Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Ioannou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of being a service provider is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?

Craziest story, and this is both positive and negative with a huge aha at the end…

After a long day at work, I decided I wanted to unwind and see a movie. Walking home after parking the car I noticed some unusual activity as two kids starting walking towards me. As I passed one of them, he called something out and I turned to face him. He pulled a gun from his waist, cocked the barrel and pointed it at my face! My reaction was one I would never recommend, however one doesn’t know how they would react, so I shared some choice words and turned away. There was a bang and as I spun around, the two assailants ran off. A few more choice words until I saw some blood on my pants. I walked into my home, my roommate asked if it was me yelling and screaming as I took off my sweater. I commented that I had a hole in the front of my body, my girlfriend, who was crying exclaimed I had a hole in the back too! After the emergency room, where I was patched up with a band aid (through and through’s are quite sterile!), we went home.
The next day, my roommate of course told everyone, and the staff wanted to know what would they have to do, to get a day off! I laughed and said that I’d taken a bullet for them! As you can tell, humor was the medicine that got me through this very traumatic, dangerous, and lucky incident.
As the bullet wound healed, the scar of what could have happened remained, and truly the light at the end of the rainbow was understanding that the business was not the important thing; it was the people in it! It was the relationships one creates, develops and nurtures. My staff had my back. While we all understood this gang initiation could have gone so many ways, it brought us closer as a team and as human beings.

I was interviewed on a podcast and I talk about the shooting, in detail, amongst other stories I have written. growyoursalonbusiness.com/podcast – it’s also on youtube as a video

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I came to the States from London, UK working for Vidal Sassoon. In 1992, I opened my own salon and grew it to three locations and started my own product line too. We were one of the best salons, lasting 28+ years. We had celebrities visit us from Steven Tyler (who we turned away because we were too busy!) to Barbara Bush (former First Lady) and more! Right before the pandemic, I very luckily closed the salon doors as we merged with another business in Chicago.

I joined Ooh la la in key Largo, Florida as their Managing Director and more than doubled the size of the company in two years. I am now back in Chicago, with scheduled visits back and forth to maintain clients and teach classes. I am a coach, educator, and stylist, essentially running my own business in two States!

Please visit www.alexhaircoach.com

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

You have to show up! I think it’s easy to get clients, keeping them is the hard part – Part One: It’s very simple: Be there. Be on time. Look the part. Don’t be late. Clean your brushes. Be nice. Be polite. Most importantly, LISTEN! 80% of clients leave their stylist because they felt they weren’t listened to. Make a connection with the person in your chair. Be authentic. Don’t avoid the difficult hair. Know and admit what you don’t know, and take the steps to learn it! Be interested. Have empathy. Be inspired. Take classes, watch and ask questions.
Part Two: Always have your business cards and hand out two or three at a time. Learn social media! There are tips and tricks out there to make your work stand out. Take photos of clients BEFORE and AFTER – clients like to see the transformation, not just the end result.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

You have to be realistic when it comes to selling a salon business. Unless you have established a strong brand, the value of your business is not much. Ours is unlike most industry standards because there is no guarantee any of the staff will stay and no guarantee any of the clients will stay either! So, at that point all you are selling is some used furniture and supplies and a lease. One of the things most owners forget to do when starting is to not have an exit plan. You have to think long and hard on this and I advise hiring someone to help you. A coach is like a trainer at the gym, they will help you do those extra reps so you get the results you want, quicker and hopefully, with no injuries!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexhaircoach.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexhaircoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexhaircoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexioannou/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCurYXNDISiMy6CbM0rksj2Q

Image Credits
NoAmy the Photographer