Testimony: Amélie, manager of the Amélie salon

Meeting Amélie, manager of the Amélie salon...

Hi! Can you introduce yourself and your salon?

My name is Amélie, I've been in hairdressing for about 15 years, it's a conversion. Hairdressing is a passion for me. So my dream was necessarily to open my own salon, to see my salons. I'm a Provost baby, I was brought up at Provost, normally I should have stayed with them, and no, a lot of things, it wasn't me, it didn't look like me, it wasn't spontaneous enough. Everything is way too much in focus for me. I wanted to create my living room so that it would be like at home, in my living room.

In early January of this year, I opened mine. I found my salon in September 2017 and we got the job done pretty quickly. And the adventure began. So we're in the 15th arrondissement, Boulevard Pasteur, we're supposed to work in pairs, even threesomes. I haven't really had any luck since the start because the hairdresser who was in the salon when I took it over is gone and I can't find a hairdresser, it's a bit of a mess, so I'm rowing a little bit, because there's a clientele for 2 or even 3 people. I'm getting a clientele, like me pepsy.

Are you looking for employees for your salon?

Right now I'm looking for a hairdresser and a BP apprentice, because I have the clientele for and I'm underwater, so I'm turning down a lot of clients and it's not at all for an opening.

What are the most complex tasks in managing a trade fair?

In a hair salon, the hardest thing to manage is the team. Knowing how to find competent, welcoming, smiling employees who are passionate about their jobs. I learned this a few months ago when I opened my salon.

It was really the hardest thing: finding a team, forming a team. After that, it's about paying attention to the numbers, the prestas, the resales, the techniques, because you have to find a balance. There are percentages to be respected.

I'm just looking around, because I've been a manager for a very long time. But you have to be careful, I don't pay enough attention to it because I have my head in the handlebars, because I'm currently all alone. I can't manage everything, it's quite hard.

What tool do you use to manage your salon?

After that, everything that is management of numbers, stocks, etc., there is Wavy. It's true that, in the end, it's super simple. I was a bit scared at first, because I was used to another cash register software that I worked with for years.

And when we found Wavy, I was afraid, because I'm technophobic, so I'm not into the whole thing, setting everything up. It's not my thing at all, and then finally, it was quite easy, quite simple quickly. It's intuitive!

Do you have any advice for anyone who's going to open a hair salon?

It's just a matter of hardening up so that you don't get fooled, already when you buy the show and by the staff.

Are you digitally present?

As I said earlier, I'm technophobic, so I'm anti-Facebook. I had a small Instagram account and to try to develop the living room a bit. We created, as a family, an Instagram account and a Facebook account.

It was all new to me, too. We attended a digital training at Wavy, which was very interesting. It taught us a lot of things. It's growing a bit! Wavy is making my website, so I can't wait to see it for myself. We're starting to be pretty present on the web.

For or against online booking?

I was pretty much against online booking until digital training. It was well explained and discussed. I can see that in the end it would save me time, because I would have fewer phone calls and I can see that when I arrive in the morning, I have phone calls when I'm not there.

It's potentially dates I can miss. People don't necessarily call back. I think I'll start booking online, only for blow dry, men's haircuts, but not technically at the moment.

Why did you choose Wavy ?

Because it's a small Parisian startup, so we thought it was funny. And because it's pretty easy to use. We didn't want to take a big company for a software, we wanted something fun.

Do you have a favorite feature?

Yes, it's mobile! It's not a computer, it's on a tablet. I've also seen that you can do it on a smartphone, so I think that's pretty funny. Well, now, I think we need to be a big team to get it on everyone's phone. It's very well done, I've looked at it, everyone just has their own profile, to cash in on their profile. It's super convenient. That's how we cash in! My client files are in there, I'm going to see the client with the iPad, that's great !

The good thing is that we don't need cash register furniture, because we can cash in the customer anywhere. That's great, too! What's also nice is that we're in a discussion, if we have a problem, we can send a message directly. We get an answer pretty quickly. At the beginning it was useful for me, because I was a bit lost, but I think it's nice, for those who know nothing about it.

The hair salon of the future?

It's all about the digital! You show up with your tablet, your client's right in front of it...

But not like what's being done now with L'Oréal Style My Hair. You put on the client's head, but it doesn't work. I've always tried it, but it's never worked. That you put on the client's face, but in different cuts.

Everybody tries to do it, but it never works and it would be great! Or a screen at the entrance, you have the customer who passes in front and clack! You see her in another... Simplified Certified Relaxed

If you would like to read more testimonials, click here.

Written by
Aurélie Pauker
Always attracted by the world of hairdressing and beauty, today I answer the problems you may have.

Also to be consulted