Time and distance. Taking their cue from Walmart’s legendary founder Sam Walton, salon and school owners Brian and Karen Perdue are systematically growing their beauty empire by what Walton referred to as the “hub and spokes” approach to distribution and expansion.
“Walton would visit and identify a desirable 200-mile radius for Walmart store locations and then build a distribution center in the middle of that area,” says Brian, founder, stylist and marketing talent who has driven the business aspects of the Salon 124 Group for 20 years.
“Walton did this because 200 miles was the farthest distance that his trucks could reach and return to the distribution center in one day. For us, our hub is our schoo - The Process Institute, a Pivot Point member - with all of our salons located within a one-hour drive of this facility. I emphasize the word ‘drive,’ because we’re located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is notorious for gridlock. This allows our top salon talent to also teach at our school and, for some of our best graduates, to become Salon 124 Group stylists, first at one of our Genesis salons and ultimately at a Salon 124 location.
”When Brian and Karen met, he was a recent college graduate with a newly minted marketing degree and a yearning to own his own business. She was a passionate and successful young stylist, who strongly believed in education and professionalism in every aspect of her career. Together, they decided to take the plunge by creating a beauty world that fi t both of their ideals: own a great business fi lled with effective systems, professional caring and careful hiring practices that would lead to - who knows?
“When managed properly, the beauty business offers unlimited possibilities.”
“When managed properly, the beauty business offers unlimited possibilities,” Brian states. “At the very beginning of our venture, I decided that I needed to know the business from the inside out, so I went to beauty school without telling my friends or family,” Brian laughs. “When they found out, they thought I had lost my mind. But we persevered and sought out direction here and abroad. Our education was incredible, both in terms of technical skills and what it really meant to build a true and lasting beauty culture.”
Today, Brian and Karen’s empire consists of seven locations - three Genesis and three Salon 124 salons, and one The Process Institute, which has anywhere from 60 to 100 students enrolled at any given time.
“As for our Institute, which we opened five years, we definitely focus on the core skills and knowledge needed to pass the state board exam, but we also heavily emphasize more advanced cutting and chemical skills, and business protocols that will make our students salon-ready by the time they graduate from our school,” says Brian.
“I think that the final key element of our organization is the fact that we truly care about the success of all of our stylists. We have systems in place with measurable achievements that will take them to the next levels of their careers. We offer clearly defined career paths, teaching and even ownership opportunities.
“I’ve also learned that one person’s success can be another person’s greatest source of unhappiness. Longevity in the beauty business hinges on being happy with what you do every day. Beyond our basic expectations, this epiphany has prompted us to allow all staff members to define their success. Our job, of course, is to help them achieve and maintain what they want to do most in the beauty business.” (Salon124.com)
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| Genesis, Hamilton Mill | Salon 124, Grayson |
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| Salon 124, Roswell |
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