith
The world is full of salons! And oftentimes they all start to look and feel the same. But then occasionally you see something or talk to someone, and you realize that they have taken a different path, that they have different values and they have had the courage to pursue their own vision of what a salon should not only look and feel like, but also how it should operate as a business, and how it should integrate into the community and the lives of both the clients and the people who work there.
My guest on today's Podcast are Toby Dicker and Amanda Faith who are the co-founders and partners in The Chapel salon group based in and around London.
In today’s podcast we discuss:
- The importance of nurturing the individual
- The client experience… and how you make people feel and
- Charging for services based on time
And lots more!
In this Episode:
[0:01:18] An introduction to today’s guests, Amanda Faith and Toby Dicker, and what you can expect to learn from them in today’s episode.
[0:03:03] Amanda shares where her love for hairdressing originated, and the passion she has for the industry.
[0:05:05] The lightbulb moment that changed the course of Amanda’s career.
[0:06:19] Skills Toby has which complement Amanda’s creativity, and the journey they are currently on together.
[0:08:55] What Toby loves most about running his own business, despite the challenges.
[0:10:50] Why Amanda and Toby’s business, The Chapel Group, caught my eye.
[0:12:08] The inspirational goals that Amanda is trying to achieve through her salons.
[0:15:05] Reasons that Toby and Amanda chose the locations where their 6 salons are situated.
[0:16:40] Elements that differentiate Chapel salons from the numerous other salons that exist.
[0:19:28] Care that Amanda and Toby took when deciding on the buildings in which they were going to open their salons.
[0:21:48] Building community and individuality are key pieces of The Chapel’s model.
[0:23:55] The process that Toby and Amanda have gone through in order to design salons that uphold the principles of The Chapel salon group.
[0:26:55] Everything in The Chapel salons has a purpose, even the colour of the walls.
[0:29:44] Toby explains some of the expensive mistakes that he and Amanda have made along their journey.
[0:32:04] Advice from Toby regarding buying versus renting properties.
[0:33:13] The demanding nature of the work of a hair stylist, and the burnout that Amanda experienced as a result.
[0:34:03] Amanda shares the process of recovery that she went on, and how she helps her team members to avoid the struggles she experienced.
[0:37:27] The importance of individualisation, and how price lists take away from this.
[0:39:12] Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on The Chapel salons, and the factors that have contributed to their success through this difficult time.
[0:42:05] Responsibility that Amanda feels to help people be true to themselves.
[0:43:47] Experiences with guests that chipped away at Amanda’s creativity.
[0:45:23] Problems that Toby noticed with regular hairdressing price lists.
[0:47:06] The decision Amanda and Toby made to charge by time, and the benefits that have come from this.
[0:48:48] How the pricing system at The Chapel salons works.
[0:50:43] The team dynamic that is the backbone of The Chapel salons.
[0:53:30] Exciting changes that Amanda expects to see in the hairdressing industry in the future.
[0:54:37] Concerns that Toby has about the business models that many hairdressers are currently adopting.
[0:57:14] Toby shares more details about The Chapel’s pricing structure, and why they do not do online bookings.
[1:00:00] Almost everything is built into the hourly rate.
[1:00:57] How Toby and Amanda manage prices for different markets, while maintaining consistency.
[1:02:00] Relationship building with guests; a core pillar of The Chapel salons.
[1:03:54] Valuable advice from Amanda for anyone who wants to transition to a model like theirs.
[1:06:50] Reasons that people choose to come to The Chapel salons over other salons.
[1:08:34] Toby puts to rest the biggest hesitancies that people have around the charge-for-time model.
[1:09:42] Ways that The Chapel offers an experience that is about so much more than cutting hair.
[1:10:47] How the charge-for-time model benefits the hairdressers.
[1:13:29] Why you won’t be able to find The Chapel on social media platforms, and ways that you can connect with Amanda and Toby.
Links and Resources:
Club House @antonywhitaker
Amanda Faith
Email: amanda@thechapel.co.uk
The Chapel