Choosing the Right Colour Brand with Monique McMahon

Transcript

 Welcome back to the Inner Sanctum Salon, rising the podcast, another mini moment brought to you by Timely. And we have a special guest on our mini moment today, the beautiful

Monique

Monique McMan. Thank you so much for joining us again. Thank you for having me, babe. I'm excited to be here. I know

it.

we've had, I just, as I've said before, I love any chat that we have with you.

I just think you're so insightful.

and

The topic that we're gonna talk about today.

Mm mm

I really think this is important. So much so at the moment. I know that everybody is struggling with this situation, and that's choosing a color brand. Oh my gosh, there are so many color brands out there to choose from.

Everyone is a color brand now. Everyone's color brand right now. You've got Morano, you've got Kevin Murphy, you've got o and m, you've got the big girls. The wellers, the kins, the lows.

eels.

It is flooded with choice out there, and it's a big decision to make because it's huge. It's one of the most expensive things your business is gonna pay for.

Yeah, yeah. It's, I

It's

huge. I mean, obviously like you are a Weller

Am

color ambassador, so I'm the Weller color ambassador.

about Weller.

yes, I said definitely am. I mean, I, you know, I, I'm biased. It is an incredible brand. Yeah. But I get this conversation all the time with my girlfriend about. What, what brand should I stock?

Like what color brand should I, should I stock? Like who's gonna align with my brand? Who's gonna give my team the most? Like, yeah, this is what people are asking. They want to know who's gonna give their team the best opportunities. Like what color brands give your team the best opportunities? It's so, it's so interesting, right?

There's that grassroots stuff, but opportunity is really something that you're looking to align with now. So, yeah. Um, so when you're having these conversations, what types of things are you telling people to look for? Okay, so I'm definitely looking at, these opportunities either in fashion weeks or editorial styling or anything to do with social media To elevate your team Yeah.

And give your team those opportunities to do work outside of the cell. You know, yeah. They're the kind of things they want experiences, they want to grow, they want to learn,

and

need these like little trips, uh, education trips. Maybe they wanna go to Melbourne, maybe they wanna go to Brisbane, maybe they wanna go to

Perth

educate for these color brands.

Maybe they want to do session starting with these color brands. Yeah. Maybe they want to, you know, um, do social media with these color and look after the influencers for these brands. Or even Fashion Week here in Australia or overseas. So these are the things I'm telling people to look out for and ask for.

And that's the basics. Yeah. Like that's the non-negotiables. Because I think, I know with Wella, they're the things that I get from Wella and I know they give them to everyone. You know, you can get these opportunities, but you also need to be looking at the amount of money you're gonna be spending per.

Yeah, absolutely. Do you think those opportunities only come with the bigger like accounts? Yeah. These opportunities come when you drop everything and go and go and chase those dreams.

Yeah. So the opportunities come for people that see opportunity. That's that that friends is a takeaway. Opportunity comes. For those who see opportunity. That is so true. Yeah. It's true in every sort of aspect of everything we do in life, but it's even more true when you're dealing with your color brands.

Yeah. Yeah. Because the opportunities are there. They're massive brands. They're multimillion dollar companies. Yeah. Most of them are cosmetic companies. They have access to everything you want. You just have to see it and ask for it. So did you ask for it? Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah. It's like straight up, this is what, that's the first thing I asked for is opportunity.

For my team. Really? Yeah. What can you do for my team because oh my gosh, my mind is just blown. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And then I know we're a busy salon. I know how much it's kind of average we are going to use or spend per month. Yeah. So I know I'm going to be a, a one of those accounts that are at the top tier.

So in the next question is what percentage,

what discount do

what discount do I get? What discount do I get? Yeah, for sure. Yeah. So that's the next question. Uh, you definitely need to ask those two questions always. Because it's available and they know it's available, so just ask for it. So I think, that's the big takeaway, right? Actually, Richard. Richard, our background guy, Richard, everybody knows Richard.

Song

Rich, Richard, rich.

Rich, rich, rich. One

Richard's favorite sayings is don't ask, don't get so true.

So true. And

true. And

that's what's the worst that can happen if someone says no, well, you're in no different situation to what you are now. Uh, but if you don't ask, you don't get. You don't get, yeah. No, I've been really lucky with wella and being their color ambassador has just been a dream because, you know.

you know,

Very passionate about color.

Yeah. And very passionate about my wella brand. But a lot of my friends who own salons, you know, they're Kevin Murphy, or they're Moroccan Oil now. Like those people did not have a place in our industry when I was like hairdressing 15 years ago. Yeah. Yeah. These are the young ones coming up and they're hungry to make that laugh.

Yeah. So, you know, like opportunities there. Yeah. And see that's the nice thing too, with the fact that. Everyone has a color range now, so it's even with the younger brands

Mm.

or like, not necessarily younger brands, but younger introduction to the color world, they're also seeking those people to build and grow with them.

Yeah,

Yeah.

so there's.

yeah.

Yeah. That's an opportunity to be like, Hey, I'm gonna come on the journey with you. Yeah. That's a beautiful place to be in. Yeah. When two brands grow together. Yeah. It's absolutely like, it's, uh, unstoppable. It's, it's heaven really good. So if you can jump in early, but you know, you want your brand to align with your values, so Yes.

You know, ours is healthy hair, healthy color. It's really important that, you know, we have a very diverse range of clients that come into the salon. I've been in the industry like. 20 years. So some of my clients are old, but you know, we became TikTok famous, so some of them are like 17. So it's like, I need a color range that is gonna like manage all these hair types.

Yes. You know? Yeah. And give me a hundred percent great coverage, but also give me luminous, translucent nothingness. Yes. Which is what all our young ones want at the moment. Which I actually am so here for because Yeah.

Yeah.

I, I love that the young ones aren't necessarily that I'm just gonna trash my hair generation.

They're like really? Conscious about having like effortless color that looks like it's not colored and it, but it is colored and just Yeah. Beautiful hair. Like I do love that. Yeah. That's what the generation that's coming up now, it seems to be looking for Yeah.

But

Naked color. I'm telling you right now.

Naked color Yeah. Is where it's at. Oh, you heard it first.

first. Oh,

Naked color is where it's at. Yeah. See, and in terms of like. Your role. Mm-hmm. So what does that role look like? How long have you been in that role? What's your official title? So you are color ambassador, is that a global color ambassador? No, it's a, it's a color ambassador.

Yeah. Um, before that it was Weller Ambassador. Yeah. But as I'm aligned with other brands, and I've always being color focused. I am, I am a colorist. You are a colorist. Yeah. Yeah. I am a colorist. We changed that, that title.

if you,

That's what you call it. Yeah. To color ambassador for Weller Professionals.

And that's what you travel and educate Weller

Weller. Yeah,

with your

glazing and your hand

so I'll educate on new trends, new services, color formulas, , application. Yeah. All of that. Really like everything. How long have you been doing that for? That's, I've been doing that for a long time. Yeah. But probably like at this pro level, just a few years.

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's amazing. Can't wait to hit the US and do it as well. That's so cool. Yeah, it's so good.

good.

And I do, I mean, we've said this before, but I really love the education that you do. 'cause I feel like you bring something different. I feel like there's a lot of education that feels like everything is much of a muchness and it's all the same.

And I do think that when you step out and bring something, when you're going into education, that it's something.

different to

what everyone else is doing. Yeah. And I love that. I think being a salon owner, working on the salon floor, working for other salons, working for color companies gives me this 360 degree view of what you really need to take away from an education workshop.

Yeah. And it's not just a trending technique. Yeah. It's just not anymore. You need a new service. You need to know how to make more money. You need to know how to inspire your team,

and

you need the trending services. And then of course. You need the trending color palette as well. Yeah. So there's a lot you need to take away from an education workshop or masterclass these days.

Oh my gosh, that's so good. Yeah. See, I also, when I was choosing a brand for my salon, because obviously I'm only building a team and everyone was really young, just open, how did you know who to choose and what did, what was that like for you? I, I was with a brand before and that was fine, but I found that when I moved into the space.

Expanded the number of clients I was taking on.

Mm.

There was a diversity that the brand I was using didn't allow me to use. So I'm actually, I actually use like a really baby brand in salon, like it's only really young. Yeah.

Yeah. But

I was super conscious that I'm also bringing babies in, so I've got an apprentice already.

I'm really focused that I want to be educating young ones to come into the industry so that they actually. Love the industry and don't leave really soon. I mean, that's what we talked a lot about at that leadership summit. Yes. Yes. And so I was conscious of just having something that was really easy for them to understand.

Mm-hmm.

A

A very, very simple Okay. , I have trained a lot of apprentices. Some of them in this salon on, they're just, that are dyslexic or have dys discrepancy, they can't read the numbers. Yeah. So I was conscious of having like a range that had the number and the lettering system that was very universal.

That was just. Simple or not too overwhelming for them that it's like this will be the foundation that you can then leave and go on your journey and you will use all these different brands and be exposed to so much, but that foundation will always be there for you. Yeah. So that was, and then I was also looking at who I could have opportunities with and how much discount like it could be.

I love that. I love that they were on your. List as well. Yeah,

they're

for sure. They're definitely important. Whether it's opportunity for your team or or for yourself to, you know, 'cause I mean, elevating yourself is elevating the brand and your brand,

builds

the team, and that builds the environment. Yeah. Which is so important.

But yeah, the fact that you said that, that's one of the first things you should be looking at, I think that's something that everyone really needs to take away from here because there's so much that we need to think about. The finances and the opportunity. That's huge. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, definitely look at the, opportunities that you can know and, and if it aligns with your brand. Yes. And then of course your discount,

look, hopefully guys, this has helped with anyone out there

who

who is struggling to make that choice about what color brand they want to.

Align with, ask those questions. Be brave. Don't get, don't ask. And yeah, we'll be back with more mini moment insights. Amazing. Really soon. Hey, thanks.

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