The Just Cuts GM talks with Inside Franchise Business about leadership, having an impact on the business, and brand DNA.

Amber Manning scooped up a top 10 slot in the Top 30 Franchise Executives 2019 report earlier this year. In this podcast Amber discusses the variety of her GM role, and the way she believes it has the biggest impact on this hair cutting franchise chain.

The importance of measurements in terms of feedback are crucial, says Amber. Social media takes the place of mystery shoppers, and feedback from clients, owners and stylists helps form brand strategy. But sometimes they all want something different.

A good example of this, Amber points to, is innovation. Bringing in technology and change can be quite scary, she says. Measurement has been the solution.

“We’re able to measure the numbers now and see what’s effective.”

Implementing innovation

“We now have the same PoS across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, which is great for us in terms of benchmarking, because our owners can see where they sit in the group and we can see what’s happening in the business at any time .

“For the consumer we now have kiosk check -in…it’s a bit like when you walk into McDonald’s…you can book a haircut and not have to talk to anyone.”

Despite some pushback from owners about client experience, the efficiency is proving to be a benefit for everyone, she reveals.

Working with the founder

Amber talks about what makes her an effective leader, and shares her thoughts about working with the founder of the business.

Denis McFadden remains very much part of the DNA of the brand, and that’s her starting point for thinking about change, she says.

Find out exactly how she approaches this in the podcast.