This issue, Phil talks to Sally Brooks. Having won British Hairdresser of the Year a record three times, Sally is one of the most creative and professional successful women in modern hairdressing. With a love of the craft and commitment to the industry, Sally remains resolutely humble and utterly dedicated to inspiring the next generation. She talks to Phil about hard work, bonkers ideas and the importance of saying yes…
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CAREER CHALLENGE OR ‘FAILURE’ SO FAR… IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE?
This subject of failure and mistakes is interesting for me because I kind of move on from things quite fast. I’m a glass half full person – even if something is going wrong, I usually put a positive spin on things. There have obviously been situations – like when I’ve shot a collection or done a show – that haven’t gone the way I thought they were going to go. I’m sure we’ve all had times where this glorious material (hair) doesn’t do what you want it to do! But for me, it’s about not being too stuck in what your original idea actually was; it’s about finding a different route out.
WOULD YOU AGREE THAT MAYBE MISTAKES ARE ACTUALLY LESSONS, THEN?
Yes, and I think mistakes are vital. As an industry, we can put way too much pressure on ourselves. I would say I’ve absolutely had a lot of failures, but more from myself not being super happy with what I’ve done. From a business point of view, if you make a decision and think about it when you’re at home in bed, it means you’ve made the wrong decision. That’s a really big one for me. If I’ve said something and it’s not quite sitting right, I find a way to rectify it because then it’s not a failure or mistake, it’s actually something you’ve learned from.
WE’RE ONLY HUMAN! ALL THOSE OF US THAT HAVE HAD FUN, SUCCESSFUL CAREERS HAVE MADE SO MANY MISTAKES ALONG THE WAY – I THINK IT’S ALL PART OF IT.
Exactly, I think you have to be adaptable to stay in this industry a long time, and when situations change, you have to be ready to change too. When we had to close Sicilian Avenue, that could have been a negative. The builder came in and said, “We’re redeveloping, you’ve been here 22 years and you have to leave.” My reaction could have been, “Oh my God, what are we going to do!” but you have to put a positive spin on things. So, when we told the team, we communicated it like it was such exciting, great news.
IF YOU COULD START ALL OVER AGAIN THOUGH, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
Um, there’s probably loads of things I would do differently, but would they have been the right thing? I don’t know. I’m a great believer in just putting your head down, working hard, doing the best you can and somehow finding the right route for you. I would say one of the biggest positives for me is that I’ve always had Jamie as my backbone, so even when plans are changing, he’s always gone along with some of my completely bonkers ideas. And he has my back. One of the things Jamie and I have never done is plan too far in advance. We’ve basically run the business on the team we’ve had around us, and sometimes the team has taken us in a different direction – and often, that direction has been way more creative or successful than we could have imagined!
HOW DOES SOMEONE CREATE SUCCESS IN THEIR CAREER?
I think it’s about having integrity to your craft. In our generation, we have the most amazing, incredible group of people around us, and we’re all very good friends and very respectful of each other. To just try and keep up with incredible people around you is motivational in itself.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DOUBTED YOURSELF AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THOSE FEELINGS?
I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t doubt themselves; I think you just have to learn how to deal with it. The biggest one for me was probably being nominated for British Hairdresser of the Year, mainly because everybody had an opinion on my pictures without knowing me. There’s always more to things that people do creatively behind-the-scenes than what you see as the end result. You’re putting yourself out there, and I really, really like to take that as a challenge and approach what I do completely differently each time. That’s what keeps me alive.
ARE YOU A PERSON WHO TAKES RISKS?
Dangerously so, sometimes, I think (laughs). Do I do things that are going to challenge what people think? Yes.
ARE YOU MORE RISK AVERSE THE OLDER YOU’VE BECOME OR ARE YOU STILL AS HUNGRY TO SUCCEED?
What I am now is more picky about what I say yes to; if something isn’t interesting or challenging or exciting, I’m much more averse to saying yes to it. But that’s not about risk-taking, that’s because I find lots of things quite dull. Being around people who are inspiring and motivational excites me.
SUCCESS IS OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE, BUT WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO YOU?
It’s so many different things. I think to stay at the top of your game and have a successful career, you’ve got to love it. Hairdressing takes you on a journey through different stages of your life, and I feel so successful to have had such a long career in the industry. Whilst it’s not money motivated or money focused, success is also about paying off a mortgage and not having financial commitments when you get older. Time becomes more precious, you know. My family’s really important to me, and I don’t like that I don’t spend enough time with my parents as they’re getting older.
WHO IS A SUCCESSFUL PERSON YOU ADMIRE?
Too many to mention! When you look through the family tree of hairdressing, there are so many that have led the way. There are so many beautiful cutters that still hold the scissors with such passion. I mean, Anthony Mascolo, for example, you can’t even go there with what he did! Sometimes, I don’t think that the generation below realise that these people didn’t just open the doors, they built them.
DO YOU HAVE ANY DAILY HABITS OR A PARTICULAR MINDSET THAT YOU THINK MAKES YOU SUCCESSFUL?
Hard work. Growing up, my dad would say to me things like, “This Sunday you’re not going out to play, you’re moving a brick wall!” His work ethic and his way of treating people is phenomenal. He had a philosophy of helping people out, and I’m really happy I grew up with that. There are so many people we have taken on as apprentices that have gone on to do such amazing things, and these are people I can call on even now. I find this idea of care and compassion beautiful.
I agree. When I walk around my little town – Salisbury is tiny – there’s probably 25 salons, of which 15 of them are from people that have worked with us over the years. I am really proud of every single one of them – I get a buzz off seeing them with their own shop! I don’t really tell many people that actually I do enjoy that proud feeling an awful lot. Final question, Sally. What three pieces of advice would you give to anyone at the start of their career?
Sally, thank you so much. Absolute pleasure talking to you.
