Big News!
Another one that feels exceptionally special to write… Elluca is a 2026 ANZ AHIA Salon Team of the Year finalist. 🧡
I think out of everything you can be recognised for as a salon owner, being recognised for your team hits differently. Because Elluca started with just me, with an idea and drive to suceed. Creating a team I viewed as successful was my biggest fear to overcome… I had to do the work to be the leader I always needed. That is work that is more than just hair, it’s more than just hiring someone…
So… One person. One vision. A lot of hard work, some very big ideas and absolutely no idea what Elluca would eventually grow into. The universe really helped me out these past 5 years.
And now I get to walk into the salon and look around at this incredible group of people who have helped turn that vision into something so much bigger than me. I never wanted to be the best hairdresser in the room; I want to be the best leader I can be.
I’m really, really proud of them. More than words can explain.
But I’m also proud of myself for building it.
I think sometimes as business owners we’re quick to move onto the next goal without actually acknowledging what it took to get here. And building a great team has probably been one of the hardest, most rewarding and most humbling parts of owning Elluca.
It hasn’t happened by accident.
And I’m not allowed to say I’m lucky, it has been calculated, and strategic. More than I give myself credit for.
- There have been hard conversations.
- Wrong decisions. Right decisions.
- Tears. Staff changes.
- Lessons I definitely learnt the hard way.
- Times I questioned myself as a leader and plenty of times I had to change the way I was doing things before I could expect anything different from my team. Lead by example.
But every version of Elluca has taught me something about the kind of workplace I wanted to create.
Today, we have a team that spans generations, from our first-year apprentice through to more than 40 years of experience in the industry.
And somehow, it just works. It works so very well.
Our seniors teach our juniors. Our juniors teach our seniors. Someone is always asking a question, showing someone a technique, jumping in with a blow-dry, mixing someone else's colour or helping when another person is running behind.
At Elluca, we don't really believe in "my client" and "your client." They're our clients. That’s what a true team environment consists of. And I think that says a lot about who we are as a team.
We work hard on our culture… consistently and with commitment.
We have a 30-minute huddle every morning. We have fortnightly one-on-ones, regular education, monthly meetings and quarterly development days. We set goals together, celebrate wins, talk about where we need to improve and make sure everyone, regardless of age, position or experience, has a voice in where Elluca is heading.
And yes, that takes a lot of time. It takes money. It takes energy. It takes having conversations you'd sometimes rather avoid.
But I genuinely believe you cannot expect people to care deeply about a business if you don't care deeply about the people inside it.
"More Than Just a Chair" has always applied to our team just as much as it applies to our clients.
I don't just want great hairdressers working at Elluca.
I want people to grow here.
I want the apprentices to become incredible hairdressers. I want the experienced stylists to still feel challenged and excited about our industry. I want people to discover things they're good at that they didn't even know were in them. I want them to have opportunities, make mistakes, learn, teach each other and feel like they have genuinely contributed to what we're building.
And they have and always will.
The Elluca Team
Elluca wouldn't be Elluca without:
Shania, Chelsea, Lavendha, Stacy, Matilda, Emily, Beth and Valentina.
Different ages. Different personalities. Different strengths. Different stages of their careers.
But one team.
And when I look at what we've built together, the thing I'm proudest of isn't how much the salon has grown, how many clients we see or even the awards and recognition.
It's the people standing beside me while we're doing it.
So being named a finalist for the 2026 ANZ AHIA Salon Team of the Year is a pretty emotional one for me.
It's recognition of my team, but it's also recognition of the years of work that have gone into creating the culture we have today. It hasn’t been easy, and if you are a salon owner or team leader, you know what I am talking about!
We're certainly not perfect. We still have hard days. We still annoy each other. We still get things wrong. Sometimes we want to throw all of our toys out of the cot. That is all normal, it’s how we navigate through it is what is important.
But we learn, we communicate, we show up for each other and we keep growing.
Together.
And whatever happens at the awards, I already feel like I've won something much bigger.
I've built a team I'm genuinely proud to call mine.
Jean x
