With over 10 years’ experience in the hair industry, Mother
of 3 Deborah Alfa decided it was time to make the most of her expertise and
create hairpieces for women who would otherwise struggle with getting the style
they desired.
‘Working with ladies with a variation of hair types wanting
to achieve a style they would be unable to achieve as their hair was fine or too
thick, I decided to design my own pieces to accommodate these ladies for them
to be able to have what they wanted on their special day.’
Deborah designs bespoke hairpieces for blushing brides who
want their hair looking perfect on their special day. She also creates hair
designs for all occasions and provides an array of half wigs, extensions, buns
and ponytails to help create that ideal finish.
On her journey to self-employment, Deborah and her family
have had to come through some testing times. She is first and foremost a mother
of 3 and often finds herself working in the middle of the night as it is the
only free time that she has.
‘I recognise that although I want the business to succeed I
will not do it to the detriment of my children so try and do as much as I can
whilst they are at school or in bed.’
However, the thing that held her back the most was her
finances. With the banks unable to help, Deborah had to finance the business
herself, which put a huge strain on her family’s finances and meant that the
business took longer to set up. This left her feeling deflated at times and
questioning the future of her business.
The mother of 3 contacted The Women’s Organisation who
offered her business start-up support and a small grant to help towards her
financial situation.
‘I was lucky enough to gain a grant from The Women’s
Organisation of £200… I think the business advice was priceless and the
on-going support is really good as I am aware that if I need advice on
something I can speak to my business advisor… The support has been amazing and
has helped so much… The network events (Business Club) are great as you get to
meet with likeminded people and share ideas and support for each other.’
The Wirral woman began her journey 10 years ago when she first
attended Wirral Metropolitan College and achieved a level 2 in hairdressing.
She told us: ‘I chose hairdressing as I have always loved doing it and I had
two boys and wanted a profession that I could use to work around my boys. It
was a one year intensive course but I enjoyed the learning and the tutors where
very supportive.’
She then went on to achieve her level three hairdressing and
during this time also attended some of Wirral Met’s extra evening classes in
creative colouring, creative cutting and hair up workshops to help her progress
in the industry.
With the desire to further extend her knowledge, Deborah
started a certificate in education in hairdressing 4 years ago, also at Wirral
Met. She had a fabulous mentor that offered great support and guidance.
‘The work load was hard, I was studying till early hours of
the morning just to get assignments completed. I qualified in my a1 assessors
so I was able to assess the learners complete their units. During my time
teacher training and getting to know some of the girls I realised I wanted to
try and do more for some of these learners.’
This is when Deborah decided to do a life coaching diploma
and attend high schools, speaking with young girls and getting them focused on
what they want to do, as opposed to what others want them to do.
‘I was so inspired by this and focused on achieving my dream
of sharing my knowledge to inspire and motivate stylists, to grow within the
industry confidently, that I wrote my program. Combining my expertise of hair
design, teaching and training with that of life coaching, I have created an
all-round innovative salon training day.’
The workshop coaches stylists through their fears and
limits, using life coaching skills to aid in overcoming all of those and break
each design down into easy manageable steps. By encouraging, inspiring and
motivating, the workshop develops confidence and leaves stylists assured in
creating stunning hair designs.
Deborah’s advice to anyone considering starting up a
business is: ‘Do thorough background research, secure a really good business
plan… be flexible and patient… allow yourself time to breathe and get as much
financial backing in the beginning as you can… It doesn’t happen overnight,
people work at different paces and there are some great people in the world you
just need to talk to them.’
If you’re planning for your special day, or have an
important occasion coming up and would like a high quality hair piece to
complete your look, visit www.deborahalfa.co.uk
or find Deborah Alfa on Facebook / Twitter @DebsAlfa
By Beckie Kinsella
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