Lessons from 10 years of salon success with the founder of Henderson & Co

Meet Kellie Henderson, owner of Henderson & Co and leader of a team of Cardiff’s best colourists. Kellie has worked with some of the most well-known names in beauty and wellness, and has run her own salon for ten years – so she understands what it takes to successfully grow a business.  

Find out how she turned her salon into a go-to destination for hair care in Cardiff, and how switching to Fresha helped to make it all happen. 

Tell us about your journey as a salon owner.

I polished my skills and learned how successful salons operate by working at places like Toni & Guy and Saks. After a few years I felt I’d learned enough to open my own salon, and the rest is history! Henderson & Co has been going strong for ten years now. Recently we had to move into a bigger venue to free up space for more clients, since we’re getting busier and busier.

How do you make sure your salon stands out?

Through our skills and experience, we’ve built a reputation that sets us apart. We’re a session salon, which means we’re trained to prepare models for photoshoots and catwalks. I’ve also got a certification as a colour educator, so clients know their hair is in good hands with us.

Plus, we’re part of the Green Salon Collective and exclusively use vegan, environmentally-friendly products, so clients know their treatments are healthy and sustainable. 

What do clients love most about Henderson & Co?

Clients feel relaxed and taken care of at our salon. We take the time to consult with people to make sure they get exactly what they want out of their treatments, and also to check they aren’t allergic to any products we use. On top of that, we’ve reduced the costs of running our salon by basing ourselves outside of the city centre, so we don’t need to charge clients high town centre prices. 

What’s the secret to your success?

Having a team of friendly, highly-skilled stylists. We recruit qualified stylists who will keep our high standard of client care and service. Our client reviews often mention how comfortable and confident the team makes them feel. Knowing our clients are in good hands with the team has been a big part of our growth. 

What’s been your biggest challenge so far as a salon owner?

No-shows and last-minute cancellations have always been our biggest challenge. After the pandemic, our rate of no-shows increased; and with a colour and cut appointment taking up four hours, a no-show can be a huge loss – especially for our self-employed staff.

Luckily with Fresha’s cancellation policies and automated reminders via text in place, no-shows aren’t much of an issue anymore. We’re able to protect the salon’s revenue and make sure staff get the most out of their time.

What led you to start using Fresha?

We used another online booking platform before, but the monthly subscription was eating into our budget and the features were quite limited. When I found out that Fresha was subscription-free, we decided to give it a try. We quickly saw that Fresha could do much more than our previous platform without a subscription, which frees up resources that we can in turn invest into our team. 

How easy was it to get started with Fresha?

It was incredibly easy to get started. I had a very quick meeting with our Fresha account manager, and after that it was all very self-explanatory within the platform. Setting it up takes hardly any time, and each feature is straightforward to use. After playing with it for less than an hour, I was ready to go.

How has Fresha helped you grow your business?

Fresha gives us so many ways to win new clients and keep our calendar full. For example, people interested in our services tend to check out our social media pages, so having Fresha’s “Book Now” button right there on our Instagram and Facebook pages brings us lots of business. 

Our staff have Fresha on their phones, so they can take bookings anytime, anywhere – even on nights out with friends. We’re also planning on adding gift card QR codes to our shop windows, so people passing our storefront can instantly buy a gift for a loved one.

What’s your all-time favourite Fresha feature?

We’ve got plenty of favourites, but we especially love that Fresha’s blast campaigns let us send emails and text messages to all our clients at once. We use blast campaigns to promote special offers, send birthday discounts, and even let them know when we’ve moved the salon to a new location. 

It's a great way to reconnect with clients we haven't seen in a while and get them to rebook. Best of all, it's so affordable that we can send out multiple campaigns without worrying about the cost.

One word of advice salon owners need to hear?

Whether you want to grow an established salon or you’re just getting started, you’ll need more than just a calendar. Equip yourself with an online booking platform that gives you everything you need to manage your entire business.

Fresha is exactly that: an all-in-one salon management platform, with marketing that keeps you in touch with clients, policies to protect you from no-shows, reports that help you make the right decisions and more. It’s subscription-free too – try it out, and reinvest the money and time you save straight back into your salon.