Network and Natter - The Wedding Business Podcast
Network & Natter is the go-to podcast for wedding industry professionals looking to connect, learn, and grow their businesses. Join us for candid conversations and expert insights on everything from social media strategies and branding tips to marketing techniques and booking more clients. Whether you're just starting out or you're a seasoned pro, our community-driven show brings together wedding business owners of all experience levels to share knowledge, offer support, and foster collaboration. Tune in for practical advice, inspiring success stories, and the latest industry trends to help your wedding business thrive. With expert guests and real-world examples, Network & Natter is your weekly dose of wedding business wisdom served with a side of friendly chatter.
Network and Natter - The Wedding Business Podcast
2: Growing confidence in business with Viks Bridal Hair
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Ever wondered how a young entrepreneur can turn a passion for hairdressing into a thriving wedding industry business? Join us as we chat with Vik from Vik's Bridal Hair, who started her self-employed journey at just 21. Vik opens up about transitioning from renting a chair to owning her own salon, and the incredible resilience it took to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gain insights from Vik on the art of confidence in the wedding world. This episode tackles the tricky yet essential skill of projecting assurance, even when faced with uncertainty. Learn how effective communication, timely follow-ups, and building trust with clients can transform your professional relationships. We dive into the shared frustrations of "ghosting" and explore how maintaining open lines of dialogue can alleviate these common headaches.
Discover the power of networking and collaboration in the wedding industry, where relationships are key to success. Through Vik's experiences, we discuss how building strong ties with suppliers and peers can lead to greater visibility and opportunities. Hear practical advice on how to handle rejections with grace, trust your instincts, and find the right clients who align with your business values.
P.S: Don't forget to leave a review on the podcast to be in with a chance to receive a £50 shop voucher for The Wedding Business Network Shop.
Viks Website: www.instagram.com/viks_bridalhair
Viks Instagram: www.vikshairdressing.co.uk
Wedding Industry Professional
Speaker 1Network and Netta wedding industry professionals who want their businesses to grow . Network and Netta we got all the stories and advice that you'd like to know .
Speaker 2Welcome to the cozy corner of the wedding industry . I'm your host , meg , and whether you're a seasoned pro or you're just starting out , it's time to sit down , grab a cuppa and catch up with all our industry friends . Hi everyone , and welcome to today's episode . Today , we are joined by the lovely Vic from Vic's Bridal Hair . Hi , vic , hello . So , vic , we're gonna jump straight in . Would you like to introduce yourself and let us know a bit about the business and what you do in the industry ?
Speaker 3introduce yourself and let us know a bit about the business and what you do in the industry , of course . So my name is Vic . I am the owner of Vic's Bridal Hair . I have been self-employed now for the last seven years . I started when I was 21 , so it's quite a big jump . I recently just opened my own salon in the last basically month , because why not , at the end of a busy wedding season , just turn life into more chaos ? Um , yeah , that's a little bit about me very good .
Speaker 2Congratulations on the new salon , thank you very much . I have visited and it is lovely , thanks .
Speaker 3And then we went for a cheeky car very after obviously , because when there's me and you , there is always food , always food um , but we didn't have pudding , actually , we were so stuffed we're very good , but you're saying something , so we have plenty of veg .
Speaker 2We did . Yeah , we have veg . That makes it okay . Frankly , justify it . On a tuesday afternoon , a massive staying out of the snow .
Speaker 3We were being safe . Very true , we've been very sensible .
Speaker 2Okay , so before we spend the whole podcast talking about food , yeah , can you walk us all , yeah , through your business journey . So you said you started at 21 . Yeah , so I started at 21 too . Ah , I'm not the only crazy one . Yeah , love that . Um . So how has it developed from starting out at 21 to now , today , with your own salon ?
Speaker 3um , so it's been pretty crazy . So it was October 2017 that I went self-employed , um , so literally like a few months before Christmas , um , I was amming and ah-ring about whether I was going to do it then or whether I was going to wait until after Christmas . And obviously it's very well known , because I am also a full-time hairdresser . It is very well known that January is very quiet for the wedding industry . So I thought I would probably be losing my mind if I went self-employed in January , because I'd probably have no money . Yeah , um , so I took the leap early , and 31st of October so Halloween was my first day as a self-employed hairdresser . So I rented a chair for the last seven years , um , and I actually finished my rental space on the 31st of October 2024 . I love that . So I literally did seven years to the day at a salon in Swindon , in the same place , for that whole time .
Speaker 3Yeah , I was in the same place for seven years . Yeah , so we ended up sort of turning into a little bit of a family , which was really nice . We obviously got through Covid together , which was , as we all know , probably the strangest life experience you can ever entail . Um , it starts quite crazy , and a lot went on in um life as well . Me and my other half bought a house during that time and then on the 3rd of November , I opened my salon , which is where I am now .
Speaker 2Yeah , love it , love it , and you have been running the business for how many years all together ? Now , just seven years all together . Seven years all together . How old are you now ? 28 . I didn't realize you're younger than me .
Speaker 3I thought we were the same age yeah , no , I was a little baby , so I think people look at me and they're like , oh , you're really young , but I went into hairdressing when I left school .
Speaker 2So I did , it's always been your , yeah , your calling yeah , so I did .
Speaker 3I left school at 15 because my birthday's August , so I was still only 15 when I left school , um , and I went straight into doing Saturdays whilst I was doing my exams , and then I had my prom on the Friday . I had the Saturday off and then I started full-time on the Tuesday , so I didn't have like a summer holidays . Yeah , I just went straight into work , um , and then , if you take out Covid , I've basically worked ever since yeah , never look back .
Speaker 2Have you ever had moments where you're like I want to change or like , or has it always been ?
Speaker 3um , when I was a bit younger I thought I was missing out on things because obviously , as a hairdresser you work every weekend , so I always worked Saturday . I always worked in between Christmas and New Year . We only were allowed five Saturdays off , so you had to be like really precious with them .
Speaker 3They had like you couldn't have a Saturday off because you wanted to go shopping with your mates yeah like Saturdays were so precious that and you couldn't have time Saturday off because you wanted to go shopping with your mates . Yeah , like Saturdays were so precious and you couldn't have time off in December because obviously it was so busy . So there were times where I thought , oh God , have I made the right decision to basically give up my life ? But looking back now , looking at where I am now , I love it . Yeah , you wouldn't change a thing . No , no , because I can have time . Don't get me wrong , I'll . I can be in here from nine o'clock in the morning till nine o'clock at night . Yeah , I can work hard , but then I will also take a day off here and there because I want to , or because I want to go somewhere , I want to do something , or I can go for lunch exactly gonna have that calvary on a tuesday exactly we were talking about , weren't we , when we were having lunch , the week that it's being self-employed .
Speaker 2It's , yeah , hard work like you've got to put in the hours . Yeah , big ass commitment like you've got to be committed .
Speaker 3And yeah , because if you don't , yeah , you don't work hard and put the effort in having those days off , you're not being paid like . I always take a week off in November because it's kind of my like calm before the storm with the chaos of Christmas , and you have to work hard before and after that because that's a week where I took nothing , because I don't know more of this job . Is it where you go ? No , it's not like I've taken . You have to work hard before and after that because that's a week where I took nothing because I don't know more of this job .
Speaker 2Is it where you go ?
Speaker 3no , it's not like I've taken yeah out of office hours on my email exactly , and I still I it's still something that I need to work on . Even now , seven years in , I still end up like I've got a separate work phone which was supposed to help me stay away from work when I'm not working . Yeah , um , and actually I'm probably on it just as much as I am my personal phone . My other half said that to me the other day . He's like I sat and watched you on the sofa last night go from social media on your work phone to social media on your personal phone oh , it's so hard though , isn't it when you yeah ?
Speaker 3and I , just because it's all about people always say like , like , you need to network with your peers , and Instagram and social media is just the bane of any small business life . So you almost feel like if you fully switch off from it for so long that Instagram is going to hate you and nobody will see your posts and nobody will like anything and stuff like that .
Speaker 2So it is it's hard , but it is probably one of the most rewarding things at the same time , I agree it's yeah , it's that's , uh , being strict on yourself and not to make it work 100% and to be able to reap the rewards of being self-employed , like you work in your own hours , being your own boss , type thing , exactly . Um , and we said the other day , it's something that you've got to continuous , continuously work on . Understand , make it work , because it's not just a case of , oh , I'm really good with my work schedule and like , yeah , it's something you've just could .
Speaker 3Yeah , I always flip between . I'll be like really good and I'll only do like two of the late nights and then I'll finish at six o'clock on the Friday and I'm home every day for lunch to go and sort the dog out . And then I could do like a month where I'm here nine till nine and I've not gone home at all , and then I'm like , okay , I need to yeah my other half lets me know every now and again when he's like yeah . I think yeah , or do you just ?
Speaker 2sleep here , yeah , when you've got loved ones that look out for you , and yeah , yeah , like he does it in the nicest way , yeah yeah , and he knows I burn myself out a lot , like just after opening the salon , um .
Speaker 3So my first week was then when I went off for a week , um , and I woke up on the . So I finished on the Friday . I did my open event on the Friday evening , um , had the Saturday off , woke up on the Sunday morning and I felt like I'd been hit by a bus where I just worked so much . And he says it to me all the time . He's like I've got no sympathy for you when you're burnt out because I've done it to myself .
Speaker 3Yeah , I'm like , yeah , I'm so poorly yeah please feel sorry for me yeah but it's definitely something . But I don't think when you're self-employed and you've got a small business , I don't think you ever stop learning about yourself and about your business definitely , definitely 100 agree yeah , you never sit back and look and go oh , my business is the best it will ever be . It is the best it will ever be for that moment . But you will always be able to improve and you will always be able to do something different . Yeah , no .
Speaker 2I yeah , I love that . Very true , because you can always . I think a lot of people get not stuck , but they get just complacent , don't they like , yeah , they've got regular bookings , um , things look really good , so then they sort of just settle for that and then within six months they're like I've got no other bookings because yeah , that's how I .
Speaker 3One of the reasons how I've massively gotten to be able to get into a lot of the wedding shows I've been able to get in um because I ended up starting to get emails and phone calls and things from um people that organize the wedding show saying that they don't have any hair and makeup artists yeah and they're basically like crying out for people within our industry to do wedding shows , because they do .
Speaker 3They get to the point where they go , oh well , I've got loads of bookings for next year , I don't need a wedding show . Yeah , but it's not necessarily always the bride that you are speaking to at the wedding show . It could be that they are with a bridesmaid who might have got a really good chat and conversation with you and then the following year she gets engaged and she remembers that chat that she had with you and then messages you and go oh , are you available for my wedding ? And that's in like two years time . So I do think .
Speaker 2But it's also like the connection with people and getting yourself out there yeah , yeah , with , I think , marketing in general , especially as a wedding business owner , because you're technically , I know what you've just said , but really the people that you're trying to market to at that moment in time , you shouldn't really be using them again in the future if they're not going to get back again . Do you know what I mean ? It's always , you've always got to be consistently marketing , because always new people , it's not like you've got a I don't know like a skincare product business .
Speaker 3Yeah , it's not like my normal side of things where , yeah , you've got your regular client and then I see them every six to eight weeks or whatever . I'm lucky , and I am really lucky as well that because of my hairdressing as well , that I do retain some of my brides as them my clients yeah , that's good that if I didn't have that side of it , I would see them on their wedding and that is it . I would never see them again .
Speaker 2Yeah , I think a lot of people get comfortable the fact that I've got some good word of mouth recommendations . My business , my business is busy for the next . I don't know . They look at their calendar . It's like six to twelve months yeah , and they just stop . They're like , right , I'm on a roll , like I don't need to advertise , I don't need to book that , I don't need to go and so do that styled shoot or that networking event or wedding , exactly because I'm really busy .
Speaker 3But actually they everybody comes to a step at some point . Yeah , and if you're not putting yourself out there and you're not active and you're not relevant , unfortunately , people will forget about you .
Speaker 2Yeah , I know it sounds mean , but it's very true .
Speaker 3Yeah , if you're not active , oh yeah , it sounds horrendous , but if you're not there in people's faces , how are they supposed to know that you're there ?
Speaker 2Yeah , it's a hard lesson learned , and I think we all do it over time . We've all do it over time . We've all done it in business , but it's 100% learning that lesson , yeah , yeah , okay , so we were talking . We've got sidetracked , as per usual , I know um . So , from age of 21 to how has your business and your , like your brand , grown from when you first started out to kind of now ?
Speaker 3I've definitely matured a lot . I would say so like when I did my branding . When I first started , everything was very like bright pink yeah .
Speaker 2Which is what people tend to standardly go for .
Speaker 3Yeah , like yeah , like so cool , whereas now I'm so boring . Everything is basically like black and white cream very modern and yeah and I think you learn . So , like , obviously , when I started I didn't really know what I was doing , like I didn't know how to price myself .
Speaker 3I basically took the pricing from my last salon , knocked it down a little bit so I looked cheaper yeah and then every year I just put it up by a pound because I was like , oh yeah , that's the right thing to do . I never sat and worked out how much my business is actually costing me . Um , it's . That's definitely something that I've worked on and have grown with .
Building Confidence in the Wedding Industry
Speaker 3Um , within like the last seven years , I would say and it's confidence as well , isn't it like you're ?
Speaker 2yeah , the more you work with clients , the more mistakes you learn from , and then you feel confident going into that same like if something else happens , then you know how to handle it . Yeah , confidence is . Confidence is key . It definitely is . So I didn't want to talk about too much because I love the , especially you and Gillian . Yeah , bears , you're like a team , like a team , yeah , like proper dream team , and you're all about confidence in the industry . Like you help the models feel so confident at the events on on the catwalk um , so I do . I would say you're a very , very confident person . Yeah , how do you feel you have built that over the years ? What tips would you give someone ? Or um , have there been times where you haven't felt confident , and then how you've grown from that ?
Speaker 3just yeah , yeah , I would probably say a lot . It started off a lot . I was like just winging it and hoping for the best don't we all ? I've winged a lot , yeah , um , but I definitely think if you act confident , people believe in you . Yeah , like if I was to stand and talk to a bride and spend the whole time going , um , um , they're probably not gonna have any confidence in me that I even know what the hell I'm doing yeah whereas if I stand there and I talk about things and I project myself with confidence and stuff , they put the trust in you .
Speaker 3So even if you are talking the back legs of a donkey and you haven't got a clue what you're talking about , just ride it yeah just ride the wave , yeah , and it'll work .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's true , though , because if you've gone to , like even if you had , I don't know , you'd invited a gardener around to , yeah , do something in the garden and you go , okay , well , I would like xyz done , how much is that ? And if they're like , uh , uh , well , let me , I'll go home and I'll like build you a quote and then I'll have a look at it and you're a bit like , oh well , don't you just know ? Do you know ? You stumble over your words or you're just not very confident with confident within answering questions to them , like saying like , well , how do xyz , if I want this hairstyle , would you be able to do it in this amount of time ?
Speaker 3and yeah , it's how . Even if you're not 100 sure on the question and you're not 100 sure on your answer , just give as best as you can .
Speaker 2Yeah , as long as you don't agree to anything that could like doing shit or doing doing for 20 quid yeah just you'll be fine yeah , and I guess , even if you aren't sure of the answer , it's just giving a confidence answer back yeah even if you say I'm not 100 sure on that .
Speaker 3But what I'll do is I'm gonna write that down now , I'm gonna have a look at that as soon as I get home and I'll pop you a message .
Speaker 2Yeah , and you know , yeah , you do it as long as you follow up and you do it .
Speaker 3Like I always say to brides when I take their information and stuff at the wedding shows , I'll always say I'll be in touch with you by Monday , like by the end of Monday , which in theory a lot of shows are Sunday or Saturday Sunday , so in theory that is within like 24 hours and I do think they appreciate it because they appreciate that you're after a long weekend , you're happy to sit and go through , yeah , all your admin and stuff and you're giving them all the details that they need and then they can make the decision , yeah , with all of that information . If you're the last person to send your quote through and they've already had three , they're probably going to start looking at those three and forget about you .
Speaker 2Anyway , yeah it's like if you've got a trader , like my partner's , an electrician , and some people have like messages back from people they've had a quote from , and it's like , oh sorry , I forgot about that , I'll send it over in the next couple of days .
Speaker 3It's like well you're like . Oh , I'm sorry I didn't reply to you .
Speaker 2I forgot yeah , and it just makes you think all right , well , okay . I'll go with the person that sent me a message 30 seconds after I left the building .
Speaker 3Don't like be at people's duck and call and reply within the hour and stuff like that , but I think as long as you've replied back to them within 24 hours and that and the time frame that you have given them .
Speaker 3Yeah , you said monday , but you didn't message till thursday yeah , or even if , like if someone sends you an email and you're in the peak of wedding season , you are up to your eyeballs and admin put an auto response on or just have a like a template message that's written out in your like notes or something that you can just copy and paste . Yeah , just be like hi , so and so . Thank you so much for your email . Um , as you can appreciate , I'm in the middle of wedding season at the moment . I'm behind on admin or I've got loads of emails at the moment . I'll get back to you within like by the end of the week or whenever . I think people just appreciate that you've acknowledged they're there .
Speaker 2Yeah , you're not just doing nothing because I I would say this might be a bit controversial , but a lot of suppliers that I talk to not necessarily moan explain their frustrations about the whole ghosting , like couples ghosting them , not replying . I completely agree that it's frustrating that they don't reply , but I think a lot of suppliers are also very guilty of doing the same . Like they might send an inquiry , they might not reply for like a week , two weeks , not reply at all , and then you've got brands chasing business owners , like that's equally as bad brand chasing business owners like that's equally as as bad , like it is definitely one of the things that I don't think is addressed enough within the industry .
Speaker 3I probably get to a year that will email me and say thank you so much for your time . Thank you for doing my quote . I've decided to go with someone else and that's all it takes , and it is lovely . I can remove them from my system anything else , whereas you you just send out the emails , and they do take time .
Speaker 3I don't think sometimes people realize how long we do spend on quotes , how long we do spend building them , especially for a lot of us that work out travel costs and stuff . We sit there and we work out , okay , so where is it they're getting ready or where is it they're getting married ? You'll Google Maps it see what the mileage is . Then you work out how much that is to cost . Then you build it into their quote . You send them a lovely email . It takes time , whereas it would only take two seconds to simply , if you need to log on your computer , put it from send to my phone . We don't care . Yeah , there's no little message to say thanks so much , but I'm sorted , yeah but , I do think it works both ways .
Speaker 2Yeah , definitely , I agree . I I just not reply because you're booked .
Speaker 3Yeah yeah , I see the frustration . Still reply like if I get an email a bride that emails to say like they inquire or whatever , even if I know I'm booked , I still won't leave them till like the end of the week . I'll still email them back and go . I'm really sorry . I'm booked but I can highly recommend .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah it does work both ways because , even if you couldn't do their wedding , like you said earlier , that they could then have a bridesmaid or a sister or a friend family member getting married Exactly .
Speaker 3It might be that they just left it too late to book with you , but a family member or something might have had a really good response with you . Yeah , and they want to book you and they know how booked up you were when the other person inquired , so they know they need to do it faster . Yeah .
Speaker 2Yeah , no , I agree . I agree . I know the whole ghosting thing is a real big frustration . Yeah , in the industry I don't really know how to go around it . I've educated people but there's there's not .
Speaker 2I think people just assume we're so busy we're not going to notice yeah , and I've , I've said , I've said it before that nowadays the amount of you simply just type in google photographer , wedding photographer , somerset or wherever the amount that come up and you know that couples are literally just going ping , ping , ping , ping , picking a few of them and then send 10 , 15 emails out to the same .
Speaker 3You can definitely tell the emails that have come from somebody who's genuinely looked into you and likes your work and wants to book you to the people that have just gone . Bridal hairstylist windom yeah , let's see if they're free .
Speaker 2Yeah , and they've just copied and pasted the message into the same time . Yeah , and I guess it's more likely them that would then ghost , because you know what it's like you get . You've emailed . However many people are the same , I don't know they're getting loads of emails like that's .
Speaker 3One thing we do need to remember as well is they are planning a wedding . Whatever stage in their wedding they are at , they are planning a wedding and they are probably emailing 20 people , so the thought of then emailing us back and saying we're really sorry is probably the last thing .
Speaker 2That's on that yeah , I think , especially as well um , after a wedding fair as well the amount of like people or companies that they've given their email address to , and everyone wants to get that monday because they want to be the first email to pop up on their inbox and that monday , tuesday of that week , they're gonna have so many emails . So you can , there's no excuse to ghost and not sending a reply .
Speaker 3But you can see , there's no excuse to be ghosted and not sending a reply . But you can understand from both . You can understand the overwhelm .
Speaker 2Yeah , 100% , yeah for sure . Yeah , like I said , I don't know how else you can stop it from happening . I think nowadays it's just got to that point because there's just so many accessible people to talk to or companies to inquire with . So very frustrating , definitely okay . So in the last seven years , what's been your biggest business struggle and how did you overcome that ?
Speaker 3uh , I would definitely say COVID COVID , yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah , it was mental . So I launched Vic's Hairdressing 2017 , when I went self-employed and I sort of dipped my toe in a little bit to a couple of weddings from people that were my clients , that were getting married . And then 2019 , I decided that I actually really enjoyed weddings and I really wanted to start pushing them . I really wanted to start doing them . I started doing wedding shows .
Speaker 3I sort of created Vicks Bridal Hair , started to push that um , and then 2020 , which was going to be my best year yet um got taken away from me . So that was great , yeah , um , it was .
Navigating Challenges and Building Confidence
Speaker 3It was a struggle and then getting everybody back in to like the following year and the year after that um was definitely hard and it was trying to keep yourself out there because new people were still getting engaged . So it was then learning a whole new way of marketing , because wedding shows weren't a thing and it was working out how to reach brides when you couldn't really speak to them yeah and meet them in person or nowhere .
Speaker 2They were even definitely being yeah , and I think COVID as well . Uh , we saw the influx of new businesses . So the amount of people that went . Do you know what ?
Speaker 3I love this .
Speaker 2I'm gonna quit my thing . Yeah , I'm gonna . I've been made furloughed or redundant or or whatever and I'm gonna go . I love making cakes . I'm gonna go make some cakes and sell them . Weddings , do you know ?
Speaker 3what I mean , like there was definitely more competition .
Speaker 2Yeah , so there was no covid yeah , you had covid to fight against . Yeah , trying to market and advertise in that type of yeah scenario situation . And then you had new people coming and that were undercutting under charging that kind of thing . You're not great I think it took . It's probably taken until the last , maybe two year and a half maybe , but those businesses have like dropped off the face of the earth like they've gone .
Speaker 3Yeah they've either carried on surviving or actually they've realized how hard it is to run a business . Yeah , and have gone .
Speaker 2After this I'll go back to be nine to five yeah , it was like they book into a show in the like june , july for like an october show and by october they stop trading . Do you know ? I mean , it was very . Yeah , there was a lot of that , not not so much . It's sort of gone back to whatever normal is nowadays but , yeah , um , yeah , I can .
Speaker 2I think everyone would probably agree with you about covid being trickier yeah , I think people have to go and get jobs stacking shelves in pesco just to get by and yeah , and keep things going until they could start trading again . So okay hmm , was not a fun time of year ? No , it was not , not at all . Well , longer than a year , wasn't it in the end ?
Speaker 3yeah , it's about 18 months altogether .
Speaker 2I think , yeah , um , okay . So going back to the confidence side of things , yeah , if you were sat around a table of people that were either just starting out in the industry uh , whether they were trying to like market their business or jump on like a facebook live , but were like nervous or not quite confident , or a wedding show , um , and it's their first time , or they're just generally quite shy and are struggling , and it's their first time , or they're just generally quite shy and are struggling , putting themselves out there , yeah , what advice would you give them ?
Speaker 3I would say present yourself . So like , whether that is how you do your hair , how you do your makeup , your outfit , I think if you look good , yeah , feel good you can add confident . So I think if you are going to do a wedding show , don't turn up in a pair of trackies and a hoodie . Turn up in something you know not . I'm not saying , put a party dress on and wear some heels , yeah , but I think if you look in the mirror and you go I actually look quite good today you're gonna have the confidence in yourself . Yeah , to go and present yourself , but I do think as well , just believe in yourself and believe in your business , yeah .
Speaker 3I think if you can look at your business and you can say , it's pretty good , I believe in everything that I stand for , I believe in everything that I advocate , then you will have the confidence to deliver your business yeah , yeah it is it .
Speaker 2Confidence is what will boost your business . Yeah , and yeah , get you from a to b .
Navigating Wedding Industry Consultations
Speaker 2You get it a lot when people walk into a show or like an , even in the networking events , like people were yeah , how , who were new to the industry , or quite shy in general , or they're like second guessing themselves or yeah , that's okay , or um , yeah , they're always asking those sort of questions . So it's a big . It's mainly mindset , isn't it really more than yeah ?
Speaker 3yeah , you need to believe in yourself and believe in your business , and then you'll be able to present it . Of course , don't be too cocky , oh yeah . No , we don't like . Like , don't jump in front of a bride and be like you need to look at this , because if that was me , I'd probably punch you in the face . Yeah , I , yeah , wait for them . If they're looking at your stuff and they're looking at it for a good five seconds and they've not approached you , then say , oh , good morning , like can I interest you in a leaflet or something like that yeah don't block their path of walking because you want them to look at your stand .
Speaker 2Yeah , because it's cringy as shit I was just about to say it makes me cringe just thinking about it yeah , just stand back , let them look at your stand , don't block your stand .
Speaker 3Stand to the side , like , just let them have a look . And if they're having a look and they're looking like they want to know more but they're nervous to ask or they don't want to , then , yeah , go and ram it down their throat within two seconds , because I guarantee you now they'll put that leaflet in the bin yeah , they wouldn't , want you because you're part of their big day , especially for , like , hair makeup as well .
Speaker 3You're there for most we're there from like super low clock in the morning and don't get me wrong , you have got to turn up and be like morning , even if it's six o'clock and you've been up for two hours already yeah and you already can't wait to get a starbucks on the phone . You still need to have that level . But yeah , they know that you are with them for so long of their journey , especially a photographer like you are with them pretty much all day , yeah but , if you come across as bulshy and salesy .
Speaker 2You don't .
Speaker 3They're not want that no , there are some people that like that , some people that want somebody to be like oh , aren't you amazing , this is so good . Oh , let me take a picture of you , like you know , and all that jazz . But they also want other people that are going to stand there and go .
Speaker 3You look great , mate yeah and just be that normal level-headed or be like just one of their mates . Like that was a review I had a little while ago which was lovely . The bride wrote in there she was like everybody needs a vic . She's like weird . Felt like we had known you forever . Yeah , I love that like you were one of the girls getting ready with us for a night out yeah , let's do the party playlist . I'll be singing and dancing my way through your entire wedding morning .
Speaker 2I love that I think people pick up on that , whether you meet them face to face or over email or talk to them over the phone or at a consultation . People pick up on vibes . Like I've said before , you could have 10 hair stylists in a room and 20 odd brides and they're all going to choose different people because they accept the different reasons . Yeah , they build those instant connections straight away .
Speaker 2They might think one looks like too loud and bubbly for them yeah one might look too shy and quiet , whereas people opposites would , yeah that sort of thing . So it's yeah , it's definitely on how you're presenting yourself as well in business . Yeah , definitely , like celebrants , you could have some really bright , loud people with really bright branding .
Speaker 3Yeah , which is what some people want .
Speaker 2Yeah , whereas some might want a bit more traditional , formal , yeah , yeah , there's loads of different ways that people will be attracted to you as a business owner um , okay , so that's .
Speaker 2We keep going back to wedding affairs . It's just because that's where we've , we've I know where we met other from . But what if it's someone that has maybe started out in the industry ? They finally got their first like potential booking , say it's like a wedding planner , and they've gone to meet the couple in person . It's their first consultation and they're so nervous they are worried about like stuttering over their words or saying , yeah , how ? What tips would you give them to kind of go in a bit better mindset ?
Speaker 3I would say do your research . Yeah , make sure you're going in there with everything that they would possibly ask you , everything you would need to know . Go in kind of like almost with like your head held high , going , carrying like a nice bag that's got all the information in . Make sure you've got like a nice notebook and a pen . Yeah , I think the biggest thing is just look like you know what you're doing . Yeah , even if you don't , even if you don't love it okay .
Speaker 2So if , um , I've actually had a wedding planner tell me before that she's walked into a venue consultation where she's gone with the couple they've already booked the venue like it's , they've hired her on a separate thing so they can have someone to help them along the way , basically and she's rocked up , the bride and groom have introduced the wedding planner to the venue team and they've just looked and gone oh , we don't have , we don't allow other wedding planners here and like , just completely shut her down right in front of the like .
Navigating Confidence and Industry Networking
Speaker 2Confidence and yeah , actually would , because you feel like a bit of a donor as well . Yeah , but yeah , I think people who are starting out in the industry and have that confidence knock . I think a lot of people would potentially probably want to walk away from it and not carry on . Yeah , um , yeah . So , yeah , any other advice for confidence ?
Speaker 3I would definitely say you need to get back up straight away , like get yourself back out there , don't let it bring you down , because otherwise you will sit there and you will think about it all the time . Because the same like I could go to a wedding fair and I could take 25 inquiries and have two book . But that is sometimes just the way yeah it goes .
Speaker 3Yeah , that's a lot of no's and comparisons to yes , but it's not like you feel defeated from it because you know that you go there and they could literally inquire with everybody just because they can and they want to , and you could be there . They could be like four of you . So you're competing against different people . So I definitely think , just get back up and let like just carry on , don't let it bring you down yeah , don't take it personal .
Speaker 2So I think that's a big , big thing in the industry . I think any business , that any , any business industry or whatever you do , if it's your business and it's your passion and it's especially if it's you as a stuff , you're the business as such , um , it's so hard not to take things personally , like yeah , because you almost feel like it's a personal attack against you because you are the business yeah , yeah , if they don't reply to you or they say no , or yeah , they walk past you at a wedding fair and don't even make eye contact or just say no , but you think , oh , what have I done ?
Speaker 3yeah , but you've got to remember that you're not everyone's cup of tea and you will find your rides . Yeah , you are not every , but , like I know , I'm not everyone's cup of tea because I can't pull the ballags off a donkey yeah , and , and I think until you get in the mindset of going , do you know what that's okay like ?
Speaker 2until you're at that point , I don't feel like you'll feel 100 confident . Or the point of where you , where you want to be and where you want to feel so confident in , is that you could stand in front of a bride and know within 15 to 20 seconds that yeah , it's not my cup of tea , like , yeah , or a bride or a groom also as well .
Speaker 3You don't always connect with brides , like you could be having a chat with a bride and you could go . I don't think I'm that person . Yeah , and you know , that's also okay .
Speaker 2I think when people are starting out , it's like I want to book any you want to take anyone ? I've just booked it , give me the money . Whereas , yeah , I think , once you're at a certain stage in business where you feel confident , confident in yourself , confident in your offering , services , products .
Speaker 3And it is also okay to say to the bride I don't think I'm the best fit for you , yeah , and that is also okay . Yeah , but you don't want to get to the wedding and go . Oh god , it's that wedding .
Speaker 2Yeah , you don't want to walk in dreading it , do you ? Yeah ?
Speaker 3like , if they're not your , if you don't think that you will gel with them , just say I'm really sorry . I don't think I'm the right person , the right fit for you . Have a look at these other people .
Speaker 2I think they're more your wavelength yeah , it's a bit like dating , isn't it ? You wouldn't go on a date and have a few like red flags and be like , and then go out again I'm not , I'm not , I'm not feeling that , but then go back on another date with them essentially what you're doing .
Speaker 3You're booking them , even though you're feeling like yeah even times out of ten from experience .
Speaker 2It's always . They're always the ones that cause you aggro , yeah , cause you drama , cause you aggro , cause you drama , cause you anxiety , cause you worrying or stress , and you think back you go . I freaking knew it . I knew there was a reason why I felt iffy about it . Yeah , it's normally go with like you've got intuition , isn't it ? 100% ? Any business owners that I have worked with and they've told me like a really shit situation they've had with a with a couple , nine times out of ten they'll say something along the lines of I knew they would do this . Or when I first had the conversation , she was really iffy about xyz and I should have known . Yeah , like , if you have those off , like moments .
Speaker 2Yeah , to them just be like sorry yeah , just say even if you don't feel confident enough to say I don't think we're the right fit . You could just say I'm for , I'm booked on that day . I'm really sorry , like I mean , you don't have to , you don't have to say anything that makes you feel awkward or exactly . Um , but again , that's confidence as well , isn't it knowing and learning from your lessons and following your instinct , and not chasing that like booking all the time for the money kind of thing , once you're sort of settled ?
Speaker 2okay so another thing that I know you're bloody great at networking in the industry . I just like to talk .
Speaker 2What did you think I was gonna say ? Your face was uh , no , networking . You're always like in the midst of everything . You're in deep , like you're backstage at the catwalks with us , like you're in the supply room chit-chatting with cup of tea , like you are just so good at it . So I knew I needed to talk about networking , basically why I know you love to chat , and that's just one of the reasons
Networking and Collaboration in the Industry
Speaker 2. But why is it important to you ? What has it done for your business ? Why would you recommend it ?
Speaker 3um , I would definitely say when it comes to you , what has it done for your business ? Why would you recommend it ? Um , I would definitely say when it comes to like suppliers . So chatting with other suppliers does lead you to greater things , if that makes sense . Yeah , so like , if you have a really good connection with like certain suppliers , if they're doing a styled shoot or they're , you know , organizing something networky or something like that , they're more likely to message you and say , oh , don't suppose you're free to do that styled shoot . Yeah , they know who you are , they get on with you well , they know your vibe , they know that you'll be like a good person to have on the shoot , stuff like that .
Speaker 3But also recommendations . So I've had a couple of bookings that have come from um . So another supplier that I'm really good friends with owns a bridal shop in Marlborough and she actually keeps my business cards there and gives them out to booked brides . They get like a little goodie bag that's got like some suppliers and stuff in and I've actually had a couple of bookings from that love , that is , from just getting to know her at wedding fairs that we've done , yeah , and stuff like that .
Speaker 3So I think it is nice . And then again , in terms of like chit-chatting with you guys and stuff at the show and the girls and the models and things . So Zoe , who obviously is part of your team , she recommended me to one of her friends that is getting married next year . Okay , I think , yeah , after one or the other um , and she put to me for her wedding yeah and her message to me literally was you know my friend zoe , she highly recommended you .
Speaker 3Are you available ? So just things like that , like actually talking to people , can't ? They might not necessarily be in the same category as you , yeah , but they are helpful . And I tend to find as well , when I then have connections with people , if I chat to other suppliers and I really like them , I'll take like a little mental note of them . So if a bride says to me oh , I um need to book a live illustrator , or I want to book a magician , or I'm still looking for my photographer , or I think we decided to stretch our budget for a videographer or wedding , like things like that , I can then say here are some great people that I've met and have worked with and then I am happy to recommend them because I get on with them and I get on with my bride , so I know they will get on with them get on with them , yeah , and then you would then hope , especially if they're the right type of vibe and the same vibe as you in general . Yeah , you and they do that back .
Speaker 3Yeah , yeah , but I think the wedding industry especially is very collaborative yeah , it's a very big industry because you think about how many weddings take place a day , a month , a year , stuff like that . Yeah , it is also very small , like you might not necessarily know somebody personally , but you know somebody that will know them . Yeah , yeah it is . It's that tight knit of a community that you like . Word of mouth is a very big thing . Yeah , if you're an arsehole to somebody , won't take long and that'll go around and people won't want to work with you . If you let brides down , people won't want to work with you .
Speaker 2Yeah people won't recommend . Well , that's like , if we have like um , I don't know hair and makeup , let us down for the event , like the fairs and stuff . Yeah , straight up . No , like , never again stress that we had on the sunday this year , I know , um , and then we wouldn't recommend the amount of like brides that we have on our system . I would never , ever recommend them again , ever .
Speaker 2So it is all about the industry as a as a whole and working together . And , yeah , work does get around . Oh , definitely , it's a small world . Yeah , I think we'll save it for another day . But , um , like another podcast , because obviously you're coming back , we'll talk about the clickiness of the industry as well and how that can be a bit tricky as well . But that could . That's another conversation for another day . Oh , yeah , I'd go down the right rabbit hole . Yeah , because we've talked for ages already . Okay , a couple more questions . So what would be your secret sauce that makes you stand out in the , not just the wedding industry , but in your industry as well ? So , like the , the hair industry , what would you say kind of makes you different or stand out ?
Speaker 3um , I would say I am happy to do anything on a wedding morning . So if those dresses need steaming and everyone had their hair and makeup done , you are not steaming those dresses . Yeah , I will steam those dresses . I've got a photo of me sat on the floor steaming a bride's dress an hour before she was due to get into it , because everybody forgot that they hadn't steamed her dress . Yeah , and everybody had had their hair and makeup done by this point . So I was like , okay , fine , I'll steam the dress . I'm happy to help everybody get ready . I'm happy to get the girls into dresses . I'm happy to get brides into their dresses . Um , I'll cut the tags out of everyone's dress because they've left all the tags in .
Speaker 2Like , I'm just generally happy to get stuck in yeah , I can vouch for that because , like I said , you're always backstage helping with fascinators and all the last like little bits bobs . Yeah , I 100% vouch for that . It's like that .
Speaker 3Yeah , people like going back to , I think , that review I got from one of my october brides , the fact that she was like everyone needs a vic . Yeah , because she was like you just did anything . Like I stood and held a curtain around for her mum to get dressed in the corner of the room .
Speaker 3Oh , like I'm just genuinely happy to do , yeah , anything like I'm not bothered and , like we said , it's people would happily recommend you yeah , they remember that and yeah , like she's got like five , six bridesmaids in the room with her , that's six word of mouth that have seen it yeah , and even if , like , they could be married or they might not even be engaged yet , but they will remember you or they'll say to their right , like stuff like that , like the word will get around yeah , yeah , no , definitely , I vouch for it .
Speaker 2You're an angel , you try okay so what is so ? You've got the salon , yeah , flat out with stuff . You've got your weddings booked in for next year . What is what's next for Vicks Bridal Hair ? What's the plan , oh god , or anything new on the horizon as in services or ideas or just general stuff you're looking forward to ?
Speaker 3um , I can give you a little insight . Um , so obviously you know me and g are a dream duo . Yeah , um , we are going to be launching a collaboration together , so you will now be able to book me and g and a package .
Speaker 2Oh , that's cool um , yeah , you're both your first like go-to's with stuff anyway , aren't you ?
Speaker 3so it makes total sense yeah , well , g did buy makeup for my brand in chute , um , so I get along with her really well and stuff . So , yeah , we're gonna launch a thing together . Oh , that's cool . Um , we needed to get it done before april . We were supposed to get it done before october , and that yeah , do you know ?
Speaker 3I remember you vaguely saying something about this , yeah , so it's supposed to happen before october and that , yeah , do you know ? I remember you vaguely saying something about this . Yeah , so it's supposed to happen before october and obviously that didn't happen , yeah , um .
Speaker 3So we said we definitely need to have it launched and , like we've even started creating a logo , like we're pretty much there , we just need to actually sort out . Yeah . So I think we're gonna get a day together and we're gonna like officially launch yeah , g and Vic as a duo see , networking is so great , like I always like if I hadn't have done your show , I would never have met .
Speaker 3Yeah , and then I ended up doing her wedding for her as well this year and did her wedding hair . Yeah . And obviously then since then we have just become genuinely really good friends yeah , love that .
Speaker 3Oh , I'm looking forward to it , yes , um and I am going to do another branding shoot in this place at some point . Very cool . I love . Yeah , yeah , in the salon you have to get pictures and yeah , yeah , so I had a few taken when I did the launch evening , um , but there's still a few little bits that need to be done . Yeah , prophetic wise , uh , and then there'll be another branding shoot done yeah . I love it .
Speaker 2Yes , look forward to seeing it . Thanks , um , okay , so a few just to wrap up . A few little fun questions . Go on , you could swap job roles , yeah , such , with anyone in the wedding industry , yeah , like cake maker , etc . What would that be and what would ?
Speaker 3be uh , I would probably say a florist . So I have got a couple of really good friends that are florists um within the Cotswolds and one of my friends . Last year I did a few weddings with her . It's like an extra hand and I actually really enjoyed it . It's I think it's got the same creativity vibe as a hairdresser yeah because it is very much like they'll show you something and then you're left to do it , yeah , which is very much kind of like hair , um .
Speaker 2So I definitely think flowers and floristry would be my second thing , and it's also pretty yeah , it must be such a big like achievement to be like , yeah , floral display that you've completed and like how amazing it looks and stuff . Yeah , yeah , good answer . I like that one . Okay . And final question , most important question asked all day oh god , what's one fun fact about you that not very many people know .
Speaker 3Well , I obviously didn't think I was that fun and excited until you were like you are . I also run a local pantomime , so I'm one of the trustees of the charity and I also stage , manage it and help build stuff . I do the hair , of course , obviously . Of course I kind of get involved . I'm normally there for auditions to help with the audition process . Um , we then had a couple of stage crew meetings already ready for next year's show , oh , wow . So yeah , that's my . I don't like having a boring life . I finish in Christmas and then go into panto season for January . Yeah , I love that .
Speaker 2Let's start a woman of very , very many talents yeah , I just don't like to do nothing . I think that's just business owners in general , isn't it ? We all ?
Speaker 3yeah , I moan about being too busy , but then I do too much yeah , you'd hate it if you were bored with nothing .
Speaker 2100% . Well , thank you very much . We could . We could talk for like another two hours .
Speaker 3Oh my god , yeah , this podcast would be ridiculously long , exactly . But um , I think people will switch off if they're still listening now .
Speaker 2I'm quite impressed well , we'll have you back . You'll be back again soon . I'm sure we've already got .
Speaker 3We've probably raised another three or four topics , yeah , so I'll note them down and then we'll have to get one with me and g as well when we launch the yeah , I , yeah maybe we could do that on the whole , like networking clickiness of the industry and like how to navigate that .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , how to find friendships . Perfect Right , I will see you very soon , I'm sure .
Speaker 3I'm sure I'll speak to you later .
Speaker 2I can't get rid of you . I'm like a bad smell .
Speaker 3Bye for now . See you later . Bye .
Speaker 1Bye , bye for now , see you later . Bye , we got all the stories and advice that you'd like to know .