By Alex Thaddeus
Published:When people talk about salon emergencies, it’s usually a colour correction or a fringe that’s gone wrong. What we don’t often discuss are the operational crises that can bring an entire business to a standstill.
It happened on a fully booked Friday morning, with every chair occupied by clients having everything from colours and cuts to extensions and perms. Then, without warning, there was a loud bang and the boiler stopped working.
“My first thought wasn’t the cost of replacing it, it was the clients sitting in the salon”.
After a quick call to an engineer confirmed the boiler had reached the end of its life, we immediately focused on what we could control. The Alex Thaddeus team kept clients informed, appointments were reorganised where necessary and we communicated updates on social media to minimise disruption.
One of the biggest reminders that day was just how supportive the hairdressing industry can be. Pam Smith, who works at the salon opposite, immediately offered the use of her backwash if we needed it. We’ve helped each other out over the years with products and equipment, but this level of support made a huge difference and meant we could continue looking after clients.
Thankfully, everyone was incredibly understanding. What could have become a stressful situation quickly became something we could laugh about, largely because the team stayed calm, communicated clearly and worked together to find solutions.
Our engineer was able to install a new boiler over the weekend, while the team volunteered to work later the following week to accommodate any appointments that needed to be moved.
Looking back, the experience reinforced an important lesson about running a salon: not every challenge is hair-related. Business owners need contingency plans for the unexpected, whether that’s equipment failure, power cuts or staff illness.
You can’t prevent every crisis, but you can control how you respond. Honest communication, a supportive team and strong relationships within the local hairdressing community helped us turn what could have been a disastrous weekend into a reminder of just how resilient our industry can be.
It’s certainly not an experience I’d like to repeat, but it’s one that’s made me a more confident and prepared salon owner!
If you enjoyed reading this, check out Alex’s other article on future proofing your business; Survival of the Small Salon.
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