Growing up amidst the hustle and bustle of hair salons, watching two generations before her manipulate curls and manicure tresses, Beau Minnett knew from a young age what she wanted to be.
From the get-go Toowoomba born Beau had grand plans to become a hairdresser, open her own business and follow in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps. “I had been surrounded by it from such a young age it felt like a really natural progression for me,” she reminisces.
A memorable date for Beau was 6 July 2009, when at just 20 years old, her dream came true. Minx Contemporary Hair Boutique swung open its doors as the latest lock in a long line of Minnett family salons. “At the time when I opened, there weren’t a lot of high end salons in Toowoomba, so I really wanted to create a high end, modern salon that makes you feel like you’re in a metropolitan city,” she said. “Clients started coming to us saying ‘we’re so glad we don’t have to travel to Brisbane or the Gold Coast anymore’ because they could finally get that great service and style in their own town.”
It was the manifestation of an innate passion that stretched back long before Beau’s apprenticeship as a 14-year old. “I would have loved to start my apprenticeship earlier, but the earliest I was legally allowed to start was 14. I would often after school have to be at the salon with mum and would end up helping her clean up and that developed into working in the salon on a Saturday morning making tea and coffee. During school holidays, I would go and stay with a friend of my mum’s on the Gold Coast and would do work experience with Toni & Guy in Broadbeach to get a feel for a high end salon.”
For some, her young age might have been a disadvantage, but Beau says she committed herself to learning each day what worked and what did not. “I was really happy to take on advice and criticism to grow and become a better boss and business owner. I tried to educate myself by doing lots of reading and finding out a lot of information making sure I taught myself as much as I could.”
But ultimately, it is her community of customers that has always motivated Beau to pursue excellence. “One of the best things about it is developing amazing relationships with people that you may not have ordinarily had a chance to meet. You meet them as clients and develop a relationship so deep that it’s nice to see them go through their life journey as you go through yours.”
Winning Young Business Woman of the Year in 2016, and a top three finalist for Queensland Salon of the Year at the Australian Hair Industry Awards in 2016, Beau hopes her salon continues to thrive into the future. She also believes in giving back. “We always do a lot of donating of hair and makeup services for charity events like fundraisers and high teas and different balls and donate what we can and just be a part of the community.”
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