038 The Ever-Changing World of your Colour Business

No matter where in the world you live, there are many changes happening that will impact the way we run our businesses forever. Some of those changes have suddenly been thrust upon us due to Covid-19. Others have been gradually changing right under our noses and have maybe been highlighted by the situation the world is currently in. One of those areas that are changing is the hair colour business. So, in today’s podcast, we are going to talk about all things ‘hair colour’ with Master Colourist David Adams, Co-Found of Red Chocolate, and The FourteenJay salon in New York. David’s years of experience in this industry have included many different roles from salon colourist, educator, salon owner, trichologist, author, celebrity colourist, consultant and he has been heavily involved in the development of various products including a major colour line. And as if all of that is not enough. Since David and his partner Virginia Meyer opened FourteenJay as well as servicing a regular clientele he has also been colouring hair for movies and editorials and has looked after the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Bosworth, Claudia Schiffer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, to name a few. In today’s podcast, we will discuss: What are the changes happening in the hair colour business? What impact is that having on the salon business? Changes in product technology. Salon sustainability.   And lots more!   In This Episode: [02:04] Welcome to the show, David! [02:46] David shares the journey through his career and the greats he has worked around. [05:20] David speaks about forming his company Red Chocolate with Virginia Meyer. [06:28] How active is the education business Red Chocolate? [07:59] David discusses why he opened a new salon in New York. [09:22] He speaks about it being a culture shock to get back into owning a salon, but it keeps him busy. [10:21] Why did you study to become a trichologist? [13:01] Has it been great for business? Do you need a network of doctors? [17:22] David chats about clients taking him seriously as a trichologist. [21:18] David discusses the online companies that are selling colour, what he thinks about them and how much of the salon colour market they will take. [25:45] How different is the online product from what you get at a salon? [27:13] David's two passions around hair colour are consultation and customer service. [30:42] David shares that the online colour isn't as good as professional, but they have a great consultation. [33:34] Do you charge for consultations at your salon? [37:42] David discusses what he believes that salons should do to become sustainable. [41:58] David speaks about cancer in hair dyes and what he tells his guests that ask about it. [44:22] Do you do a patch test before you apply colour to a client's hair? [46:31] David chats about the Plex type products. [49:44] David believes that Plex products allow colourists to push the envelope of colour and hair further than it needs to be. [51:14] David shares what he thinks about colour specialist salons, ones that the only colour. [52:54] What are your thoughts on colour tables? Do you like them? [55:05] David speaks about the business model of FourteenJay and the fact that they are in a commission-based salon. [55:45] David shares some unique things they do at his salon for the guests. [57:30] What long-term practices are you going to put into place once everything reopens? [59:53] David, thank you so much for being on the podcast! [1:01:01] If you like today's show, please write a review.   Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business    Find David  David Adams @fourteenjay Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest @redchoc Facebook | Twitter