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Stop Treating Apprentices Like Cheap Labour: How to Train Profitable Hairdressers

Teaching someone how to foil, tone, or blow-dry is the bare minimum.

If you are taking on an apprentice, you are responsible for developing a complete professional, not just a technical worker.

That means teaching them:

  • How to run a column

  • How to consult properly

  • How to rebook clients

  • How to build relationships

  • How to sell with integrity

  • How to create income

Because here’s the reality:

A fully booked, profitable stylist is not created by accident. They are trained that way.

The Biggest Disconnect: Money

This is where most salons fail their apprentices.

From their perspective:


“I made the salon $1,000 today… and I only got paid $150.”

So what do they think?“My boss must be making a fortune.”

But they don’t see:

  • Wages

  • Superannuation

  • Rent

  • Stock

  • Tax

  • GST

  • Overheads

  • Profit margins

They don’t understand that revenue is not profit.

And if you don’t teach them this?They will resent you. Or worse — they’ll leave you.

If You Don’t Educate Them, You Will Lose Them

An untrained apprentice doesn’t just lack skill — they lack purpose.

And when people don’t feel:

  • Progress

  • Growth

  • Opportunity

They disengage.

That’s when you hear:

  • “They’re lazy”

  • “They don’t care”

  • “They’ve got no work ethic”

But the real question is:

Did you show them what they’re working toward?

Apprentices Should Learn to Make Money — For Themselves and For You

We need to shift the narrative.

Apprentices are not there just to:

  • Earn their hourly wage

  • Go home

  • Repeat

They are there to:

  • Learn how to generate income

  • Understand value

  • Build a career

  • Contribute to a business

Because once they understand that:

  • They become motivated

  • They take ownership

  • They start thinking like professionals

And that’s when everything changes.

Train Them Like Future Business Owners

Because whether they stay with you or not — you are shaping their standard.

If you train them properly:

  • They become profitable

  • They stay longer

  • They respect the business

  • They grow with you

If you don’t:

  • They leave halfway

  • They feel undervalued

  • They become another statistic

And you’re left thinking you “wasted time training them.”

You didn’t waste time.You just didn’t train them fully.

The Standard Starts With You

As a salon owner, you don’t just run a business.

You build people.

So ask yourself:

  • Am I just using my apprentices… or developing them?

  • Am I teaching them skills… or building careers?

  • Am I explaining the “why”… or just expecting output?

Because the salons that win long-term?

They don’t have better apprentices.

They have better leaders.


 
 
 

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