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Just Cuts Ballarat franchisees | Inside Franchise Business

Ready for a sea change, Just Cuts Ballarat franchisee sells salon to Melbourne franchise owners

Sarah Stowe

Just Cuts franchisee and Ballarat resident Glenn Bell has just sold his salon after 15 years.

Glenn sold his Wendouree business to the franchisees of Just Cuts Victoria Gardens, Melbourne couple Rekha and Nirdosh Singh.

“I rang Just Cuts and said I was looking to sell and they let me know which owners were looking to expand,” says Glenn. “I didn’t need to advertise, it sold over a weekend during lockdown and there was competitive bidding between two current Just Cuts owners over my salon.”

Glenn had a team of 10, with one employee working with him for more than 10 years.

“I’m incredibly proud that together we built a comfortable 25 per cent market share here in Ballarat,” he says .

The swift sale is a repeat of the speedy purchase that got Glenn the business, he reveals.

“I was managing a BOC Gas and Gear back then, and I remember learning about Just Cuts on a Sunday morning business show on Channel 10,” says Glenn.

“I made an inquiry and a week later got a phone call from Just Cuts founder Denis McFadden, who mentioned the owners of the Wendouree salon were moving back to Bendigo after 10 years.

“Denis flew down the next day from Sydney, we did a handshake deal, and I had my own salon.”

Glenn says the business model caters for franchisees with no hairdressing experience. Looking after the staff, who will look after the clients, is the key to the business.

“And that’s worked for me for over 15 years!” he says.

Notching up 15 years in the hairdressing business means adapting to changes – whether that’s seeing the mullet back in fashion and fades come to the fore, or learning to work with new technology that improves business efficiencies.

“We introduced a Just Cuts App for contactless check in which saw incredible growth in the last 12 months,” Glenn reveals.

The salon sale means Glenn can now realise his sea change with a move to the Gold Coast, even though he admits he will miss the camaraderie of the Just Cuts network of franchisees and his hands-on approach to business.

“My salon was 55 square metres and the second I walked in, I could always tell straightaway if we needed to build some more buzz or the vibe wasn’t quite right.

“My personal small business philosophy is you have to get in there, eat it, live it and breathe it. Take care of the little things and treat your team as equals.”