Myth #3: I need to be a hairdresser to be a Rodney Wayne franchisee.
“It’s the longest job that I’ve ever been in”: Touching base with the franchisee of Rodney Wayne Whangarei as we approach her 8-year anniversary.
You’re not a hairdresser?
How did a police photo technician and Territorial Army Soldier become a successful Rodney Wayne franchisee? You might assume that she had a hairdressing career prior to starting her franchise business with us, but you would be mistaken. Kathryn Darroch is here to tell you that this isn’t necessary to become a part of our thriving franchise network: “you don’t need to be a hairdresser to be successful- not in Rodney Wayne any way; they’ll teach you everything you need to know about the business.”
Kathryn has experienced an assortment of roles in her varied career. After her stint with the police, she juggled hospitality jobs in Europe during her OE trip, returning to Aotearoa to work for the 1990 Commonwealth Games as an Accreditation Manager. After that, she headed back to the hospitality sector enjoying a few different roles, including as a Customer Service Officer- a role which led to becoming a Trainer in the WINZ Auckland call centre. It was this move that really sparked her passion and realisation that she flourished when helping and leading people. There was a further management role in the Telecom business call centre and the Telecom Shed for the America’s Cup 2000-2021. This is when she found herself moving away from the paid sector and into volunteer roles for several years…..
Alongside bringing up her wonderful children, Kathryn focused on community projects and volunteer roles that were a passion to her. She volunteered within the disability sector in the Whangarei education setting, before moving onto ‘Dress for Success’. She says that this role, which took her worldwide representing New Zealand, “taught me how to make a difference in people’s lives”. One of our core values, and a reason for our success, is that Rodney Wayne believe everyone has a right to look and feel fabulous. Every person, every salon and every store in our network shares and promotes our core values.
What was it about Rodney Wayne that caused Kathryn to break her tendency to change roles and stay with us for 8 years ongoing?
Kathryn realised she had spent her career to-date working very hard for a lot of people, but she wanted to make a difference and “wanted the rewards to come to my family and myself”. This is the turning point at which she decided to explore opportunities as a business owner and embarked on her franchise path.
During her franchise search, Kathryn decided that the franchise network she went into business with “had to be leading the industry and they had to be changing lives”. Her sister was (and still is) a very successful Rodney Wayne franchisee, so Kathryn saw that success and realised she wanted a piece of that pie. “I wanted to own a business that was a leader in its field and that to me was Rodney Wayne”.
How have you achieved your success at Rodney Wayne?
Receiving support from the franchisor team with adapting her business plan, goal-setting, forecasting, access to amazing Regional Manager support and a corporate background helped Kathryn to gain a really quick insight into business management and lead her salon team to success. She loves how this job allows her to focus on the business aspects, as well as the human aspects- “you don’t need to be a hairdresser to look at people’s strengths”. We are so fortunate to be industry leaders and have a great team who work with us and who want to work with the brand.
At Rodney Wayne, we have the formula, the system, the network and the family; being a successful franchisee is not just about being a hairdresser. Don’t just take our word for it though, as Kathryn points out: “if you follow the Rodney Wayne business model and systems, Rodney Wayne will help you every step along the way. I came in and I followed the systems.” With us, she has achieved the success and job satisfaction that she was searching for.
Everything seems very positive, but what is the week’s highlight?
“Watching clients transform, knowing my team have made a difference in their day.” 8 years later and Kathryn still gets this job satisfaction every single day she is in the salon. She’s also very grateful for the flexibility and adaptability that being a franchisee business owner gives her.
If you think that Kathryn’s story resonates with you and you are interested in joining the successful Rodney Wayne franchise network, we would love to hear from you. This could be your start on the business ladder.
