Paula Jones – 20 Years at Francesco Hair Salon Leek

on August 17, 2023

Pen Icon Franchising - 17 August 2023

◴ Read time - 3 mins

Paula Jones is celebrating 20 years as the proud owner of the Francesco Hair Salon in Leek, in a successful career spanning over 38 years that has taken her across the globe!

After deciding at the age of 12 that hairdressing was the career for her, it didn’t take long for Paula to complete her training and to start work in a local salon. Paula’s journey with Francesco Hair Salon then started in 1989 when an opportunity at the Stone salon arose;

I thought I’d hit the jackpot! It was an exciting company to work for and being part of a team that took such pride in their skills was fantastic. The training was amazing and definitely took my hairdressing ability to the next level…

Alongside her hairdressing, Paula loves to travel and after a successful few years at the Stone salon, an incredible opportunity arose for Paula to combine her love of both. So in 1992, she set sail aboard the Regal Princess as a Stylist on the cruise ship’s salon! For 5 years, Paula travelled the world on multiple worldwide cruises and learnt true gold standard service aboard the 5 star Seaborne ship, where she was also promoted to Salon Manager.

I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by an incredibly talented and experienced team at Francesco Hair Salon Lichfield…

Before long, Paula was looking for a new challenge and to progress her career, which is when the stars aligned again. Frank, Francesco Hair Salon’s Founder, had continued to keep in touch with Paula whilst she was away and when a position became available at the Leek salon, Paula was the first person he called. In 1997, Paula made the move to Leek to become the salon’s Senior Stylist and Salon Trainer, where she has made her hairdressing home ever since.

Training quickly became a new passion for Paula and she achieved her Hairdressing Training and Assessors Qualifications to help educate and mentor the salon’s apprentices;

Training became my focus, I loved educating and just wanted to share my knowledge…

Paula’s sights were set on a career in hairdressing education. However, Frank had other ideas and saw great leadership potential in her! So in 2002, Paula became the proud owner of Francesco Hair Salon Leek! Paula describes how “management just hadn’t been on the cards, but I thought ‘what have I got to lose?’ and went for it 110%! I’ve never looked back.”

Over Paula’s 20 years at the salon there have been many highlights, including being named Top Stylist, achieving her Assessors Award and many other accolades. However, Paula’s proudest achievement (and also biggest challenge) is when she moved the salon from the outskirts of the town, into the Market Square centre in Leek.

We started right from scratch. It was a total refurb, which was a huge investment and incredibly daunting. I loved every minute though, I got to be involved in the whole process and now I have the perfect salon. I have been so happy here; the space and the whole feel of the salon is just what I wanted and I’m so proud to have created a space where my team and our clients feel welcomed and comfortable…

Paula has created a truly wonderful salon environment with an established and experienced team who she has personally helped to train and nurture, where they offer clients a personalised and exceptional hairdressing experience underpinned by an unrivalled level of professional skill and expertise.

I’ve been in Leek for 25 years and have a deep appreciation for my time here. It’s an honour to take care of the many clients who have become like family and who have been loyal to me for all these years. I couldn’t have clocked the years without you all, I have so many special memories and I do truly have the best job in the world!