"I felt that getting used to different ways of seeing what matters and how to balance my time and appreciating the little things was really important, especially being outdoors and enjoying nature."
Emma Mulvihill
When acclaimed hairdressing entrepreneur Emma Mulvihill stared the pandemic in the face and thought like so many people “now what do I do”, she briefly allowed herself some self-pity and then set about thinking and feeling what she wanted to do next. The Cheshire-based mum decided to stay positive, keep a focus on her business and bring some balance to life with the family.
Emma explained: “Back in March 2020, like all of us, I was extremely stressed, unsure of the situation and didn’t know where to turn. There was so much unknown about what was going to happen, suddenly locked-down with a toddler, busy with business one day, full-time mum the next.
“My husband had been waiting for an operation for some time and now we didn’t know if that would go ahead. For the first time since going into business I felt at a loss and vulnerable.”
Typical of Emma and so many working mums, she allowed herself 2 minutes of self-pity and decided that lockdown was going to be a great opportunity to reappraise things.
“I felt that getting used to different ways of seeing what matters and how to balance my time and appreciating the little things was really important, especially being outdoors and enjoying the natural world.”
Emma notes how her industry also treated the enforced break as the opening to focus differently, looking at its creativity online.
“The amount of tools for online learning and the opportunity to share ideas and professional advice has been hugely useful in continuing to develop mine and our team’s skills.
“I’m more confident now in the business and my ideas for the future. The opportunity to take a step back to see the bigger picture has been a big boost for seeing just how far we have come in two crazy years and when sometimes it felt we were just surviving, we were really thriving!”
Emma’s tips of how she coped in the hope of encouraging others include:
Stay inspired
Even though business may be at a standstill, 2020 and 2021 thus far has been a great time to do some research and stay inspired by the work of other great hairstylists around the world. I began to create an archive of images, words and ideas that inspired me. It was a chance for me to have fun and be creative!
Have vision
I have always been a believer in what I’m doing. Having vision has given me the ability to be resilient and motivates me to continue to work through this uncertain & unstable time. Therefore, I’ve been reminding myself of the vision i once had that made me begin in the first place and used this time to create a new vision for my business.
Love what you do
I have been in the hair industry for two decades now. It’s literally flown by. I guess that what happens when you follow your passion and purpose in life. Once you find out what that is, go for it! Be brave and, you’ll be so busy planning and making it happen that you won’t have time to be nervous.
Have compassion
I personally oversee and contribute to all the salon’s social media and the websites. I know from feedback that our online tools have been a valuable interactive opportunity enabling clients to contact us during this time and for us to respond, feel connected to our clients and wider audience.
Build relationships
We’ve built such strong relationships as a foundation of our business that we will undoubtedly weather this storm & come back stronger than ever! We have built a family of stylists & clients. The salon is our working home and family are always there to support one another no matter what. Running a business and maintaining relationships with clients should always be a family matter. Create a safe space, a positive environment and speak positive words that will inspire your clients.
