Hair to Ware

Amanda Haldenby took over the family business—a Hertfordshire-based hair loss clinic—with no background in business management. Here, she tells us about the organisation’s background and how she came to manage it:

“I used to be in the Met Police Force, I was there for 13 years. Hair to Ware belonged to my Mum. The industry wasn’t my background at all. My mum became ill and we were looking at selling the business. However, I decided I didn’t want to sell it, and took it over instead.

“The salon helps anyone suffering from hair loss. We’ve been running now for 20 years. We’re the national wig supplier for the NHS, meaning we work with lots of hospitals nationally. We also work with private clients and lots of charities as well. One charity we work with is the Little Princess Trust—an organisation that provides wigs to children.”

“As a result of my sudden takeover of the business, I came into the whole thing blind. And, at the time, we had a problematic employee. We wanted to get rid of them, but I was very nervous about doing so. That’s when I started shopping around for that extra support.

“It can be quite lonely—managing a company—particularly when you’re trying to figure out if you’re doing the right thing. That’s why having the guidance and support from Croner is so useful.”

Amanda has been a Croner client since 2017. However, it was a one specific call that inspired her to leave a glowing testimonial:

“During lockdown, I received a call from Robert George regarding health & safety in the business. I told him I might be interested in Croner’s support, but that there were areas of HR that needed resolving first. He said he would get someone to call me back the same day to resolve my HR issues. And they did. They helped me sort my new contracts and return to work policies. This was all done within 48 hours. No drama. No fuss. The service he provided was amazing, and it was exactly what I needed. That’s why I felt the need to leave a positive testimonial.

“I explained I didn’t feel comfortable with the contracts that I had and Croner’s documentation team helped me re-write them. This would’ve been a massive job for me to do alone. It was done quickly, sent through by email, and then I was talked through what I needed to do when employees came back to work. Something that had been eating me up for some time was sorted in a couple of days. I also felt really in control of the situation. I was able to conduct 1-to-1 meeting with all my staff and discuss their individual needs and fears about coming back. This helped reduced some of my fear too.

“I’d rate the service 8/10. More than anything, it’s the support that is invaluable. When I first started using the Croner service, I felt like I was on the phone constantly. Now, I can deal with so much more of it myself, and that’s due to the confidence Croner has given me. I would, and have, recommended the service to others.”