TESTIMONIALS

Celine Ricketts, The Beauty Boutique, Auckland

I have been in the beauty industry for quite some time now and worked in multiple clinics which has been able to provide me with extensive experience as a therapist. However, deciding on going into business was a huge step for me and not having a business background or experience had me feeling like I was treading on thin ice from day one.

My big challenge was learning how to manage the business in all areas. A big one for me was understanding the financials and accounting side of running a business, as well as staff management and increasing  staff productivity.

Staff management is always a tricky one and learning how to drive them to perform at levels required to have a successfull business. I had difficulty putting my foot down and taking charge and being a boss rather than a friend.

Working with Malcolm, I find him very understanding and I can feel comfortable to ask for help with any situation. He always gives a very honest opinion with any ideas I put forward and constantly keeps my mind ticking with creative ideas he throws at me. I love the fact after each session with Malcolm I feel calm, relaxed, in controll and buzzing with ideas!

Malcolm always knows exactly how it is and is able to give advice from his knowledge and previous experiences.

After spending a bit of time with Malcolm assessing my business plan, I now have a clearer path as to the direction i would like to take my clinic. This has hugely relieved me of a lot of time stressing as I can now use my energy to focus on and achieve what we need to in order to get to where we want to go.

Also – I now understand a lot more of the financial side which has helped me to feel at ease knowing exactly where we stand.

I now have more knowlegde and understanding of business and that definately has helped me feel a lot more confident. I also now have a great team whom are motivated and willing to go the extra to achieve what we want to.

Celine Ricketts
Owner/Director
www.beautyboutique.co.nz

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Before I started working with Malcolm I had worked in salons for many years but was never put into a management position, and most definitely had never owned a business before, so I was in for a steep learning curve.

Business started well but there were a few areas that I was having trouble with.  I was generally feeling out of my depth at times with being a new boss with one employee who I was struggling to motivate.

Having very little manageral skills learning how to get the best out of my staff member was one of my biggest challenges. Malcolm taught me ways to work around different personalities in order to get the very best out of my staff in order to get a more harmonious working environment.

Since giving me some new tools to tackle this problem head on I have managed to motivate my staff member, and now feel that I have the necessary skill to take on future staff knowing that I can deal with all types of personalities.

We have covered many topics since working with Malcolm but he made me realize that I was doing many things right, and made me see that you can’t do everything so not to sweat the small stuff.

Malcolm made me look at my services and making my clientele aware of all that my business provides. This has increased turnover and opened up a once previously closed market.

Overall my experience working with Malcolm has been invaluable and I have learnt some great and very helpful things in many areas of business. Having many years within the salon field in areas of ownership and management Malcolm’s advice comes from a wealth of knowledge.

Jeremy Foster-Moan
Owner/Director
Servilles Barber
www.servilles.co.nz/barber

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Malcolm has been of immense assistance to us as a business mentor. He combines years of successful business acumen with an innate integrity and humane, warm approach, to help us feel we can go out and conquer mountains!

Malcolm is a business enthusiast. He mentors with the skill of someone who has proven ability in marketing, business management, and interpersonal communication. His helpful advice is always right on track and he keeps us on track. He’s very professional. And his good listening skills have encouraged us to talk through issues, bring clarity on direction, and brainstorm positive strategies. Above all he is great to connect with.

We were spreading ourselves a bit too thin and trying to do too much all at once. Now we are a lot more focused and we understand our direction. His wise questions helped us to think clearly about our goals and how to go about prioritizing and achieving them. At our mentor meetings our motivation is rekindled. Malcolm invites us to think outside the square. We have made a lot of progress and now think quite differently about our business. He has given us the inspiration and confidence to succeed.

Thank you Malcolm
Sincerely,
Paul England & Shirley Bongard
Business Owners

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Malcolm came into my business when I was at a cross road, I had to make some decisions as to whether I increase my staff and take my business to the next level, or stay smaller. As my lease was about to expire I needed some guidance in how to make the best decision for myself and the business in a logical and factual manner as opposed to an emotional and panicked one. I was to some extent confused as to whether I had the right skills and support to go bigger.

After talking to Malcolm and getting a clearer understanding as to what that would entail I realized I needed to be or employ people who were trained in HR, marketing, and recruiting. That way I could work more on the business as opposed to in the business. All of this would require money, which I didn’t have and I didn’t want to go into debt to get as I always had the option to stay small and keep my overheads down.

My big realisation was that for me to go bigger I was going to need another person to go in partnership with other than my husband. I felt that personally I didn’t have all the skills required to go bigger. Getting such a person who is right is challenging. At the end of the day I decided that in my particular business it is better to stay compact, keep my overheads as low as possible. This means looking for a more reasonable lease, something I am currently pursuing. Also taking ownership of the situations I was finding myself in over and over again, and looking at ways to deal with them.

My challenge was that I had a belief that I could do anything, which meant that I was doing everything, and to no surprise I was getting exhausted and making bad decisions. Malcolm assisted me by helping me to get more clarity. Working out what the facts were, keeping emotions out of it. Taking a good hard look at myself and deciding if I was up for the challenge.  Malcolm has a real ability in making you find the answers out for yourself while not taking yourself too seriously.

Malcolm just “gets it” as to how frustrating running a salon can be. People/staff can be very complex. Malcolm gave me confidence to stand up to my staff in a better way and to turn potentially disastrous situations into positive ones for both myself and my staff. He also helped me to achieve more confidence and realising my strengths and weaknesses. Accepting what I was able to do, and not able to do, as well as my husband and my staff. This was huge for me and I now find I’m not moaning to myself and getting frustrated as to why people are the way they are. Basically get some systems into your business and life where the weaknesses are and move on.

I have downsized by one staff member and currently looking for a more reasonable lease option. This way I am able to keep my profits at a level I am happy with as well as maintain my stress levels at a manageable rate. It is great to have someone else other than my husband to talk to, who actually understands hairdressers, and who also had a great mind for business to boot. Malcolm really knows about running a salon. Thank god. Otherwise my husband and I may have killed each other!

The best part is I didn’t kill my husband and my staff is all still alive. I believe my blood pressure has returned to normal as well. Oh yeah Malcolm also helped me make decisions on facts instead of “if’s, buts’ and maybe’s” that were never going to happen. I’ve learned that a toxic staff member will never be on the same page as you, this will always affect other staff and clientele. Once you have a team that believes in what you are doing then everything becomes much easier. Now everyone is happy and this always results in more clients gained.

Irene Ireland
The Silverchair Salon
Takapuna
North Shore City

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Being a first-time and very nervous small business owner, my meetings with Malcolm have completely put me at ease. His experience and expertise has given me the competence and inspiration to really get out there and achieve my goals and dreams.

Kelly Curtis
The Beauty Space
Auckland
www.thebeautyspace.co.nz

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I just came back from an overseas trip of 3 months and during that time I had a lot of inspiration and ideas but didn’t know how to put them in place. My business came to a point where I needed to ‘upgrade’ and take the extra step to expand. Malcolm came in at the right time and put my thoughts and ideas into a plan. I had staffing issues which I didn’t know how to handle, this was the primary reason I signed up with a business mentor.

Staffing was my biggest concern, without a management background I didn’t know how to handle staff. Performance was not very efficient as I focused on the ‘feelings of staff’ therefore there were many things I haven’t accomplished.

This was extremely challenging as I didn’t have that management background and I wanted to look after my staff as friends, I got lost in the process but Malcolm confirmed that I am not alone in this area. I like it when Malcolm asked me questions that made me think outside the square, and I got ideas and answers that I never thought of.

I was particularly impressed at our second meeting, after he asked me those questions he had already prepared a firm structure on the direction he thinks I should go in order to take my business to the next level. I didn’t think a mentor I signed up for on ‘staffing issues’ had made me focus on expanding that side of the business. After our first meeting, I was so excited about my new business plans I really focused on moving forward rather be held back with staff politics. My team was also excited about the new business plans as well.

Malcolm made me think about the importance of being an exclusive brand. This was a very convincing move for me, not to sell my products to anyone without training. This really set us apart to similar companies out there.

I have established the exclusive placement of my brand ‘Celebrity Lash’ in the NZ market; different to most other companies who will sell products to anyone. I have decided to listen to Malcolm’s suggestion and had made it exclusive. I am extremely happy with the changes I’ve made in the past few months, and I have a clear direction as to where to take my brand and salon to the next step.

Not selling products to everyone has saved me a lot of time, whereas in the past I spent a lot of time on the phone or replying to emails explaining how to use one of my products. This does not arise if the person has gone through the training workshop with us. This allows me to focus more on our trained stylists, and with their knowledge to help me protect and expand my brand, thanks Malcolm.

ELISIA KWOK
Salon Manager/Senior Lash Stylist
Cerise Makeup & Lash BarAuckland
www.cerise.co.nz

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I am very skilled at what I do in the design and web technology field but have a limited (although growing) knowledge of running a business. Malcolm had the ability to help me see the big picture by going back to basics whilst also addressing the urgent needs of the business with useful suggestions.

Malcolm has helped me to focus on who and what my business is and in clearing up lots of things by helping me prioritise my work, resulting in a more consistent and focused result. He took away the panic I was feeling and instilled a needed level of confidence.

I enjoy Malcolm’s visits with his approachable, relaxed demeanour and his ability to encourage me with positives rather than presenting me with a list of what I am doing wrong – and that’s important to me.

Mark Garrity
The Design Council NZ Ltd
www.thedesigncouncil.co.nz

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