A Bermuda hairdressing salon has notched up a quarter of a century.

And co-owner Tony Muldoon said the secret of success was to stay sharp as scissors on the business side.

Mr Muldoon, who runs the Reid Street salon with wife Pippa, said: “I put it down to good management — my wife is very good there.

“We’re here all the time and we try to get the best staff we can lay our hands on.

“But it’s the hands-on management which is the big thing and we have a great line of products as well.”

Mr and Ms Muldoon, who worked in hotel management then administration for an international business, founded the salon in 1990, originally in Hamilton’s Wesley Street and moved to its current site in 2001.

But Mr Muldoon, originally from England, said he first came to Bermuda as a hairdresser planning to stay a year.

The master colourist added: “I guess it always was my idea to own my own business — I thought I’d be here for a year, then I met my wife and had two children and one thing led to another.”

Mr Muldoon said the firm had been the distributor for Joico hair care products since the salon opened.

He added: “That’s really helped us in our business — we can keep our costs a bit lower.”

The firm started out with four staff and now employs seven stylists, plus two support staff.

But Mr Muldoon said staffing was down by about three people and the number of clients had declined since the recession hit Bermuda.

“We are down quite a lot and it’s all down to the fact that people are leaving the Island.

“The only way to get busy or better is to take market share away from other people.”

He added: “We must have been doing something right — the economy dropped a lot, but we are still doing okay. It’s still a very viable business, but nowhere near what it was ten years ago.”

However, he has noticed an upswing in the number of new clients in recent months.

“It’s about making sure we’re there when the market turns around so we can take advantage of it.”

Mr Muldoon added the biggest change in the business was the change in the types of chemicals used.

“The chemicals we’re using now are much kinder and natural for the hair. The types and safety of the chemicals are much better than they used to be.

“There’s also masses of colour work — much more than we did 25 years ago.”

He said that the rules for success in hairdressing could be applied to any business venture.

“Do the diligence in the beginning — get all the facts about the business, the costs and have a plan. Make sure you have a plan and stick to it,” he said.

The firm has already celebrated its 25th anniversary with its staff by flying them to New York last month for the New York Hair Show.

The IBS Hair show is an annual three-day extravaganza of the latest in hair cutting, styling and colouring classes, shows and demonstrations, and also showcases the newest in hair and beauty retail products and tools.

Mr Muldoon said the salon is planning a series of events and special promotions around August, the actual anniversary of Bang Bang opening.

“We’ll probably have a big bash with our clients to celebrate our 25 years — they made us and put us where we are today,” he said.