Meet RCNQ: the salon delivering an end-to-end inclusive client experience

There aren’t many hairdressers who can say they started practicing their craft at the young age of 12. But when Rob Czlapka (he/him), owner of Manchester salon and barbers RCNQ, was getting bullied at school for being gay, he was given the opportunity to spend half a day each week learning to be a hairdresser. “It was something that I was passionate about when I was a kid,” Rob says. “I didn’t get bored of it, so I stuck with it.”

10 years after starting RCNQ, Rob decided to do something to effect change within the hair and beauty industry – finding inspiration in another global movement for inclusivity and diversity. “A couple of years ago, when Black Lives Matter grew so much, I said to myself, ‘What’s the point of going on all these marches and things like this when I own a business, and I can actually do something to make a fundamental change within the industry?’ So that’s when I started working towards being more inclusive and more diverse.”

“Inclusion, it’s to embrace all people, regardless of race, gender, disability, medical needs and more”

In creating an inclusive salon experience, Rob focussed on his fundamental belief that all people should feel seen. “Inclusion, it’s to embrace all people, regardless of race, gender, disability, medical needs and more,” Rob says. “We provide an inclusive and safe experience by treating people as they want to be treated.” This initiative extends to all the staff at the salon, who are encouraged to gain the knowledge and tools they need to provide a welcoming environment. “We’re always focused on growing the team’s skills and language to ensure we’re providing the most supportive service. The team has been extremely supportive. Like, they’ve all accepted their own accountability – and their thirst for knowledge is overwhelming.”

“It’s truly just made everything more straightforward for us to manage. The pronouns feature that Timely has created has been completely fundamental to the running of our business on a daily basis – clients are now able to feel seen and be who they are in their own identity before they even enter the salon, which is a huge, huge thing.”

Client service is at the heart of Rob’s approach – something Timely has been able to support with new features. “You don’t know what the person in front of you is going through and what they’re dealing with,” Rob says. That’s where Timely’s pronouns feature can help teams like Rob’s: “It’s truly just made everything more straightforward for us to manage. The pronouns feature that Timely has created has been completely fundamental to the running of our business on a daily basis – clients are now able to feel seen and be who they are in their own identity before they even enter the salon, which is a huge, huge thing.”

Where would Rob recommend that business owners start when they’re taking their first steps towards a more inclusive salon? “My first suggestion would be to educate yourselves on different hair types and communities that differ to your own,” Rob says. “For anybody who’s feeling nervous about starting up these conversations or making these changes, my advice would be to remember: the nerves that you’re feeling will never amount to the experiences someone’s felt after being discriminated against for their identity.”

Rob believes it’s important to accept that you won’t always get it right, but that every misstep is still a new step on your own inclusivity journey. “You’re going to make mistakes, so own them, learn from them, make some more. It’s necessary for this.”

And as Rob sees it, the industry is heading towards a greater acceptance of diversity – something he’s keen for RCNQ to stay at the leading edge of. “Seeing diversity in the hair industry and where it’s heading, it’s in such an exciting space right now,” Rob says. “And it’s up to us to make sure that we keep on the forefront of that change – otherwise, we’re going to be left behind. I want to set an example of how all salons should be.”

“Expressing a client’s identity is down to us as hairstylists, to have the tools and skills to ensure that every client can leave your chair feeling superhuman. It’s just a feeling that will never grow old.”

As he works hard to achieve that aim and break down barriers for his clients, Rob is happy to have created a business that reflects his core values – and that he’s done so surrounded by a team he respects. “Your hair is your identity, it’s your crown,” Rob says. “Expressing a client’s identity is down to us as hairstylists, to have the tools and skills to ensure that every client can leave your chair feeling superhuman. It’s just a feeling that will never grow old.”