Reds Hair in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand is an inspirational example of navigating the challenges of motherhood while being a business owner in the hair industry. Having taken over the business during the COVID-19 pandemic and learning they were both pregnant at the same time, co-owners Jenna and Nic share their unique story of how they balance motherhood and running a successful hair salon.
Watch the video below and keep reading to hear about Jenna’s and Nic’s inspirational story.
Tell us about your journey into business ownership business ownership
Jenna: “Our journey into business ownership wasn’t the smoothest… We purchased the salon in November 2020 straight after the first lockdown, which meant we had a lot of challenges to navigate along the way.”
Nic: “We learned to be very adaptable because the situation was always changing with the restriction levels in New Zealand and it was hard to know what we could offer our clients while sustaining our high level of service when we weren’t allowed to do a lot of things.”
Jenna: “On top of the pandemic challenges, we also found out both of us were pregnant a few months after purchasing the business so we now had this extra thing to think about, and we’d both be off at the same time.”
Nic: “But we are both really lucky to have a good support system at home, it really gave us a lot of strength and we now have the attitude that whatever comes our way we can deal with it.”
What makes Reds Hair unique?
Jenna: “At Reds Hair, we are known for our thorough consultations and relaxing atmosphere. We’re a place where you can relax and unwind, and let the stresses of the day just melt away. We want our clients to feel comfortable, listened to, feel understood, and walk out with fabulous hair.”
“We make sure that our staff take their clients through a hair journey. So they have a discussion with the client: This is where we are, this is where we want to be, and this is how we’re going to get there and how long that will take.”
Nic: “To make sure all our clients receive this type of service, we do training with all our staff on communication and how to adapt to different personality types to make sure everyone feels comfortable, because you are going to interact with people from all different walks of life.”
What are your favourite Kitomba features?
Nic: “Kitomba is more than just a booking system. We use it for our appointments and all of our reporting, so we can keep an eye on what is happening in the business, how our stylists are performing, and what areas need improvement. We also use it for our stock management and our marketing… everything we possibly can. It’s our bible.”
Reporting
Nic: “As a business owner, maths is not my strong suit. However, Kitomba makes the reporting so much easier to understand where you currently are, where you need to go, and what you need to do.”
“My favourite report is the Kitomba Business Summary. At the end of the week, we run this report and it reports on so much, essentially breaking down the whole salon. It then gets put into a spreadsheet, which Jen loves.”
“The key numbers we focus on are the average client spend, the number of visits we get, our overall rebooking percentage, our retail sales, and our treatment percentages as well. We track all these numbers because these are the numbers that help us grow our business and help us decide where we’re going and what we can do in the future.”
Learn more about Kitomba Business Summary here.
Kitomba Targets
Jenna: “We have all our stylists on Kitomba Targets, they love that they can look at it at any point during the day to track their goals to see where they are heading or how much more they need to do to achieve their goals. It’s super easy and accessible.”
“We love how you can set it up for each individual stylist so they know how many more colours or retail units they individually need to make to set their personal target. It helps us work smarter, not harder.”
Nic: “I definitely recommend Kitomba Targets to other salons because why not? They’re there, it’s easy to use, you can set it, you can change it if you want to. You can choose which ones relate to which stylist. You’re creating your own little dashboard, and the maths is done for you and for the stylist. It’s so simple.”
Learn more about how Kitomba Targets can help motivate your staff.
Kitomba Online Booking
Jenna: “Online booking is amazing! We love Kitomba Online Booking because just now I came into work and looked at the computer and we have five online bookings that have come through overnight when we were closed.”
“Having online booking just takes the pressure off a lot of phone calls that we would otherwise have to do in the morning the next day. This way clients have already sorted themselves out and booked an appointment that suits them.”
Learn more about how Kitomba Online booking can help you.
What advice would you give to mothers in business?
Jenna: “My top tips for mums in business is to rely on the support of the people around you like your family and friends, and accept help when they offer it. It’s also really important to have clear boundaries and prioritise your time so you make time for yourself, your business, and your home life. I personally have found this incredibly helpful and it has helped me to be present and be in the moment which is so important because once that time is gone it’s gone and nothing has taught me that as much as being a mum. “
Nic: “Also, try not to stress the little things, everything will work out in the end, it always does. Even when things are really really hard and you kind of can’t get some clarity, everything will figure itself out remember that.”
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