The Australian Hairdressing Council

From a party in Amsterdam to a global sustainability movement 🌍 - partners in life and business, Paul Frasca and Ewelina Soroko , share the incredible 10-year journey behind Sustainable Salons . Discover how their vision turned one of the most high-waste industries into a powerful force for good - transforming how salons think about recycling, community impact, and the future of beauty. In this i...

In this episode, we sit down with legendary educator Sharon Blain OAM , the visionary behind HAIR The Movement, a groundbreaking new event set to reshape the future of hair education. Taking place 14–16 September in Sydney , this first-of-its-kind, 3-day powerhouse event brings together more than 35 global educators and artists for an unparalleled celebration of craft, creativity, and community. H...

In our latest episode of the AHC Podcast, we dive deep into the art of motivating and managing diverse salon teams, especially apprentices. Discover tailored strategies to engage staff of all ages and personalities while fostering a thriving work environment. 👍 Our podcast guest is Estelle Carroll from BOSS Coaching, who empowers ambitious salon owners and their teams to excel by providing tailor...

'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' Today's guest on the AHC podcast is Selina Tomasich, the founder and CEO of Hair Aid. For those of you who don't know about Hair Aid, it is a not-for-profit organisation that teaches people living in poverty the skill of haircutting. Learning how to cut hair means these people c...

Many salons are experiencing challenges in their businesses in 2024. So we've invited a couple of our esteemed AHC members - aka our 'brains trust' - to chat about all the pain points that business owners might be currently feeling, and offer advice on how to overcome them. 👏👏👏 Helen Owens has been the owner of four beautiful Tigerlamb salons in Brisbane for 18 years and employs...

The AHC has always had a commitment to sustainability, and we love to team up with people that are passionate about making a different to our planet.  Today we'd like to introduce you to Tom Ferrier, founder of Greener , whose team is on a mission to make getting greener the better, easier choice and helping end climate change.  So what is Greener? Well, it's a super easy platform that h...

In our last episode, we introduced you to Tom Ferrier, founded of Greener , whose team is on a mission to make getting greener the better, easier choice and helping end climate change. And today we are welcoming back Tom, because he's really got a lot to say and share when it comes to how small business can do better business whilst saving money and benefitting the planet. Often when we talk...

As a business owner, you should be paying for the rights to play music in your salon, whether you simply have the radio on in the background, or play your favourite playlists via streaming services such as Spotify. Why you ask? Well, just like how every creative - including hairdressers - deserves to be rewarded when people use their services, music is no different. There are always so many questi...

The AHC has always had a really great relationship with the Australian Taxation Office, and the reason for that is we strongly believe it's so important that our members and the wider hair industry understand their obligations when it comes to paying  taxes.  Today's guest on the AHC podcast is Emma Tobias, an ATO assistant commissioner who specialises in small business taxation. Emma ha...

Australia is a very multicultural country, there's no doubt about it. And with the rainbow of nationalities that reside here comes a myriad of hair styles, colours and textures. Most hairdressers are accustomed to working with the most common hair type - straight and fair - however when it comes to textured locks, there's definitely a fear factor, most likely brought on by a lack of unde...

Dialling the next generation of salons: The Concierge is on Line 1. We think you'd all agree owning a business would be SO much easier if we could just concentrate on doing hair and making our clients feel and look beautiful, and not have to worry about all the other hats we have to wear when we run a business. One of those hats is understanding the whole digital space - which not only can be...

Do you ever wonder why you find some staff a breeze to manage, while others drive you C-R-A-Z-Y? Are you frustrated that what works to motivate one staff member does absolutely nothing for another? And why are some people naturally great at things that others find super challenging? Is it even possible to get very different personalities working harmoniously together? The answer is in understandin...

Today's guest on the AHC podcast is Christo Hall, co-founder of Basic Bananas, a marketing mentoring agency for small businesses. Christo and his team have assisted thousands of different businesses, including salons, over the years, to master their marketing and increase sales, and today we'll be talking about how to effectively outsource your social media. We're all time poor, rig...

Today's guest on the AHC podcast is Justin Pace, owner of Co & Pace Salon, incredible educator and colourist, and also current AHIA Creative Australian Hairdresser of the Year. When Justin won this award back in September last year, he said he felt very passionate about giving back to the industry, especially in the area of apprenticeships. And the result of that drive is the Curate Award...

How do you see apprentices? A cost? Or an investment in your business? The stats are pretty dismal when it comes to apprentices not only entering hairdressing, but finishing their apprenticeships. Hairdressing has an incredibly low apprenticeship completion rate, with 63% leaving in the first year.  The big question is... WHY? Today we chat to AHC member and salon owner Belinda Cooper, owner of Be...

Meet Bonnie Pilgrim and Samantha Redmond, AHC members and Co-Directors of Hair Management Co. These ladies are using their longstanding love and experience in the hair and beauty industry and life coaching skills to help young people find their dream careers and consider hairdressing as their career of choice. Bonnie and Samantha have created the Hairdressing Apprenticeship Careers Pathway Program...

Late last year we once again caught up with Natasha Bowett from the Australian Taxation Office for a second instalment on e-invoicing for small business, not long after Cybersecurity Month and NSW Small Business Month in October. Unfortunately, whilst awareness about cybersecurity has risen, so too have the number of scams targeting unsuspecting small business owners. The horror stories are seemin...

The hair industry is experiencing some pretty big changes at the moment. And what's really exciting is seeing the new generation of young salon owners and their approach to all things business. Our guest today is Sheridan Rose Shaw, owner of Mama West in Melbourne. This is one young salon owner who's been making a lot of noise lately. She's a member of the FAME team and winner of mu...

When it comes to Australian hairdressing education, our guest today is no stranger. A hairdresser, salon owner, published author, entrepreneur, and so the list goes on, Kylie Dwyer is a highly successful private educator and founder of Elite Hair Education, the Snipt App, and Elite Scissors. If we refer to her as an expert when it comes to all things hairdressing training, we're sure you&apos...

Where is hairdressing training at today? Are the skills our apprentices learning relevant to client demand? Are we losing proficiency in fundamental techniques? Why are many of the new generation of hairdressers afraid of cutting? What has happened to hairdressing training and education over the years and how has it evolved?  Today our guest is Anne Lederman, wife of the late Frank Burgermeestre,...

Hair and music are a match made in heaven - right? Every salon plays music each day - to work with, for the enjoyment, and to create a vibe in their business. The AHC gets loads of questions from hairdressers asking why they have to pay fees to play music in their salons. If your salon already has a music licence - you’re covered. However, if your salon is playing music without a music licence or...

There's no doubt that social media can play a big role in attracting new clients to a salon business. Hairdressers are creative, visual people, so it makes sense that a platform like Instagram can act as a real 'shop front' when potential clients go looking online for a new stylist. Now, some of us are really good at social media, showcasing platforms that look beautiful and profess...

The AHC gets a lot of questions from salon owners enquiring about the process of selling a business. And one of the most commonly asked questions on this topic is: 'What happens to my lease?' So what does happen to your lease if you are preparing to sell your business? What if you only have six months left on the lease? Are you in a better negotiating position if you have a longer lease...

If you're a solo operator hairdresser or barber, we get it - you're busy, right? Well if you can spare a few minutes to listen to this podcast, it just might make your professional life a lot easier and buy you back some valuable time in your schedule. Because today we're talking about a special app that was created just for independent solo operators - freelancers, mobile hairdress...

One of the concerns the AHC has for hairdressing is the sustainability of our industry when it comes to apprenticeships. The hair industry loses 63% of apprentices in the first year and we have a very low completion rate compared to other trades, which means that our apprenticeships are actually under threat. This podcast is all about how do we save our apprenticeships and turn these quite dismal...