Anthony Hutton

Can you explain a bit about what ‘The Dog’s’ is? Basically it’s going to be called ‘The Dog’s’ and essentially it’s been created to fill a gap in the market in the hairdressing industry where its not like a ladies hair salon and its not going to be like your typical gents barbers – its going to be in-between, like a trendy masculine hair salon. It’s going to be really tongue and cheek and a bit laddy, a bit risqué, but not too much. It’s just for men – we feel like we know what men want; that’s what the idea behind it is. I’ve been doing hairdressing for a while and once they offered me the chance to get involved I saw the presentation and it just felt like the brand was a perfect fit for me. .

How did you get to hear about ‘The Dog’s’? Did you know the founders, Stephen Kee and Steve Dixon before you got involved?
No, they approached me and I met them when we started working on this. They’ve been absolutely fantastic – I’ve worked with Steve Dixon a lot, and he’s brilliant – a proper character! He had a lot to do with GHD so he has fantastic credentials (as does Stephen!) From getting the idea and committing to it, everything’s been great.
You are the first franchisee for the business – what made you decide to get involved?
There were a few factors: one I’ve never run a business myself and I saw that as a bit of a weakness so I thought it was nice to have the experts to help. I mean, I was up front and said it was brand new to me, and I’d be ready to come in and graft really hard but that the business side was all new to me. With it being the first salon of the franchise, the founders are really going to push the promotional side so that’s a big advantage – they’re going to really push it! Just because it was such a good existing brand, and I’ve got no business experience it was really a safety blanket going with a big company. I loved the idea of working with industry experts and the brand really suited me too.
Do you have any specific marketing plans for ‘The Dog’s’ yet?
There have been lots of really crazy marketing ideas floating around – some of them are maybe a bit too out there though! I’ve been involved in a few events already – the last was branding at a Newcastle United football game and we sponsored a kickboxing event the day after. We’ve got loads more planned though but we can’t go bigger on it yet because we’ve not got the location yet.
How far along are you in opening up the first salon? Have you found premises yet?
We’ve seen a few premises but we’ve been unlucky and just missed out. We haven’t seen the exact site yet but the franchise has in-house designers ready to go as soon as we get premises; once we get the site it’ll be around a 3-week turn around and then we’ll be ready to go. Everything else is done and it’s ready to go. The website’s up and running and I’m really pleased with it. The aim was to open November-December time, but if it takes a little bit longer then so be it – getting the right place is worth waiting for. We don’t want to just jump in somewhere – I reckon we’ll definitely be open within the next couple of months.
You were training to be a hairdresser at the Saks Academies before you appeared on Big Brother – had you always wanted to run a salon?
Years ago I trained with Saks and then I got sidetracked and went on Big Brother, but I always knew I wanted to get back to hairdressing. Even when I was a young lad, the goal was always to have my own salon – that was always the end goal. I think a lot of it is to do with the social aspect – I’m a real people person; I love talking to people, and hairdressing is a job where the barriers with client and stylist really go down. You really get to know your clients personally. I mean, my hairdresser I’ve had for years and we’re really good friends now; it’s just like chatting to any of your other mates. People really will tell you anything - you hear some great stories when you’re cutting hair! [SYB asks Anthony for some gossip but unfortunately for us he is far too discrete to divulge anything too incriminating!] I love that social side of it. I really love doing lads’ hair – I love the lad banter! I prefer doing lads’ hair because it’s so much quicker – you can really bosh it out and just enjoy the banter! I think that’s what blokes want in a salon; it shouldn’t take too long and it should be enjoyable.
What has been the biggest challenge for you so far?
Finding the right location! The idea is fantastic and there’s a great team on board, we’re just waiting for the right site. We’ve had no problems so far (touchwood) but I’m just raring to go! You can talk about it as much as you want and get it promoted and whatever but I’m just ready to start work!
What is it you enjoy about business?
I like the idea of being my own boss too – I’ve always wanted my own salon; mainly for me what’s exciting is meeting so many different people.
Do you find people recognise you a lot from BB?
Without being big headed, that still happens quite a lot; it’s definitely a good thing from a business point of view though - I’ve been able to capitalise on that in terms of marketing the salon. And the salon is going to be in Newcastle and I’m always out and about there – whether it’s shopping or a night out so I do know loads of people – all my mates are here. In fact, I hadn’t thought about this - it’ll be a nightmare! I’m going to have to charge my mates! At the moment I do all their hair for free but they’re going to have to start paying their way… they’re going to be gutted!
Do you think there is more pressure on you to succeed in business because you are a celebrity?
I’ll be honest, I don’t see myself as a celeb at all – I live in Newcastle now. I mean, I did the whole celebrity thing in London for a while. For me, it’s all about the business and the pressure comes from me. This is about my life and not what the magazines are going to say about me. And if anyone does recognise me then it’s going to be an advantage – being known in the business I’ve had a bit of a head start anyway, which is a really good thing; I just want to get the business going now.
What’s the plan for 2011?
I think, without looking too far n front ideally I’d like to open more salons – I definitely want to have more than one. But you’ve got to walk before you run so I want to get the first one right – if that one goes well then I’d definitely love to open more. I always want a new challenge – always want to go one better!