EP395: The Secret Garden’s Gender‑Neutral Salon Playbook

EP395: The Secret Garden’s Gender‑Neutral Salon Playbook

From How To Cut It in the Hairdressing Industry by How To Cut It Media

July 20, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

Dom chats with Darren Cunningham and George Waterfield about creating an inclusive salon experience and effective marketing strategies.

In today’s episode, Dom chats with Darren Cunningham and George Waterfield, owners of Leicester’s The Secret Garden, on building a truly welcoming, LGBTQ+ inclusive salon—and why inclusion is both practical and profitable. Hear how they opened at speed, navigated Leicester’s lockdown from a family garage, and replaced “ladies/gents” with gender‑neutral, length‑ and time‑based pricing. They share lessons on risk‑taking, constant education, and turning hate toward their Pride flag into powerful community solidarity, culminating in a 140‑person drag‑queen re‑raising. Plus, their growth playbook: DMing influencers, smart pro bono collabs that led to Netflix premiere work and headline moments, and brand partnerships with L’Oréal. If you want culture, pricing, and marketing strategies that actually move the needle, this one’s for you. Hit Play! CHAPTERS 2:36: Pricing Without Labels 5:02: Hairdressing Journeys 8:03: How They Met 9:13: Strengths In Partnership 13:01: From Idea To Salon 15:00: COVID Garage Pivot 17:46: Influencer Wins 20:26: Kate Price Event 22:57: Finding Inclusive Pricing 24:56: Gender-Neutral Pricing 28:02: Brand Impact 29:16: Hate And The Flag 30:53: Community Support…

People in this episode

Host: Dom

Guests: Darren Cunningham, George Waterfield

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

KERATIN COMPLEX PRODUCTS

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Secret Garden, L’Oréal

Products: KERATIN COMPLEX PRODUCTS

Places: Leicester

More episodes of How To Cut It in the Hairdressing Industry

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the How To Cut It in the Hairdressing Industry podcast page.