10000000_692847718137152_930260614109559719_n.mp4: Video automatically transcribed by Sonix

10000000_692847718137152_930260614109559719_n.mp4: this mp4 video file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Hello and welcome to business as unusual. And this is now episode 8 and happy hump day. It's Wednesday, everyone. For those people that have forgotten what day it is. And my name is Megan from gretel-ann properties. And I hope your families are all safe. And well just for the new people that are tuning in today to let you know what we're up to greater. London properties. Started a support group on Facebook called Central London's lockdown support group. This is mainly, just

You help businesses, whether they are open closed, whether they're doing things for Charities, and just get the word out there, really. And so what we decided to do is, do live chats at 11:30, every single weekday to meet the people behind the businesses and just to find out a little bit more about how they're coping and just to give them the exposure that they really deserve. Today. We're speaking with Ian Roderick. Hello Ian. And so Ian Works will see the hair and beauty which

Is on 57 marchmont, Street in Bloomsbury and area that we are also based in and we absolutely love. So we share that in common and how are you creeping in? At? The moment would look down on me, right? I'm finding lots of things to do. I'm doing lots of painting, lots of gardening. And speaking to my colleagues on Zoom about what we're going to do. Post covid-19, when I say colleagues, I mean other salon owners and

They go from treat well, as well. And some of the people that I know that are different kind of business advisors in the industry and I think everybody agrees that it's going to be a very different world. Once we reopen the, as an industry, where we're very aware from what I see from the network groups on Facebook, very aware that we're going to have to make changes and not absolutely sure what those changes will be because

Obviously, the government's going to give guidelines as well. So we're going to have to work around those but there are lots of different things going on behind the scenes. We want to ensure our clients safety. We want to make sure that we're still looking after our clients post covid, but also now as well if they want to email us via Facebook or getting contact for our tree. Well, we're more than willing to talk them through things. They might be thinking of doing themselves just to make sure

The well for man, one point of view as well that we're not dealing with disasters when they come back. Yep, I think will be quite a few more votes. I would think so. I've had a few already. I've had people telling me they would sell me their kidneys and things if I did their hair and I'd like, I don't know 30 messages on the answering machine. When I went to check on the premises the other day. Some people saying, well, should I still come for my appointment on Wednesday? No. And

And lots of inquiries about all sorts of things were getting messages all the time. So I don't think people have forgotten us and we certainly haven't forgotten our clients, but we're not physically at the shop at the moment. I bet you're going crazy and wanting to get out your scissors and just cut anything from moment. You're driving your car. When I drove up to work the other day. I hadn't been in the car for weeks now, and it's really strange driving the car. When you haven't done it.

Long time. So we're certainly talking about doing some training, not not hairdressing training, but training in the new procedures before we reopen to make sure that everybody's aware of what we've got to do to make sure people are safe and yes, I miss doing here but there's lots to watch on YouTube and lots of things we can do to catch up with what's going on, which is not much obviously at the moment, but you know people

People are putting stuff out there for training.

That's good. Tell the people that don't know. Tell us a little bit more about history about your Salim because some you've been doing it for seven years. I wouldn't do, but the history. Yeah, I've been hairdressing. 445 had the salon for 17 years. Now. It's been a hairdressing salon for probably a hundred years. I would imagine it's it's one of London's oldest salons, and I took it over from a couple and before that there was a guy that had it for

Probably 25 years. And before that another lady and before that Kenneth Williams is dead kind of Williams the comedian. So we've actually got a blue plaque above the shop. That's so great. Yeah, he lived there for many years. So we still get a lot of people, taking pictures of the front of the shop and stepping out in the road and risk in their life, you know, while it's like a shop and lots of people coming in and asking about it as well. So it

It's good. It doesn't really increase business but it does increase our profile a little bit. And we've been on the TV when they put the blue plaque up and everything as you probably know, Ricky that does stuff with a blue plaques. And also what they used to be. You know, they have gone, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, you know, will at that time. Anyway, he was involved and

It was a great day. You know, we had the blue plaque.

Across the street and all in the area has been a really, really good thing for Bloomsbury. Yeah. It's such a, it's such a thriving area. And I just, I do love problems with so much because it's a central London. It's so close to everywhere else in central London. However, it is also surrounded by Green spaces and it feels like a community Village. So it's not lost that Village feel by being in Central and I do feel that it is a community like once, you know, one person and one.

You know, like for me it's landlords mainly but you know, you get excited with people and then you know, you get connected shop owners. And yeah, you just become, you could become part of it. I absolutely love it out. Yeah, it's like a little village. I mean, I, as I say, I've been there 17 years. It was a bit weird when I first went there because I come from the west end where it's all a little bit more impersonal. And all of a sudden we had people coming in, the salon that have been there coming there for like 30, 40 years.

And you get, you know, you see them come and unfortunately you see them go as well, but not because they've gone to another Salim which is sad. And so everybody knows everybody. But everybody tries to help each other. I mean, I got a phone call, the other morning at 6:30 in the morning and telling me that the lights were on in the shop. It well actually wasn't anything bad, but I drove up to check on the premises. So everybody seems to help each other out.

Yeah, everyone keeps a close eye on each other, which is really lovely. We've also won quite a few Awards, haven't you? Well, we won the Best Shot front award for March month, Street Association. I think the first two or three years we were open and then we've been top rated on treat well, for at least the last three years. And I worked very closely with them as well. And that's been a lifesaver for us because

Obviously, on top of our own website, we've got the power of a much bigger kind of digital machine if you like and it's it's really a great way to not waste money on Advertising. So, what we do is we use them and we look at using them as an acquisition cost. We use their software. So I don't even have to kind of put appointments in the book. Everything's done. And during the lockdown, what they've done is

They are still taking appointments for. I can't remember how far in advance, but they'll also contact the customers for us, if it continues. So it's been great for us. And, of course, I've got all these other salon owners, I'm able to talk to as well. Yes. It's another because I had one of my best friends who lives in Newton is a runs a salon. So if she's not always treat her, she could join as well. Absolutely. Absolutely. He's you can contact me.

A or an opera in contact with them, you know, and, you know, it's really been a lifesaver for us and also because I've now got a support network of other salon owners. I don't feel like I'm F in to make decisions on my own. We all kind of say, well, you know what you're doing about this, what you're doing about that, and probably pretty much like, if your members of any property, but State agents associations, I think, you know, the national hairdressers Federation of fantastic.

Well, no, actually, it's the national hairdressers and Barbers Federation now and they've been great. They're sending us lots of updates. We do some work with Weller as well. They've been really good. They're giving us the heads-up on everything. I have to say Camden of been excellent. Really are some of the, some of the complaints I've heard about other London boroughs. I've got no complaint, really. They've been really, really good. Well, that's really good to hear. I'm really pleased about that, because you have to what you have.

Got to rely on your accounts and I've been out again. So yeah, I'm really pleased. I with this treat, what you're doing? Digital consultations. We can actually haven't had anybody request that but I have had a few of my own clients of kind of texted me and said look, you know, sending me pictures of their hair and I've used the Clippers. How did I do? Whoo, fantastic. And you know people

Full of pictures of people's ropes and, you know, lots of lots of cries for help, but, you know, we do what we can. And if I get specific inquiries from clients, about a particular stylist. I had one so I sent him an email address and then he told her what she should be doing until we reopen. Well, that's great. I can actually see in the comments now from Eileen to send trim Fringe.

Trimming advice is is needed thing. That's one of your regular clients. I do think from some of the pictures. I'm seeing, the people are sending me and somehow it's terrible. It's awful. It's if you've got a good

Basic car and you take care of the condition of your hair. It's never really going to look Dreadful. Like so sometimes, what's in the clients mind? When they say? They look Dreadful.

I've seen Dreadful and and it's and it's not like that they've done. All right, we've got really good hairdressers in the shop and although their clients.

You know, the only thing that might happen is The Fringe gets in the eyes and if you've got a routine, the roots are going to start to show. But there's lots of products. You can get now that you just brush on the roots to hide it until you can actually color it yourself. Are there any that you want somebody people? Some people really want to color their hair themselves. That like their can't wait.

But you know, there's a reason that we do a lot of training and there's a reason that it's called a professional product and there's a reason that we skin test and there's a reason that you get a professional to do it and the ones you buy in the boxes are are okay, but you still got to do the skin test and, you know, you just gotta make sure that you're not putting yourself in a situation that might be even worse than those ropes.

Someone's asking, what good toner. Would you recommend to help Roots look, less hardcore. What did I specifically mean by hardcore? If you're talking about yellow, think it's been there their blond and and the dark roots are coming through. So if you're talking about,

Like a blond color, that's gone. Say yellow. If you know, Shane avoid, you want to put a toner on it. I would probably suggest rather than doing that. Getting one of these blue tone in shampoos, and just like, put it on and leave it on for 10 15 minutes and that should take some of the yellow out. If you're talking about roots, that are white and by hardcore, they mean, then it really started to show then I'd make

Maybe go on Amazon and you know, perhaps a search would be something like root touch-up and there are various products like powders and things that will hide that color. Okay. I've never heard of a palliative treatment for, that's quite a character. Oh, yeah, they do. Like they do it and they do it in a lipstick form as well, that you can kind of brush on there. They're quite good because you're not really dealing with a chemical. Okay. Is there any the worst thing is you're going by the toner?

And, you know, with the best will in the world. I can give advice but less time actually seen the color. It's difficult. It's really it's really quite

Dangerous to give advice because the person might put something on there and then if it look, it canning, that looking even worse, so maybe you're better off, leaving it. But if you use a blue shampoo, that should turn yellow out of here. It just shows you an expert in. That's exactly if someone asked me the price of their property without me seeing it. I can't tell them. So it's an expert. Yeah, it's good. Exactly. You can't really do a desktop evacuation of Summer.

Yeah, I know that. So obviously, there is one thing that keeps happening in the moment and there are wives that are cut in blokes hairs and people are either like cavemen or just be a little bit skewed. With the advice would be, just to kind of leave it. But do you have any any tips on that at all? If you're using clippers and they're happy to have clippers.

All the way over. So. In other words, it's like a little bit longer than mine, then just make sure you're probably would start with the biggest guard. You can like a number four or number 3 and just keep going over it. But make sure you keep your finger on the guard so that it doesn't fly off the clippers because I was, you're gonna have a landing strip down the middle of your head and, you know, if you're doing the sides, you don't like so. So you were just

Trimming, the sides. Are you want to be pulling the Clipper away from you like this? So going up and then pulling it away. Just don't go straight up. I've always it's going to end up like this. So again, if you can wait, perhaps just drinking trim the back of their neck. It's perfectly safe. Trimming their beard with a Clippers, you know, as long as you've got the garden, but if you ever got the garden, you're going to end up with bald patches. Yeah, my partner's waiting. He looks like a caveman, but that's fine.

I don't know. I'm not going to leave it to the yeah, just leave it. Yeah, I mean, hopefully it won't be that much longer. Now, you know, who knows when this is going to end. But I'm sure that the government, you know not going to steer us wrong on that one. And you know, maybe they'll start easing some of the restrictions perhaps we'll be able to do a few clients and you know, they're not

I think what's going to happen though, because they open the cylons in Switzerland already, and there was a huge spike in Booking. So I would just say to people, if you have got a regular hairdresser, just keep an eye on on the news, and if it sounds like things are going to open up. See with us, as I said, we're already taking Advanced appointments free trade well and yet treat world will contact them if a lockdown continues. So those appointments will be

Old.

But I think what may happen is people have been waiting all those weeks and then they try and book an appointment and they can't get an appointment because the phones are blocked and, you know, the online slots have gone because we all need to allow.

Cleaning up that. I mean this certainly will happen that will need to allow cleaning up time in between appointments. So everything has gotten sterilized ready for the next customer and also, you're going to have the distance between customers. Yes. It is a long full. Yeah. And so, yeah, years ago. We, you know, somebody will find out. So can you fit me in on Saturday and you, you know, you know, your own column, you know, you're gonna be our, you are slightly in there, but you won't get to do that, because they'll be too many people in the shop.

Yes, it's you know, nothing pricing of this C is probably going to be different in salons as well because

People won't be able to do so many customers. So perhaps some of the huge discounts that you see in salons won't be there anymore because they'll have to take longer over the appointments. I think it's understandable as well though, because you've had to close as soon as covid happen and you can't necessarily generate any cash flow right now. So you're making up the lost time and, you know, you have been factored greatly by this. Yeah, but

Hopefully also will bounce back quite well on the basis that I think that the whole world has realized how crucial ones are within our within our daily life, just on the basis that there's even that Meme. Did you see the video where there's loads of people are just running down the street and it said actual footage of when the cylons reopens. Yeah. I think that's the first thing that everybody's thinking about doing. So when it's great advice to say, kind of like booking your appointments now, because I think there's going to be a lot.

Ugh. When two people getting getting your hair done, perhaps, you know, I don't know going to the dentist and I'm probably getting the mot done on your car as well. Although Thanksgiving. Everybody, six months. Haven't they have, if your Mo teased you, you, you've got, you can drive your car for six months. So, it's all it's just totally different from anything that's ever occurred. And I, you know, I've been addressed in 45 years.

I've been for quite a few recessions, but this is totally different. Yes, coming. I'll keep kind of pinching myself to think I must be dreaming but it's nice like being in an end of the world. Yeah, I think about it every time every night before I go to sleep like just before I'm like just can't believe it. I just is this is this a dream? Like yes, it's very strange. Like I said to you before, I never thought that we'd meet this way.

Yeah, no, absolutely. It's crazy. But also something that I did notice. Sorry because when I did notice this I was just like yes a lot of ours the work. Well a lot of my colleagues always kind of try and brought home to like find, you know, to get their sound and because they close at a certain time. Do late nights. Don't you? We're on until eight o'clock every weekday. So we and we've done that for years. So we that's our busiest, I would say.

Zap, busiest time of the day, because come not even full 36 because some people can get out early from 4:30. We're booked. It's unlikely that you can phone that morning and get an appointment for that evening because we're all young in appointments are booked up. But again, you can book online you even for a website or treat. Well, and when you go on it will show you all the available times. And if there isn't a Time

I'm for that treatment. It'll it'll tell you that as well. So it's very easy, 24-hour booking. That's great. Thank you so much for Facebook as well. You can do it and and tell them how to find you on Facebook. So it's Evie, hair and beauty, isn't it? So you be Hound Beauty? Yeah, you know, we've got that and we're on Instagram as well and Twitter and got the website.

What's the website and www gun TV Hair. Beauty dot code up UK, perfect. So just so that people can visit you afterwards and then hasn't it? Thank you so much for joining us again. I've really enjoyed it and I hope everybody stays safe and stays. Well. Thank you so much and you, I can't wait to visit you when I, when I get the opportunity, leave lovely day.