One thing that has jumped out at me time and time again is, nobody seems to be able to access relevant and updated information, or at least people do not seem to know where to find it. Embracing the challenge for me is akin to embracing the change, so I thought why not do a blog post where my fellow therapists can access resources to the best advice.
Top of the list for me is BABTAC. The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology. Established in 1977, BABTAC is not only a members club for beauty therapists, sports therapists and holistic therapists also fall under its umbrella. BABTAC champions and encourages its therapists, and I remember when I was training, Miss Percival, our college principal would always say ‘Wear that BABTAC badge with pride girls…’ alluding to the fact that if you were a BABTAC insured therapist, you had that certain little something others in the industry did not possess. That je ne sais quoi so to speak, like CIDESCO with BABTAC you were always pretty much guaranteed to secure that interview.
Do therapists even wear badges anymore? Who recalls the time when our tunics (or dresses) would be loaded with the things? Making sure not to put them in the wash for fear of rusting? Clanging and getting in the way of the non surgical facelift wires… I am sure many reading this will remember this well.
Another memory of BABTAC for me, was back in 1999 at my first salon position in Blackpool, Elan Natural Health and Beauty, the owner Jayne Rutherford placed her BABTAC window sticker pride of place, central spot, so clients would know they were in the best hands.
BABTAC Resources Available For Help with COVID – 19
Over on Instagram they have been doing the BABTAC beauty broadcasts, 20 min bitesize sessions from leading industry professionals including;
‘How to build a loyal and supportive community’ – Dija Ayodele, founder of the Black Skin Directory, @blackskindirectoryuk @dija_ayodele
‘Self care for tough times’ – Suzy Reading, psychologist and life coach, @SuzyReading
‘Keep up customer communication and be better at social media’ – Jasmine Wickes- Stephen, Faace skincare owner @theknowncompany @wearefaace @jas_ws
These sessions have been wonderful and incredibly informative, I would recommend if you have not already, to give them a watch.
The BABTAC website also offers unprecedented support to therapists who have been affected by COVID with many resources available on the site including Government Schemes, SEISS, HMRC, health, safety, PPE advice and information on bounce back loans and the 12 month business rates holiday available for the retail and hospitality sectors.
For me personally, having access to the BABTAC site, especially in those early stages of lockdown was priceless to say the least. Articles such as the one from Liz Mckeon helped me tremendously, ’11 Steps to Navigate Coronavirus.’ Liz has such an excellent grasp of the situation, encouraging us to remain positive and to shift our perspectives. Liz talks of massive universal shifts creating opportunities for us, something I also firmly believe in.
Thank you to BABTAC for providing our industry with your support, always being there at the end of the phone to talk to, even throughout the crisis, and for providing 43 years of dedicated service to our wonderful industry.
The Delforge Group
Second on the list is The Delforge Group. Valerie Delforge is a beauty industry icon, business strategist, leadership guru, and the sort of lady you want to listen to if you want your business to pop. Valerie is a true authority within the beauty industry and the group’s website is an absolute gold mine full of informative treasures and a huge focus on reflection and opportunity at this time.
Originally from France Valerie began life as an agency worker working in retail in some of London’s top department stores. Retail sales or as she so eloquently calls it ‘the client journey’ have always been her passion and she then went on to join brands such as Clinique and Clarins to running her own highly successful Clarins Gold salon to then working for such brands as Bliss and L’Occitaine. This lady has all the skills and I personally found her online material most helpful at this time.
The Delforge group can help you with services such as business audit, online training, accelerator programme, membership coaching and of course one of my personal favourites, retail training.
The Delforge group resources available for help with COVID – 19
‘The C*Word’ Navigating Coronavirus and its repercussions’ – The Delforge Group
‘Time management with BABTAC’ – The Delforge Group
‘Thrive During Lockdown With Timely’- The Delforge group.
To look at the above resources and to find out more about how The Delforge Group can help you at this time go to their website @thedelforgegroup
The British Beauty Council
Finally, and last but by no means least, is The British Beauty Council. The website itself is so fresh! Being a little bit of a website snob (yes I said it) I loved the images and the smooth and easy way you can manoeuvre around to get the information you need. The British Beauty council has a very simple ethos, it strives to ensure that us hardworking beauty professionals receive the recognition we deserve. Be that governmentally, economically or socially the British Beauty council is on OUR side!
Finally, a breath of fresh air especially in these times and I especially enjoyed learning about the 3 pillars of the organisation Reputation, Education and Innovation with appointed presidents to push these important aspects forward.
Here you will find The Guild Training International (GTI COVID – 19 Infection Prevention & Control Course ($20.00) A brilliant course preparing therapists for re opening their establishments to the public. The course takes you through step by step and also supplies you with certification to put information on your website or a certificate in your salon.
For those of you who are concerned about the retail sector, an article I found particularly interesting was Retail in Asia – Adapting to Change. The article by Eat Creative looks at the effect of COVID-19 on the beauty industry in Hong Kong and China, citing trends such as ‘revenge spending’ and how brands have adapted. Useful tips I took from the article to help us were self care in isolation, zoom make up, zoom meeting make up and how online streaming is helping companies reach consumers in a whole new way.
Apparently a hot new trend is ‘protective mask make up’ perhaps this could be an idea for some of you to look in to, or even for those who do microblading? Masks are removing the need for women to wear a full face, so the focal point becomes the eyes and brows… just a thought!
To learn more about the British Beauty Council and to discover how you can become a member or patron visit them here
I could go on for weeks discussing this topic and writing this post as I for one, find this incredibly interesting. I have included at the bottom of the post some more useful links and resources I feel may be of interest.
As an industry we are doing incredibly well, and I know it has been very tough for some who are at home, without work, worried and anxious about the future. Hopefully, we shall be returning on or around July 4 and I know many are working tirelessly behind the scenes to get your businesses COVID safe. Well done to you all and I wish you lots of love, peace and serenity. Not long now.
Further useful links and articles…
