Making the Top 15 at the Small Business Awards

Last weekend, we attended the Small Business Awards in Birmingham.

Our co working hair salon for independent hairdressers, based in Watford, placed 14th in the Small Business Awards for Best Hair Business. As a result, we now sit in the top 15 hair businesses in the UK, and I feel genuinely proud of that.

results outside the hair industry

Unlike other awards we have won, the Small Business Awards sit outside the hair industry.

Instead, they recognise businesses from across all sectors and focus on how they are built and run. Things like structure, values, sustainability and long term thinking all matter here.

Because of that, placing as a small, independent hair business in Watford meant a great deal.

Rebel Rebel was never created to follow a traditional salon model. Over the years, I watched talented hairdressers burn out or feel trapped in systems that didn’t truly support them. So, I wanted to build something that made more sense.

A different way of running a hair business

We are a coworking hair studio in Watford, close to Bushey station, where independent hairdressers run their own businesses.

Hairdressers choose their hours. set their pricing and work with the clients and brands that suit them.

Because of this, there is no hidden employment and no pressure driven culture. Instead, my role is to provide a calm, well run space that supports independence without interfering in it.

That clarity shapes everything about how the studio operates.

The culture behind the result

Above all else, I am most proud of the culture within the studio.

It feels calm, professional and respectful. Appointments run one to one, time stays protected, and consultations remain unrushed. As a result, hairdressers feel trusted to work in a way that suits both them and their clients.

That trust shows in the work and in the overall experience for clients.

What placing 14th means to us

Placing 14th was never about competing with other salons. Instead, it showed that this way of working can hold its own when judged against wider business standards.

For me, that confirmed something important. Building a hair business with care, clarity and integrity does matter.

I am proud of the placement, but even more proud of the foundations underneath it.

Rebel Rebel Hair Studio will continue to evolve. Still, this felt like a really good moment to pause, enjoy it, and feel proud of what has been built here in Watford.