Q&A With Nessa Sherringham

Beauty professional Nessa Sherringham has always had a flair for creating stylish and beautiful hair designs. With 12 years experience in the hairdressing industry, Nessa took the plunge and opened her own business in June 2013. After 3 years, The Hair Lounge continues to grow with success.

We sat down and asked her to share with us top tips and secrets to running a successful hair salon and her favourite beauty tunic styles.

What made you want to go into a career in beauty?

I always had a flair for doing hair when I was in school and when my oldest sister got married she allowed me to do the flower girls hair. I knew from that moment all I wanted to pursue a career in hairdressing. I also was always a social butterfly in school so I knew I would love meeting and talking to people on a daily basis. So being creative & talking on a daily basis it's the best of both worlds for me!

What is your background and experience in the beauty industry?

I am 12years in the hairdressing industry. I trained and worked in Co.Roscommon and now I am self employed for the past 3years.

What made you decide you wanted to own your own business?

I have always worked extremely hard in this industry for previous employers and always put my heart and soul into every client that I would take care of, so I knew my passion would follow if I opened my own business.

Can you tell us a little bit about your business?

My salon is called "The Hair Lounge" and we are located in the beautiful village of Knockcroghery, Co Roscommon. We are 5miles from Roscommon town & 10miles from Athlone. My salon is a unique, boutique style salon and we cater for ladies and gents. We opened our doors on June 28th 2013. We use a local supplier Paul Farrell for our hair products and Alter Ego Italy is our professional colour system.

How many staff do you employ and are they required to wear a uniform or beauty tunic?

I employ 3 members of staff. A professional uniform is key to our business. Diamond design uniforms offer modern, chic, durable tunics and my staff always look neat and presentable in their uniforms. The fabric is stain resistant and breathable. They drip dry & there is no need to iron. Perfect for anyone in the beauty business.

What are your favourite beauty tunic styles?

Our uniform of choice is the Anna zip dress. Stylish and classy with beautiful diamanté zip detail. Perfect for our salon.

Have you faced any challenges since opening your own business?

We are extremely lucky and blessed to have a very strong and loyal clientele, so thankfully our business has gone from strength to strength the past 3years. Hard work and dedication is a must in these times to sustain a stable salon.

What is your advice to those who are looking to open their own salon?

Research, research, research!

If you had to pick a favourite Diamond Design beauty tunic which one would it be and why?

Choose a professional colour brand and know your products inside out. Staff is key to a successful business so make sure they are in the same page as you to work hard and to pursue their goals also. You need to keep on top of the social media game and never get complacent. Business for me is a 24/7 career. You need to eat, sleep and breathe it! The rewards will pay off.

Have you got any top tips for marketing your business online?

Use all the tools that are at your fingertips. Social media is the number one place where we advertise and it's free! You must keep up to date on Facebook, Instagram etc. to keep your followers interested. Let your business page reflect on who you are and what your business provides. Also a good website is key to any business. Invest in it and get someone professional to create it for you. Customers like to see the stylists, prices, hairstyles etc. before making a booking.

We want to say a big thank you to Nessa for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope this has been helpful! If you would like to get involved to feature on our next Q&A blog, then send an email to: blog.diamonddesigns@gmail.com

To style your beauty salon, we provide gorgeous uniforms for beauty therapists, with a wide selection of beauty tunics and  spa uniforms for you to choose from.