Room One, operated by Vicky Napier, is bringing hairdressing and beauty services direct to clients’ homes with the support of the Young Entrepreneurs scheme.
Originally a hairdresser, Vicky has been studying 3 days a week at Dumfries and Galloway College to allow her to expand services for her customers.
Vicky said, ‘A previous employer encouraged me to make a business out of the home hairdressing that I had been doing for family and friends. The flexibility of Room One fits in with family life for both me and my clients. Initially, I went to Business Gateway and they referred me to Lindsey Mason of the CX Project’s Young Entrepreneurs Scheme. I am so pleased that I took Lindsey’s advice; she helped with business planning and with building my confidence. The networking events have been great for meeting people in the same boat and learning from each other. The grant support from the CX Project also helped with setting up the business and with marketing materials, and independent courses to add to my skills. I am also taking courses at Dumfries and Galloway College, such as waxing, massage, facials and eye art, to offer a complete hair and beauty package. Over the last few years, I have offered hair and beauty services at the Council’s annual Youth Beatz festival Enterprise Zone, which has been great experience, and each year has been busier than the last.
“I provide hairdressing for both men and women and mostly work within a 20 mile radius of my home in Lockerbie, but do travel further for special events such as weddings. I believe it is important to offer a good quality service, so I will be continuing my studies by doing an HNC and, in the future, an HND.”
Colin Smyth, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, said, “Supporting small businesses to grow and thrive is one of our Council’s main priorities and Vicky’s Room One is a great example of how our dedicated Business Adviser for Young Entrepreneurs and the CX Project can do this for young people in our region, especially in Annandale and Eskdale. Vicky’s ambition and hard work is admirable, as evidenced by her winning the Business Gateway award for growth in 2015.”
John Grierson, Site Closure Director for Magnox at Chapelcross, said, “The Beyond Chapelcross project is providing more opportunities for young people to find jobs, particularly in Annandale and Eskdale. The advice and grants together provided by the project are making sure that businesses are viable and are boosting the local economy. Vicky has been very creative in setting up and marketing a business that fits around family and studies.”
See a short film about Room One here: http://annandale.tv/stories/6063-case-study-room-one
Vicky Napier’s Room One can be found on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/1OAKakZ
