Meet the Horsham hair salon which thrives off the town’s ‘loyalty and support’ for independent businesses

This is the second in the County Times Business Q and A feature – each week we find out what makes a local firm tick.
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This time we spoke to Carla Brown, salon manager at Tonics Hair Limited.

1) Tell us about you and your business in 50 words or less

Our business is a small, independent, locally owned hair salon that has grown successfully over the last two years and already gained a great following of loyal clients that choose us over other more established businesses in the area. We value our clients and constantly strive to offer an exceptional service even in the restrictive guidelines that we find our business having to manoeuvre through. We offer a light friendly high end service that offers clients a much needed respite from today’s hectic world and offering the client that feel good factor when they leave the salon.

The team at Tonics HairThe team at Tonics Hair
The team at Tonics Hair
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2) How has your business adapted as lockdown restrictions eased?

Our business has had huge adaptations to the way we work on a daily basis. Ever evolving government guidelines have seen us having to wear an increasing amount of PPE, adding screens between sections and running each stylist’s column on a one in one out basis. Unfortunately some of the nice extras like a glass of wine or cup of coffee have had to be removed and all of the staff have had to work extended hours to service all of our clients that had to have their appointments cancelled due to lockdown! It’s not all doom and gloom though as this has meant we are able to give all of our focus and attention to one client at a time and even though we are busy, the running of our salon has been very smooth and relaxed as all appointments must be pre-booked and virtual consultations have meant we know exactly what to expect when our clients walk through the door.

3) Do you think the ‘new normal’ will change the way your business operates and if so how?

The ‘new normal’ has already changed the way we work within the salon. The number of people we can have in the salon at any given time has now been restricted and additional offerings in the form of speciality drinks that we would provide our clients with on each visit have now had to be stopped. We are hoping that long term some of the restrictions start to be eased to allow our staff to work in a more comfortable setting without so much PPE being worn, but we expect some changes may be here to stay!

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4) What piece of advice that you now know would you give to yourself when you started the business?

The success of our young business has been totally dependent on our team being flexible and able to adapt to the ever changing guidelines that we are facing. The role of each individual has been incremental to allowing the salon to run smoothly.

5) What makes running a business in Horsham enjoyable?

Horsham was a great choice for us as we knew it well from our years working here previously. The main things we have noticed from Horsham is the loyalty and support that the people in the area offer independent businesses. We have had huge support in all aspects of the business enabling us to win The People’s Choice award in the Sussex Salon Awards 2019 and becoming finalists for the BHBA’s Customer Service Award.

6) What do businesses need to do to be successful in these challenging times?

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The most valuable part of any business right now is to maintain a high standard of customer service and continue to be compassionate to how differently everyone is coping with the changes we have all faced so far in 2020. It’s important now more than ever to build positive relationships with clients. With customers choosing carefully where they spend their money, it is vital to make sure the customer service is of the highest standard.

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