It is unquestionable the impact that the past 8 months has had on our industry; we are an entrepreneurial, creative industry which houses so much talent. In this series, we speak with a number of regional hairdressers about their love of the industry, the impact of COVID, and what #ChopTheVAT would do for them.

We spoke with Brian ‘Leo’ McCallum, Owner of ROAR Hair and Beauty; Winner of Best Hair Consultant Scotland 2020 and Winner of Highly Commended Salon 2019.

Image credit: ROAR Hair and Beauty

What are your favourite things about being in hair?

In this time of uncertainty my favourite thing has to be giving people confidence and improving their mental health! It’s a tremendous feeling to know that we can help people feel better about themselves.

Who is your hair icon?

Farrah Fawcett, of course I’m far too young to remember her but that hair was iconic for sure!

Hair Icon Farah Fawcett

How has lockdown impacted your business? 

In a nutshell It’s slowed our growth. We had plans to potentially open more salons and now we need to just hold back a little. It’s still coming however lockdown has definitely put us back a little. It’s been such an incredibly tough year for all of us. 

Image credit: ROAR Giffnock

What do you miss most since not being able to work?

People! We all love our guests so much at ROAR Hair and Beauty and of course that goes both ways I’m sure. I like to keep my creative juices flowing with my drag and reading. It’s difficult not being amongst our guests on a daily basis and getting that in salon buzz. 

What changes have you put in place to adapt to working through COVID? 

Too many to mention! What I would say is that they are all not bad, there are lots of things that we have implemented that I think to myself that we should have been doing it that way anyway. 2020 has given us time to reflect on things and I think that has brought some positives with it for sure.

Image credit: @roarhairandbeauty

How would a cut in VAT impact your business?

It would keep outgoings and costs to a minimum. This would mean we could afford to invest more in training and development for younger apprentices and stylists. I feel that’s where the focus should be in our industry and I would love to do more. 

Find out more about ROAR Hair and Beauty here.

Follow them on Instagram here, and check out their Facebook page!