“I had the pleasure of participating in the Salon Culture Programme and I must say it has been a fantastic experience. The camaraderie within the group was incredible, with everyone generously sharing their journeys, and Val, the instructor, was exceptional in her own right. Her delivery of course content was insightful, and her candid feedback, drawn from her own impressive story, provided a deep understanding of what salons truly need.

One of the course’s highlights for me was the emphasis on discovering our “why”, a process that required some exploration but proved invaluable in the end. This knowledge serves as a strong foundation for not only future-proofing our salons but also attracting staff who align with our vision. The inclusion of practical tasks and exercises, both for home and in-salon, was incredibly helpful, Val’s unwavering support throughout the course has been fantastic her availability for assistance made the learning journey even smoother.

I’m eagerly looking forward to bringing this program back to our team and salon. As a manager within the Rossanos salon group, I am confident that it will serve as an ongoing resource we can tap into for our continued growth. Overall, the course has been a game-changer, offering insights, strategies, and a community that will undoubtedly help shape the success of our salons moving forward.

Thank you so much, Val.”

 

“I can’t thank Val enough for her Salon Culture programme it was one of the best courses that I have done.

My salon has been in business for almost 35 years and I would say after COVID it has been very hard to have a good structure as all the rules went out the window. This course was what I needed to get a good structure back in place. It was laid out in easy steps for you to do and it was done in a way that will also bring my team along the journey.
It is done in a way that it’s going to be team driven which is the best part.

Following Val’s programme will make my team come up with the salon culture themselves, with a little guidance from me. It’s laid out so easily to follow.

Thank you Val for giving me back the vision for the future of my salon.”

“

I am a manager and stylist at Berlin Hair, Carlow.

I attended Val’s Salon Culture Programme with my salon owner and another manager from the salon.
It blew my mind, at first I thought it was just another course off the list, but I was very wrong. Best course I’ve ever done!

Val has a great way of getting you motivated, interested, and to stay consistent. Her passion is like no other, she shares all her knowledge, and it gets your mind driving and really makes you focus on turning your vision into reality. After being on maternity leave it was perfect timing for me, it gave me great confidence for the future of my career and the business.
With a team of 22, it can be very difficult to put your vision on paper and out there for the team to know what’s going on inside your head.
But with Val’s help, she breaks things down step by step and helps you achieve positive team meetings, all reaching our goals and seeing our vision together.

I could talk about how amazing this programme is, and of course, Val is all day.

Highly recommend it to all business owners and managers.”

 

“

I opened Grafters in July 2000 having managed a group of salons for the previous four years.

I had been a hairdressing apprentice in my teens, hairdressing is in my blood & all I ever wanted to do but due to severe allergies I had to stop my training.

My background is in sales, business & people management for the past 45 years.

I heard about the Salon Culture Programme early in 2023 from our Alphaparf rep.

I was turning 60 & feeling a little tired & underwhelmed & I think a little lonely as an employer with lots of responsibilities. I craved like-minded people in the same position to bounce things off.
So I signed up ..

My main goal I suppose was to see if I still had the drive & ambition that was required to move the business forward. If not, I had thought of retiring from business. I realised quite quickly that while I had been turning up for work, I wasn’t in the driver’s seat anymore. The Salon Culture Programme brought us right back to the beginning, asking us why we opened our businesses in the first place & why are here now!!

We all bared our souls, knowing that all discussions & information that passed between us stayed in that room. We learned so much from listening to each other, realising that a lot of our stories were the same, we had the same goals, the same dreams, the same problems, just different salons. The support & guidance from each other & the fabulous Valerie was so inspiring.
Everything to do with running a hairdressing business will come up on this programme. Some parts I had always shied away from but not now, Valerie has that way of making you engage & question yourself & take control.

I enjoyed every moment that I spent on this programme & would recommend it highly to business owners & their managers who want to make their business watertight or for those like me who had become a little tired!

I have a renewed interest in my business, and our future with my fabulous team.”

“Hi, my name is Olivia I work for Maria Haberlin in Berlin Hair Lounge in Carlow.

I’ve been with Maria for nearly 6 years now I’ve been hairdressing about 15 years or so.

I have done the Salon culture programme with Maria and Elaine, Berlin’s manager since the beginning. I’m not actively managing yet but I’m doing a lot in the background to get myself ready for the job.

We are expanding the business next year so I hoped this course would bring me more confidence and knowledge about the role I’m about to take.

Valerie achieved this for me and taught me a way to get me and my team motivated The culture in the salon is very important and made it very simple to focus on what’s important to achieve the end goal as a team.

I would recommend this course to all salon owners/ managers or even people like me who are working their way up to become a manager because there’s no better way to start something than knowing you have the knowledge and confidence to do so Valerie has an amazing passion for what she does and it’s infectious
This course got rid of any doubts I had going forward.

Thank you so much, Val”