Adventures of a TikTok PIONEER

Salon owner and educator, Heffy Wheeler, reveals how she built her business using social media

What has been your career journey so far?

After finishing college, I worked in a salon cutting hair. I knew I needed to be part of a more creative environment, so after moving to another salon and shadowing the lead colourist for two days, I knew it was an area I could make my mark in. I soon began a mobile hairdressing business and turned to social media as a strategy for gaining clients. My clientele grew really quickly, so I opened my salon, HX Hair. I began to understand the value of social media and how I could use this as a tool to grow my business into a success. I now run a fully digital salon with eight team members.

When did you begin to use TikTok?

I was approached by a talent scout for TikTok who asked me to start creating content on the app. I was one of the first hairdressers to use the app before the big TikTok boom. From 2020, we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of users, and it continues to grow. Luckily, I was able to get in there early and perfect my content creation skills, learn the app inside out, and utilise it to grow my business and profile.

Why do you think TikTok is so important for the industry right now?

Millions of people can watch your content and see your work. As people’s eyes move away from Instagram, we need to move with the times and work with new platforms. They present us with an opportunity to get work out there on a massive scale. TikTok is the future when it comes to social media, and if we don’t follow it and adapt our marketing strategies to include this, people will get left behind.

What inspires you?

I take inspiration from everything, but social media opens a whole source of inspiration. You’re able to access the work of stylists you admire from all over the world at the touch of a button.

What are the challenges you’ve faced so far in your career?

It was challenging to realise my own self-worth and what I was capable of. I had a break in my career where I left the salon, and if it wasn’t for my client’s messages, I probably wouldn’t have got back into hair.

What’s next?

Everything! I’m currently creating an academy space. I will be launching my own education business where I will help salons and stylists grow and develop their businesses digitally. I’ve got exciting events coming up with Pulp Riot and, as always, I’ll be documenting it all on social channels.