Salons - 17 August 2023
◴ Read time - 3 mins
From Saturday Girl to Salon Owner
Francesco Hair Salon Church Lane in Stafford is celebrating a new chapter under the experienced eye of current Salon Owner, Gemma McGeown.
After nearly 40 incredible years, Franchisees, Kerry and Judy O’Sullivan, are passing on the reins to trusted and long-standing team member, Gemma, who will officially become the new owner of the salon in July.
Gemma started working at the salon over 25 years ago as a Saturday Girl, and famously told her Mum, aged just 14, that “I’m going to own that salon one day”. From that point Gemma dedicated herself to becoming the best hairdresser she could be; attending training sessions after school and at weekends, alongside her school work. As soon as she left school, she started full-time at the salon the very next day and has never looked back!
Throughout her career, Gemma has enjoyed industry success at the Wella TrendVision Awards and L’Oreal Colour Trophy and has always strived to continue to challenge herself and keep developing her hairdressing skills and knowledge; even achieving the Wella Master Colour Expert degree-level qualification, despite being primarily a Stylist and having two babies under 2 years of age at the time! Something that she describes as her “biggest challenge and biggest highlight of my career so far!”
bout creating a happy and welcoming environment for all of their clients, a place they come to relax and feel pampered.
I just love everything about hairdressing, there’s something so special about being a part of making people feel good about themselves. 
Fifteen years ago, Gemma was looking for the next step in her career and to take on a new challenge, when Kerry and Judy approached her about becoming the salon’s Manager, which she accepted. It wasn’t long before talks turned to succession planning for when they decided to take a less active role in the business and Gemma’s 14 year old goals started to become a reality!
Kerry and Judy have been amazing business mentors. They have been so open and transparent with me about the business and the way they work, every step of the way. As such, I feel that I already know the business inside and out and feel completely ready and excited to take on the ownership of the salon.
Gemma describes how back when she was 14, she thought owning a salon would just be a lot of fun, but now she sees it as a new challenge that she can’t wait to begin, with Francesco Hair Salon and her mentors, Kerry and Judy, by her side. And they couldn’t be prouder…
We’re so proud of everything Gemma has achieved; from Saturday girl to salon owner, what a wonderful story! We love to watch our team achieve their goals and this success story is the ultimate achievement.
For Gemma, it was always Francesco Hair Salon…
There’s security and support that just isn’t there if you go it alone. I’ve always loved being a part of this bigger team and now becoming a Salon Owner, knowing that there’s always someone at the end of the phone if you need it is invaluable. Kerry and Judy have always believed in me – more than I’ve believed in myself at times! I really appreciate their love, support and friendship.
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