From 1 salon to 18 without investors: The playbook behind Epic Hair Designs

It’s 2008, and a retail manager with no hairdressing background convinces his parents to lend him money for a salon purchase. Two days. That’s all it took. Then the Global Financial Crisis hits just as the keys trade hands, and most people would’ve called it a disaster. But Brendon saw it differently. Today, Epic Hair Designs operates 18 salons across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, employing over 200 hairdressers and apprentices, and has become a blueprint for building a thriving multi-location beauty business in an increasingly competitive market. In this episode of Growth Diaries, Brendon Mann, Owner and Director at Epic Hair Designs, shares the full story.

Today, Epic Hair Designs operates 18 salons across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, employing over 200 hairdressers and apprentices, and has become a blueprint for building a thriving multi-location beauty business in an increasingly competitive market. In this episode of Growth Diaries, Brendon Mann, Owner and Director at Epic Hair Designs, shares the full story.

What You’ll Learn:

Why Epic Hair redefined the salon experience around busy professionals' needs
The academy model for talent retention
How to leverage partnerships for exponential marketing ROI
Why Epic Hair adopted Qantas-style membership structures integrated with CRM systems
AI as an operational multiplier

Brendon Mann is the Owner and Director of Epic Hair Designs, a luxury, affordable salon chain with 18 locations across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, servicing over 200 hairdressers and apprentices. With a background in retail management at major corporations like Big W and Woolworths, Brendon transformed his entrepreneurial vision into a thriving salon empire by focusing on operational excellence, staff development, and community impact.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction
[01:30] From One Salon to 18
[02:58] The Side Hustle That Became a Franchise
[05:17] Why Time Is the Real Luxury
[07:33] Solving the Talent Problem with an In-House Academy
[11:50] The Real Growth Engine
[14:10] Philanthropy That Drives 600+ New Clients per Week
[16:19] Stealing Playbooks From Airlines and Hotels
[18:25] Membership Models That Drive Loyalty
[20:42] The Founder Trait That Matters Most
[25:47] Growing Without Investors
[27:13] Replacing HR with AI
[30:31] Why Social Media Isn’t The Main Growth Channel
[31:38] Why Brendon Wouldn’t Start a Salon Today
[32:27] Final Thoughts

Previous guests include: Matt Maroone of Silver Mirror Facial Bar, Shabana Karim of House of Enspa, Marilyne Gagne of Dermapure, Smita Vallurupalli & Shashank Kancharla of Bubbles Hair & Beauty and Old School Rituals, Rob Peetoom of Rob Peetoom Salon.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

Growth Diaries by Zenoti is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so