Boss Babe: Hayley Pullyn

We’re thrilled to be featuring Hayley Pullyn as our Boss Babe this month! From student to business owner and everything in between, take a read of Hayley’s story below.

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I never expected that I would have such an exciting and varied career in the hairdressing industry, but it’s been quite the exploration journey.

I started my journey at Servilles after completing a TV/film makeup artistry course, and I knew I needed to have a good basic skill set of hairstyling, which lead me to seeking out the best place to acquire those skills, Servilles Hairdressing Academy.  I had never considered hairdressing as a career, however something felt right so I pursued it!  It wasn’t all smooth sailing, it certainly came up against its challenges – but I preserved and ended up winning several awards at our end of course in-house competitions.  This definitely gave me the confidence to continue a career in hairdressing and off I went to work in a Servilles salon as a colour assistant technician.

During my time at Servilles I worked in other areas of the industry too.  Servilles provided me with great opportunities such as working on Fashion Week, editorial photoshoots and teaching.  I also dabbled in TV/film on the side, working as a hair/makeup stylist on Shortland Street TV show (casually) and a few short films.  Predominately I was heavily involved in the field of education with Servilles, from taking in-salon training, group workshops, to stage hair shows across NZ and eventually in Asia.  Having this background in education and training lead me to my next path of education for hair product companies.

I completed 9 years in the corporate side of the hair industry.  I worked as an Education Manager for some high-profile hairdressing brands.  I had enjoyed working in leadership roles and along with that came mentoring a team of educators as well as working with some incredible hairdressing talents in New Zealand and Australia.  It was a really exciting journey working with creative visionaries and it saw me travel extensively.  A highlight for me were the hair shows that we put on for the industry locally, plus my own education I gained internationally that took me to Europe, Asia and the US.  One of my roles saw me living in Australia for 6 years, which was another high point for me. 

I am now back in NZ using all the experience I’ve gained in the field of education and corporate, pursuing my own business venture.  I currently have a hair salon and professional haircare retail shop in Tauranga. At the end of 2020 I launched NZ’s first professional hair refillery.  I am currently working on our online shop, preparing for launch very soon, with a heavy focus on consumer education.

For the future I want to continue exploring our industry.  Once I’ve felt the goals have been reached in my current business venture, I can see myself either exploring another hair related venture.  An ‘ultimate role in education’ still excites me, aboard possibly.  All I can say is without the foundation of Servilles none of this would have felt possible to me. I am hugely grateful to Paul Serville giving me opportunities and believing in me.

My advice to those wanting to succeed is to be a yes person.  Work hard and the rewards will come.  As I write this blog, its 6am Sunday morning. Take every opportunity, then you will know if it’s for you or not.

To this day, Servilles most certainly has been the most impactful part of my career longevity and growth. It’s been an incredible industry to be a part of, I would do it all again if I had the choice.  I have been ambitious chasing my dreams and I expect that to continue.

Love always

Hayley xx