A panel of beauty, business and hairdressing experts
solve your real-life business dilemmas
THE PANEL
Q How do I encourage stylists to rent a chair at my salon, and if it doesn’t work out, what is my legal position in terminating the contract?
SIMON: People can be put off self-employment because they have to manage their own tax and book keeping. Why not offer it as a service that becomes part of the package. Make sure you’re contracting out the space and not the person, that way they’re renting from you and aren’t employed by you. You’re acting like a landlord, so you can ask them to leave when their term is up. Look at shopping centre leases, which rent out space but include certain trading hours and when the shop should be open, so the contract for the chair could stipulate this.
NICK: I would sit down and weigh up the pros and cons. Creating a brand and culture is difficult when you have self-employed staff. The flexibility and independence you offer is what makes it attractive for people to work for you, but it’s almost impossible to get people engaged with the company if they’re self-employed.
BARRIE: (audience):When I started out, I found it hard working with freelancers, I needed to control my staff so my business model could work.
One audience member suggested going to the National Hairdressing Federation to work out a contract that will stand up in court.
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