You’ll know Sophia Hilton from her ten-year tenure as Founder of Not Another Salon, a unique space that she carved out in a East London. Now, after shutting the salon doors, Hilton has shifted to create ‘Not Another Club’, a business collective designed to help salon owners sustain their own businesses.
Are people interested in hearing what she has to say? Ask the 300 course applicants that she’s managed to garner in just three weeks…
So, what is Not Another Club? In Hilton’s own words: ‘(it’s) a national and international support network for salon owners and independent stylists who want good business, good money, and a good life.’
With business costs sky rocketing, social media driving more footfall than ever, and customers expecting more and more from salon services, it’s never been trickier for hair salons. As a result, according to Local Data Company, hair salons continue to be in decline across our high streets, closing more than 400 doors from 2022-2023.
In a recent report commissioned by the British Beauty Council, Thinks Insight uncovered the key actions for industry to make in order to future-proof the hair sector. Notably ‘The Future of Hairdressing’, it called for ‘training and support that recognises the multi-faceted nature of hairdressing’, this goes beyond the skill itself and encompasses marketing, business skills and entrepreneurship.
Hilton’s new course satiates this industry need. She says: ‘For too long stylists and salon owners have only valued hair education and not the other stuff. That has to change,’ going on to say: ‘I recently taught a class where a whopping 148 out of 150 had never done any business education!’
Markedly, Hilton says: ‘We’re trained in foils, but not finances or marketing. We know how to layer a bob, but not how to lead a team.’
Not only does the new course offer business training, it also fills support gaps for salon owners who often lend an ear to their clients’ needs. According to L’Oréal Professionnel’s most recent Head Up campaign, 65% of hair stylists have experienced anxiety, burnout or depression during their professional career.
To combat this, Hilton brings her experience of catering for those who face mental health challenges into the business space. ‘Hairdressers are often on the front line of “care” for clients and sometimes the only constant in a client’s life… Salon work is emotionally laborious. Without proper boundaries, education, and support, it leads to burnout.’
‘Isolation is dangerous, creatively, emotionally and financially,’ notes Hilton, sharing more about how a large part of the new offering is executed via IRL events, vital for building a meaningful network.
Knowing the limitations some stylists face when it comes to making time for functions, Hilton is also adopting Whatsapp-first training opportunities so that people get tips pinged to their phones.
Having launched this future-facing programme, how does Hilton think the industry has shifted over recent years?
‘It’s changed massively. We’ve moved from salon loyalty to personal brand loyalty. Social media has shifted power into the hands of the stylist, and clients expect more, more skill, more service, more meaning,’ she replies.
And, what does she hope for the future?
‘I hope the future is inclusive, smarter and fun again.’
You can find out more about Not Another Club here.
