Industry Insider INDUSTRY INSIDER: TABATHA COFFEY INDUSTRY INSIDER: TABATHA COFFEY
Last Updated (Monday, 07 November 2011 08:02)
TABATHA COFFEY: Host of Bravo’s Tabatha’s Salon Takeover, Salon Owner, Hair Stylist, Author
by: Lauren Burgess
Dressed in all black, as usual, rocking sky high stilettos and sporting her noted bleach blonde pixie cut, Tabatha Coffey strolled into the back room at Brookline Booksmith and greeted us with nothing but smiles. She arrived by herself, made a coffee, and explained to us how excited she was to be heading to Miami the next day. She was genuine, friendly, and outgoing. Wait, is this the same woman from Bravo’s hit television series, “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover?!”
In the popular show (a recent episode had over a million viewers and hit a series high in terms of ratings), Tabatha is portrayed as a very tough and intimidating individual. Some may even call her a b*tch. However, Tabatha doesn’t mind having this reputation. Actually, she believes being called a b*tch is a positive thing and she embraces it. To her, the word means “Brave, Intelligent, Tenacious, Creative, and Honest.” This attitude has resulted in years of success for Tabatha Coffey starting as a professional hairstylist and teacher, progressing into an entrepreneur, becoming a finalist on Shear Genius and now best selling author of “It’s not really about the Hair: The Honest Truth about Life, Love, and the Business of Beauty”.LB: What is the very first thing you would tell a salon owner when opening a salon?
TC: Make sure they have enough money to do it properly. A lot of owners open their salon just counting on the fact that they are great hairdressers, but they are not god business people. They think just because they do hair very well, everything else will fall into place but that doesn’t work when you own a business.
You have to have a really good business plan. You have to know how much money you have. You need to know how much money has to be coming in and going out to make a profit. You have to know how much money it’s going to cost you to turn the light switch on everyday!
LB: Was this trial and error for you?
TC: Some of it was trial and error. But I also think a good business should always evolve and expand with time. But I really did my homework before I opened. I always made sure I knew what I wanted. To me, it starts with a dream, a vision in your head. So I always knew what I wanted in my salon. I knew what I wanted it to look like, what I wanted the experience to be like for my clients, the kind of staff I wanted, the music I wanted to play, the coffee I wanted to serve. So I knew everything about it and how I wanted it to be. It was like my fantasy dream and then it was just making that happen. I went to business classes, I read a ton of business books, I sat down with accountants. I mean I really tried to do as much homework before I opened was prepared. Yes of course the rest of it you learn along the way.
LB: What is the very first thing you notice when entering a salon?
TC: Often it’s the dirt! Like it really is. When I see how filthy some of the salons are that I take over I really can’t believe that they think its okay to have salon that that’s dirty. If I was a client and I walked in and saw all that dirt, on a retail area or someone using filthy brushes or all that hair on the floor, it just means to me that people are lazy and complacent. It’s the ‘in your face’ dirt that I typically notice when I walk in!
LB: What do you think is the biggest mistake new salon owners make?
TC: I think they settle sometimes to hire a warm body. Again I think it’s planning. To me, a successful salon is about breeding a culture. It is about having people there that truly believe in what your philosophy is, what your business model is, and what the experience is you want to create for a client. Sometimes I think owners get so caught up on just hiring someone to have a body there or because they have a growing clientele, that they do not realize that person is not the right fit for the salon. And then it just leads to a lot of drama down the road.
LB: Was there a moment when you realized that you were no longer just a hairdresser, but one of the most sought out beauty pros in the industry?
TC: I really can’t think of one moment. I still don’t think I’m that big of deal. Honestly. I say that sincerely. You saw how I walked in here by myself! I love what I do and I’m very passionate about it, it means a lot to me. I think I’m really lucky. I’ve always loved education. I use to work at a product company for a number of years educating for them and traveling around the world doing hair shows. It is a pleasure for me to be able to go into other salons and help make them better and share some of my knowledge with them. I don’t think there is a defining moment though. I mean, I still work in the salon now. I’m still standing behind the chair cutting hair as much as I can. I fit everything else around my salon schedule.
LB: How often are you in the salon?
TC: I haven’t been in much lately, to be honest. But usually, I always am. By the time I finished filming season 3 of the show, and went home, my mom was sick and I took some time of to care for her. Then the book came out, so I’ve kind of stepped back a little bit to focus on that. But I call and text my staff everyday. I am in constant contact with them, but I have not been doing clients at the moment.
LB: What are the criteria to get on “Tabatha’s Salon Takover”?
TC: They legitimately have to be in trouble. I get a lot of people who reach out to me and just want to get on television. We have casting people that owners reach out to and go over all the problems. It is a process. Sadly some people are beyond fixing. But I also don’t want to go into a salon where I feel they just want to get their face on TV for ten minutes or so that I can come paint their salon for them.
LB: When do you think it is necessary for a salon to expand?
TC: I think you should expand when you think you need to expand. Simple as that. When you grow your business to a point where you are so busy that you actually can’t make any more money because you’ve maxed out. If all your square footage is maxed out, all your chairs are maxed out, and you can’t hire any more stylists and serve any more clients because you are too small, then that’s the time you start looking to expand. On the other hand, some owners start too big and then it’s too difficult to sustain.
LB: Is there anything that makes you nervous?
TC: No, not really. Every time I walk onto the stage and do a hair show, I do get those butterflies and I get a bit nervous because I want to do a good job. Every time I walk in and take over a salon, there is that second of butterfly feeling because I want to do a good job there as well. There will always be a second of that butterfly feeling. I think it is good to always be a little nervous because it keeps you on your toes. So having a little bit of that nervousness is good because it means you care about what you are doing. I kind of believe that whatever you are scared of, you have to look it in the eye and then its not so scary anymore. I believe you make it scary and then it gets the best of you. If there is something I don’t like I try to just battle through it.
For more information on Tabatha & her book, visit her website.
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