Meet The Mentor - Fran Hayter
Recently I spoke to Fran Hayter, who, with over 40 years beauty & business was an obvious choice for my mentor series. She is a lady who has always offered sound advice and valuable insight whenever our paths have crossed. She is currently running global businesses, supporting the industry with her recruitment company Daily Placements and now most recently with Plasma Elite.
Best piece of advice you were ever given?
Make the most of every moment you have as life will pass so quickly. The trouble is when you are young you don’t ever imagine growing old. When you get older you suddenly look back and think where did the time go! Even though I am 60 now I feel there are so many things I still want to do and many I should have done sooner, I look at how hard I worked always striving for the next best thing and never sitting back and taking time for myself . I wish I had stopped more often and enjoyed the people around me more.
What is your perception of spas and do you feel the perception of beauty therapists needs to change?
Spas to me are still havens for looking after yourself and taking time to breathe. I think therapists need to understand this is important for them as well. It’s a hard job, working many hours, with traditionally low pay. I think we have a duty to take care of our therapists as we do our clients so that they then also understand the benefits of what they deliver for others. Too many therapists give service to clients they have never experienced themselves. However, I think it’s the spa management that needs to take this responsibility and give back to their teams more often. Something needs to change in our industry and very soon. Therapists are not staying in the role and we are finding it harder and harder to find good therapists. We need to look at the whole remuneration and reward packages for therapists, when you work this hard you have to feel you are rewarded well. Sadly this is just not happening and we are not seeing youngsters wanting to join our industry.
Best kept secret spa & which treatment would you pick and why?
I am afraid I am really boring on this one as my favourite treatment of all time is an amazing body massage, it’s the one thing I can’t do myself. I recently went to Rudding Park and I was really blown away with the spa there, it was one of the best I had seen and the experience rest rooms were amazing, I could relax in those rooms and feel the stress melt away.
How do you practice wellbeing in your workplace?
I am very lucky that I work from home a lot now as I have three businesses I run (although we are about to move into new offices). I walk the dog for 30 mins every day to switch off. We are in the country so I walk out into woods at the end of the road. I am also very involved with Spafest and the Made for Life. MD Amanda Winwood teaches me to slow down and has a calming affect on me. Spafest is all about wellbeing for those of us in the industry, its my three day piece of magic every year, I have made some truly lovely friends at this conference and also experienced some new ideas every year on how to switch off. I look forward to it every year.
What do you wish you had known before taking your first management role?
How to separate home from work. You work such long hours that sometimes it becomes 24/7 its not good for the health.
If you could tell your 18yr old self one thing what would it be?
Honestly… open your own business or become an accountant . I spent years working for other people who took the glory and the profit for all my hard work . I have never been happier than I am now running my own businesses and reaping the rewards for myself for a change. I was always bloody useless at the practical side of the business and much better at the numbers and finance side. I think I should of been a finance director in the beauty world that would work perfectly.
Thank you so much Fran!
