Author: Sue_Davies

Sue Davies is a salon industry veteran and was founder and owner of Gorgeous Nail & Beauty Emporium, a successful and award-winning salon in Kent. She has been an industry educator representing several brands over time, and now shares her knowledge and experience on her podcast, Inspiring Salon Professionals. She joined the nail and beauty industry in 2002, following a successful career as a PA and Administration Manager in the private and public sector. Through her career Sue has worked on as a freelance mobile, home salon and salon owner, as well as having management roles within nail industry trade associations. Competition management has been a big part of her career, and this has been throughout the UK, Ireland and as a judge at international level. Sue has had the honour of being on the judging panel for Scratch Stars, Professional Beauty and the Black Country Beauty Awards for the business, beauty and nail categories in recent years. After building a successful home salon business between 2007 and 2011 she went on to create and own award-winning salon, Gorgeous Nail & Beauty Emporium, where she won a raft of industry awards including Scratch Stars Nail Salon of the Year and a collection of other business & customer care awards in regional and national awards. In 2017, Sue was awarded her highest accolades of Service to Industry in the Scratch Stars Awards and a Silver Award in Services to Industry in the Kent Hair & Beauty Awards. Continuing to work towards higher standards and improving education is part of her passion within the salon industry and has a podcast, Inspiring Salon Professionals, covering topics from entry level qualifications to opening and growing your own salon and everything in between. Guesting on podcasts within the industry and beyond including Philippa Holding The Mind Atelier, Sarah Abel The Apprentice Godmother, Phil Jackson, Sara Burton Start Over Coach. Sue successfully co-founded and launched a new and innovative industry magazine, Salon Education Journal, in 2023, acting as Editorial Director and columnist. SEJ was a collaboration between Sue and over 30 salon industry and non-industry experts which brought educational content on everything industry related with articles on modality based subjects, business development, wellbeing and education. Writing is something that she enjoys doing, with articles published in Scratch Magazine, where she was a regular columnist and continues to be a regular contributor, Professional Beauty Loft, Beauty Professional Ireland, Professional Beauty and Independent Beauty Professional, Sue is now focussing on enhancing business skills within the industry by launching online courses covering personal, professional, and business development. Sue has worked as an industry educator and assessor in collaboration with several major UK brands and has delivered both NVQ education as well as entry level brand education and CPD courses. A passionate industry advocate, Sue has been actively involved in collaborative projects such as The Small Business & Career Hub held at Professional Beauty 2024 and co-founding Salon Education Journal where she was Editorial Director and brought together 30 experts from across the hair and beauty sector to write for the publication.