Staff and suppliers of the rapidly growing Charlie Taylor Hair Health & Beauty Group gathered in Perth Concert Hall recently for the company’s annual conference which included guest speaker, management guru (turned jockey), Jim Lawless.
Jim, who “tamed his tigers” to reach success as a jockey in under twelve months, was asked to speak at the annual event to inspire and motivate the rapidly growing team of stylists and beauty therapists, over seventy of whom now work in the group’s four independent salons in Scotland.
The conference was led by the group’s management team, managing director Alastair Taylor and fellow director and member of the British Hairdressing Hall of Fame, Charlie Taylor. Together they set out the company’s growth objectives for the next 5 years which will combine organic growth with acquisitive growth as part of the company’s overall strategy for expansion.
Lawless, quick to spot a challenge, has wagered £1 on the group achieving 100 salons within the next 5 years. A wager not unlike his own personal challenged when he put his life on the line by becoming a licensed jockey in less than 12 months from a standing start as an overweight, smoking, non horse rider.
Group managing director, Alastair Taylor, said “Anything’s possible! Jim was absolutely inspiring and the key learning we all took from it was, if you’re serious about meeting your goals, then anything is possible”
During the full day conference, delegates heard from a number of speakers including representatives from multi-national manufacturers Schwarzkopf, Aveda and former stylist and Wella senior manager Emil McMahon who now runs Inde-cate, a specialist independent education provider.
The conference’s overarching theme was growth and development, with the directors of the company urging staff to invest in their own personal development and growth as part of the company’s continuing demand for the very best stylists and beauty therapists in the business.
The company’s award winning credentials have positioned it well for future expansion on both the hair and the beauty side of the business. Charlie Taylor Hair Health & Beauty is the only salon group in Scotland to be awarded the coveted Crown Salon status from international beauty giant Guinot, and Charlie was recently admitted into the British Hairdressing Hall of Fame in recognition of winning the title Scottish Hairdresser of the Year three times.
Charlie Taylor commented, “Over the last six months our team has already grown significantly, in part due to the new salon opening in Bridge of Allan. Working for a Charlie Taylor salon is much more than just being a cutting edge stylist or an excellent beauty therapist, for us it is also about the Charlie Taylor brand and what that stands for: quality, consistency, excellence and ambition. The annual conference is our way of ensuring that all of our staff, new and old, are passionate about their own success and that of the company.”
She continued, “It may seem diverse bringing a management consultant, turned jockey, to speak to a group of hair stylists and beauty therapists, but it is Jim’s passion and commitment to the task that he chose that we all connected with. I look forward to seeing great things from our team during the next five years of growth.”
The efforts of the team were recognised later in the conference during a private dinner and awards ceremony where 15 individual members of staff were singled out for their contribution to the company over the last year. Recognition was given for creative ability, customer service, performance and retailing, among others.
Charlie founded the Charlie Taylor Hair Health and Beauty group in Perth with her husband Alastair Taylor in 1984. The company is multi-award winning and Charlie was recently inducted into the prestigious British Hairdressing Hall of Fame, days before she launched the fourth salon in the Scottish spa town of Bridge of Allan in November 2006.
