My lightbulb moment…
In a dark room every light bulb is illuminating and there have been many. In particular, developing RAGE changed everything for us. In trying to help other salon owners we actually learned more than we realised was possible. Deciding to rebrand our whole company, to reinvent ourselves was another defining moment for us.
My scariest decision…
We had three freehold property options that became available at the same time, the sensible thing was to choose one, but we went for all three. It was exhilarating but scary and definitely not sensible, but it ended up being the best business decision we ever made.
I knew I’d made it when…
I don’t think I’ll ever feel like we’ve made it! As you reach each summit, you peak over it to find it isn’t a summit at all but just another brow. I guess the times when I look back and see what we have achieved, it’s warming and I know that we’ve done OK. But to be honest, I am always much more focused on what’s ahead and if the goal doesn’t seem impossible, it rarely excites me now.
If I could go back 10 years…
10 years ago we were cruising and way too comfortable. I should have been more driven at establishing our own brand identities. I think I was too influenced by those around me at the time I thought I was driving hard but looking back we were just coasting. The recent financial climate has actually been good for us. We’re way more focused; we’re achieving great results, we’re taking actions we should have taken years ago and it’s a lot more fun now too.
I’ll never take for granted…
The people around me. As trite as it sounds I really do have awesome teams in all our salons. People like Lynn Hickey my financial director, Louise Curtis my general manager and right arm, Yesmin O’Brien my artistic director and my creative director and life partner, Skyler McDonald. They make me look way better than I am. They are seanhanna. We are seanhanna.
The most important lesson I’ve learnt…
1) Success is definitely a state of mind but to me success in business requires a genuine compelling goal, something you really want, something you really care about. It has to be genuine- you cant fake it! A great goal attracts the right people to help you get there.
2) Knowledge – you can have all the passion in the world, but without genuine, effective strategies, and the knowledge needed to make things happen, you will always struggle to make significant progress. Work out what you need to know and do whatever it takes to learn it or buy it.
3) A little luck goes a very long way! If you receive it, capitalise on it and be grateful.
My favourite piece of advice…
Always spend less than you make. Common sense really but almost no one manages it. Plus if a decision goes wrong, let it go, learn from it. You’re only an idiot if you make the same mistake twice!
I owe it all to…
With 30 years in business I owe way too much to way too many. But in the last six years I owe it all to my partner Skyler . She keeps me grounded and focused and she is an awesome visionary. Her passion is infectious, she doesn’t give me time to slow down!
