The Australian Hairdressing Council (AHC) has launched the Solo Owner Select membership for sole traders, continuing its mission of representing the entire hair industry. The body pledges to uplift industry standards, be a voice to the Government and support ethical businesses across the board, and this new membership extends that reach, acknowledging the changing landscape of the hair industry in the past few years.
“As a result of the pandemic, it is estimated that around 70 per cent of our hairdressers have become solo operators without staff,” said AHC CEO Sandy Chong. “This could include being a freelancer, rent-a-chair, mobile hairdresser, or working from a home salon or commercial suite. The AHC is concerned about the lack of qualified operators in our industry, which is why we are excited to launch our new AHC membership for sole operators.”
The membership type – nicknamed SOS – will represent this significant but largely unsupported sector of the hair and barber industry, due to demand. It is applicable for sole traders that hold a hairdressing qualification and ABN, allowing them to complete a business accreditation checklist, as well as register their hairdressing qualification on the AHC Hairdressing Australia Industry Register (HAIR).
Membership benefits for the sole trader market will include a private Facebook group to connect a community of industry experts for support, shared information and networking. It will also grant access to AHC discounts and special offers from the organisation’s Associate Members exclusively for SOS businesses, which includes a vast array of products and services.
Perks will extend to free and discounted education programs from renowned educators and invitations to exclusive AHC events such as Schmoozefest and the Leadership Summit. Members will be given unique marketing content and receive regular newsletters, they’ll also gain access to a specially created and growing SOS Resource Library with dozens of templates and documents essential for running a sole trader business. They will additionally receive access to one complimentary call to the AHC HR team.
Members will have a dedicated SOS membership manager who understands their individual business and who provides support and answers questions. Finally, they will gain accreditation from Australia’s leading national industry body to endorse them as a quality ethical business.
For a limited time only, the AHC SOS membership is just $365 per year, and payments are flexible to suit any budget and are 100 per cent tax deductible.
For more information visit www.theahc.org.au/solo-owner-select
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