Just Cuts CEO Amber Manning has once more joined the top 10 at the Inside Franchise Business Top 30 Franchise Executives 2022 event, held last night at The Boatbuilders Yard in Melbourne.
The event spotlights individuals who have powered sustained success for their franchise owners, performed admirably as ambassadors for franchising and invested in professional development.
Amber said she was delighted to be recognised by her fellow peers in franchising, and dedicated her win to the entire Just Cuts Academy team.
“As franchisors we’ve faced similar challenges and had to forge our own paths through the pandemic,” said Amber. “I noticed a real sense of optimism in the room to embrace what’s next.”
“However, none of us would’ve been there last night without the consistent work of our teams. I’m sharing this award with my Just Cuts Academy Team who truly go above and beyond, every day.”
“Whether it’s our talented ops crew helping salon teams increase profitability, our expert marketers helping Owners reach new audiences or our educators upskilling Stylists in new trends, the Just Cuts Academy Team has everything and every single one of us covered, every time.”
The judges recognised Amber’s success in her 8th year at the helm of Just Cuts was due to incorporating digital technology to streamline operations across every aspect of the brand.
“Every salon that re-opened out of last year’s lockdowns tracked over 120% up on their normal weekly turnover, thanks to our strategy of extending trading hours and promoting our Just Cuts app for contactless check in, which has now reached 150,000 users globally,” said Amber.
“Our online compliance platform proved essential to ensure consistency in service and safety standards remotely across our network given our ops team were unable to travel, and digital training modules were added to get salons ready for reopening.”
Amber demonstrated leadership in the industry through opening new recruitment pathways through a national apprenticeship program, and spearheading the rapid rollout of a digital employee assistance program (EAP) to support the mental wellbeing of Owners.
Amber said the EAP program is the very first of it’s kind in the hairdressing industry.
“Just Cuts has supported those who have difficulty accessing the healthcare they need for years,” said Amber. “We continue to support the RFDS who close the healthcare gap for regional communities, we raised $20,000 last year for mental health charity SANE Australia and turned our salons yellow for R U OK Day, so a dedicated online service to safeguard the mental wellbeing of our franchise family was a critical priority for me during last year’s lockdowns.”
“Just Cuts is family business in every sense, we support small family owned businesses who style their client’s hair across generations. It’s a business I’m proud of and feel privileged to lead.”