Phadria: How did the business idea come about?

Sherrille: The idea came about out of frustration. I've been in the industry for 24 years so, at that point, it was, I think, 18 years. I had been hands-on as a beauty therapist for 18 years prior to the launch of Nails & Brows. I was due to go on a holiday to Dubai and I booked all of my beauty services. As a therapist, we still like to be groomed. You know, we can't do everything ourselves. It’s quite nice to be taken care of. So, I booked my manicure and pedicure and at the very last minute it was cancelled. I think maybe the lady was sick. I don't even remember because it was quite a while ago and I was so upset. I remember trying to call around at the last minute to find an appointment for my nails, especially my pedicure in central London. At that point, I was based in Mayfair. Everywhere I called that offered manicures, pedicures, waxes were all fully booked and so I thought, ‘oh, my God, I'm flying out tomorrow morning, this is a big deal for me. I don't want to go with hair legs (laughs)’, So anyway, I did and to me, when you're going on holiday, what makes you ready is when you're groomed. Psychologically it prepares you. When you groom and you get on the plane, to me that's like, ‘yep holiday mode now’.

Anyway, I arrived in Dubai the next day because I couldn't find anywhere and at the hotel, I woke up in the morning and I was like ‘oh my God, it's nice and hot, I'm going to be on display. I can’t do it’. So, I went to the concierge at the hotel and I said, ‘can you recommend somewhere?’ He recommended this beauty spa and I went, and I was blown away. It was amazing and I thought ‘if something like this existed in London, it would do so, so well.’ It just really inspired me. It was the first time I'd seen a nail bar being done so well; beautifully designed, great service, relatively affordable price, on-trend colours, really professional therapists. It was quite clinical looking, but I was just blown away because the nail bars in London were just very uninspiring.

Anyway, I had my holiday, came back and I remember reading this article which talked about the high-street closing down with retail consumers moving online. Shops were suffering and they were saying what was taking over these empty shops that were coming available, was nail bars. Nail bars were becoming the fastest growing start-ups on the high street and that became my light bulb moment and I thought that should be me.

Phadria: Being a black woman in business, especially in Mayfair London, how has that been for you?

Sherrille: Overall, I would say really positive, really good. Of course, I'm a black woman, but I don't focus on that. When I wake up in the morning, I just see myself and I'm not even aware that I'm black until I step outside and I'm suddenly aware that the world around me sees it and then I become a black woman. First and foremost, I'm a beauty professional. And, you know, and then, of course, the world reminds me, I’m not just this person but I would say overall, yeah, pretty positive, really.

When I was setting it up, I was very lucky that I had lots of clients that, given I’d worked in the industry for 24 years hands-on as a therapist, I'd met, thousands of the thousands of clients by then. I was lucky enough to get assistance from pretty much all the clients I tend to, because I'd known them for so many years. They’d known me as a professional and a person so, when I reached out for investment, straight away, they would like ‘yep, definitely, what do you need and how much do you need?’ I was surprised. I was really positively happy and surprised. I imagine when you've got an idea that you want to develop, especially as a business, the first thing is always going to be ‘omg the money’. I don't know, I hadn't really thought about the money being a problem. I was just so passionate about the idea that I never entertained that there could be challenges.

Phadria: So, your mind was just thinking ahead all of the time?

Sherrille: Yeah, I mean, to be honest, now I understand why I didn't. I think when you've got an idea that just excites you - at least for me, the idea excited me so, there were no negative thoughts. It was just full of, ‘oh, my God, I've got to do it. It's going to be amazing’. And, you know, there were no kind of worrying thoughts ever. In fact, I remember a friend of mine, two years after I launched the business, she said, ‘oh, Sherrille, I really admire that you're so brave.’ And I said, really? I was genuinely shocked. And she said ‘yeah, it's a massive responsibility you've taken on. You’ve got this shop and you've got staff and oh my God, I would never do that. It’s such a big responsibility.’ You know, it sounds really stupid, but that's the first time I realized that the responsibility. I was so passionate about everything else that I didn't see anything else that could have been negative. I think if you’re an entrepreneur, if you get negative thoughts, then I don't think you'll move forward.

Anything you do, that you're passionate about, I don't think you will see the negative. The passion will keep you alive and will drive you. I think quite often it would be people around you that point out the negative, but you don't necessarily see it, you normally see your ideas coming alive and flourishing.

Phadria: How did you get into products?

Sherrille: So, products - knew I wanted to do it because I actually put it in my business plan, that two to three years after the Nails & Brows launch, we would go on to create our own products.

Phadria: Did you stick to that timeline?

Sherrille:Yes, in exactly three years after. I knew we were going to create products but to be honest, I thought it was going to be nail products because given the nail market, it is so much bigger and known and buoyant than brows. I assumed that we would go on to create nail polish shades or something to do with nails, but I understood that service was not going to be enough to be a long term, viable, sustainable business, you will always have another offering.

Phadria: And which are your favourites?

Sherrille: I've got three favourite products. One is my brow styler, it's a tool and simply because I can't do anything without that. The other thing is my brow filler. I use ‘Dahlia’ simply because it enhances my brows. The last hero product which seems to be the most popular product - it's always the one we sell out of. We're constantly reordering. It’s odd because I think it should be the brow pencils more but it’s brow setter. That is the number one selling product out of our collection and globally. I think it's because it's a really universal product. It's a clear setting gel and so regardless of hair and skin tone, it suits everyone. It's a conditioning agency with castor oil and vitamin E.

Phadria: How do you build your team? How do you decide who you want to work for you? Do you have a high turnover or is it a family setting where everyone stays for a very long time?

Sherrille: When I conceived my idea and I moved forward and I secured my site, I decided that the first person I'm going to need would be a manager to help me to operationally manage everything. So, I advertised for a boutique manager with experience and knowledge from the beauty industry. I'm from a five -star background and given the location and the calibre of clients, the demographics, I knew whoever was joining me needed to understand that level and also the level I'm coming from. I met this amazing lady who actually had a similar background to myself. She came from luxury beauty, but more of a spa background.She was a therapist and she worked her way up into management like myself and she was my first employee.

We met when Nails & Brows still had a lot of builders so we didn't have anywhere to work and so I said, ‘I hope you don't mind that we have to work together on my dining table for the first two months whilst all the building work is going on.’ She said, yeah, no problem and so, we worked together at my dining table. That's where we advertised for the team and we really worked together to create the operational side of the business. Then fast forward to when we eventually opened, we trained a team. I’m really proud to say we are still working together today. She just returned from a year's maternity leave and we have an amazing relationship. I'm very lucky.

The process that I go through; I advertise, I do telephone interviews first, I do trade tests to see the skills and I take it from there really.

The service industry does have a huge turnover, especially for nails specialists and brow experts because I think most brow or nails or beauty or hair specialists, most people want to work for themselves. Everyone is inspired by, ‘oh, I want to work for myself.’ We (referring to beauty specialists) want the freedom and the flexibility to do what we want.

I’ve discovered they don't necessarily have the best intentions. They’re attracted to the brand, to the location, to the concept but there are sometimes motives and the motives are to take the clients, to build a relationship with the clients. There’s a lot of team members who are really passionate and want to work and support it, but there's also a percentage that just want to do their own thing and it's not always positive.

In terms of turnover, I have team members that have been with me, like Kristy, from the very beginning, six years. B was my second team member that I took on after Kirsty, and she's going to be 6 years in June. So, I have team members that's been with me pretty much from the beginning and then I have team members that within six months, they’re off. I am proud of the team members that I've worked with. We have a great relationship; they’ve supported me, and I've supported them in sharing my knowledge and passion. We’ve grown together.

Phadria: And what does leadership mean to you? And what kind of leader would you say that you are?

Sherrille: I believe I'm a fair leader. I try to be fair.

I think, to be honest, being a leader is something I would say I honestly struggle with. I am a fair-minded person, by character and I always look to do what works for the team, what works for the business, what works for the clients and constantly walking in different shoes. I worked hands-on for 18 years for companies where I dealt with things that I liked and things that I didn't like. Now that I'm in a position of leadership with my company, I improve things that I would have made better when I was in our team's position, let's say. So, I walk in the shoes of the team and then also I'm a client, too. I still like to go and get my beauty treatments (laughs).

There’s always challenges with us as human beings and when you're in leadership, many times you get personal challenges being put on you to manage. You're not just managing employees; you manage the personal challenges that come into work as well.

Phadria: Who inspired you in the industry before you started and who inspires you now?

Sherrille: To be honest, so many people inspired me, not just one person. The inspiration comes from other experts that are 10 years, 20 years ahead of me and I think wow, look what they’ve done and achieved. On a commercial level, I look at it. Jo Malone and Bobbi Brown and all those that started out as a tiny one-man brand.

Now, who really inspires me, I would say is probably Anastasia Beverly Hills. She started out as a beauty therapist and she's evolved to create this powerhouse of a brand. It’s still independently owned by her, she manages it, it’s her passion, so I know the challenges that she would have gone through. That makes me even more inspired by her.

Rihanna with her Fenty beauty and understanding that there is a lack of beauty products for women of colour and using her knowledge and our platform and really capitalizing and empowering women, especially women of colour in such a way.

Phadria: What’s the next step for Nails & Brows? Will there be more locations? Maybe, not even just for Nails & Brows, what do you think the future looks like for all nail salons?

Sherrille: Oh, God (laughs). I don't know. I honestly don't know. I think there are some challenges ahead. I think the standards in terms of hygiene and those kinds of things will be so much sharper and stronger and more stringent - which was definitely needed. So, you know, sometimes you have these local nail bars where hygiene was heavily compromised, but consumers didn't really pay attention because it was cheap. I think it won't just be temporary. I think it will change the industry altogether to make it stronger and better.

In terms of how the industry will change, I believe we will become more digitized. So, I think the industry is going to become quite virtual, not just in the physical form. I think the two are going to merge together. So, I imagine consultations will potentially be done online by video. I think in the future, not just popping into the salon for a consultation to see what you can do to your hair, your brows or your nails. I think it's going to create that access and I think that technology is going to be quite powerful in terms of enhancing that customer journey and customer experience.

In terms of nails. I feel that we'll be more appreciated. I think quite often we are seen as ‘just beauticians.”butI think this separation from clients to experts - you can see the experts are almost desperate to get back to sharing their passion and knowledge, and the clients are desperate to be looked after. So, I think it will be a deeper appreciation for each other and the industry as a whole.

I think I feel there will be more of a community base coming through. I think we are going to reconnect on a deeper level. Beauty had become quite mainstream with big giants’ kind of dictating. I think consumer awareness, especially campaigns supporting small businesses - it will become a community focus.

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Sherrille Riley

Leading browxpert Sherrille Riley who founded the go-to beauty destination for editors, celebrities and global fashion followers, spoke with WOTC about being in the industry for over 2 decades, leading people and the future of beauty.

WOTC Magazine