Last month we attended the opening ceremony of Essential Beauty and Aesthetics, a beauty salon run by former Weston College student Jessica Stagg in Weston-super-Mare.

Now, Jessica wants to pass on the things she’s learned to others in the hope that it will help them set up their very own salons.

Being a salon owner, I have learned that you need to give everyone a little piece of what you know to show the knowledge and passion of understanding the industry.

My first experience of the beauty industry was at Weston College, where I achieved my first beauty therapy qualifications and gained my first steps into the industry.

It’s hard work to get to where you want to be, but so rewarding and you learn so much along the way.

Here are my top tips for people who want to open their own salon...

Learning is key

Many salons and spas do things in different ways. Management styles are different, staff and clientele are different, but each successful salon has gone through a learning curve to enable it to sculpt itself into the format that works best for its particular needs.

The things you learn from other salons might not be right for your business, but there are always aspects you can take away and learn from.

Experience is everything

The more experience you can get the better. It took me five years working in salons before I had gained enough experience to ‘go it alone’.

Try working in both salon and spa environments to gain knowledge of a range of treatments and learn as much as possible about them. Visiting salons and spas to experience not only the treatment but the customer service and environment is also a crucial part of the process.

Experiment with products

Every salon has its own recommended brands and products, and they choose these through experimenting to find the products that best suit their needs.

When choosing your preferred products, think about value for money, the kind of results they achieve, but most importantly – the experience of your clients.

Organising is crucial

While it may be easy to get distracted by the aesthetics, the treatments and the products you use, don’t forget the business side of things.

A salon is just like any other shop, but the product you’re selling is a satisfied customer. You need to get the costs and organisation of the business right in order for your salon to be successful.

The customer comes first

Talk to the customers, learn what they like and don’t like, and tailor your treatments around this feedback – it’s the most important and valuable advice you can get.

Every customer needs an amazing experience throughout their contact with the salon, and not just during the treatment. Every interaction needs to be amazing, including marketing, the booking process, the treatment itself and ongoing care.

A Royal Marine who lost his leg helping a crashed motorist on the M3 visited Weston College to give an inspirational speech to sports and public services students.

Lee Spencer, 47, came across the car accident and began helping the injured driver and passengers using first aid training he had learned during his 24 years in the army.

Suddenly, another car crashed into the vehicle, sending the car’s engine and gearbox flying across the motorway lanes towards him. The impact severed his right leg and dislocated his left.

He used the training he learned as a Royal Marine to instruct a bystander to tie a tourniquet around his wounded leg and got the bystander’s daughter to stop the bleeding by standing on his femoral artery.

He told the students about the impact the accident had on his life, and how he was inspired to help change other people’s lives by raising money through a variety of sponsored walks, marathons and even rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

He gained a place in the Guinness Book of Records for being part of the first disabled crew to sail the Atlantic raising awareness for Row2Recovery.

Rebecca Ranson, Weston College Section Area Manager for Sports and Public Services, said: “This was a fantastic and inspiring opportunity for the students to find out about life in the army, how to act in an emergency situation, and how the training they're undertaking can help in real-life scenarios.”

Farhath Siddiqui, who studies Film and Media Arts Production at UCW, was recently invited to accept an award on behalf of internationally renowned street artist Banksy, but she didn't celebrate with a glass of bubbly...

That's because Farhath is Muslim, and Muslims don't drink - so how did she celebrate? Read on to find out more...

When I tell people that I’m a Muslim, one of the top things people respond with is the question: “Do you drink?”

When I tell them that my faith doesn’t allow it, my answer is often met with disbelief and further remarks such as: “What, not even a little bit?”

The answer is no – I have never consumed alcohol before and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I'm sure a lot of you reading this who love to party feel that I may lead a boring life, and while that might be true in some respects it isn’t because of the lack of alcohol! Just because I don't drink doesn't mean I don't join in with party. I love to party.

Sober doesn't mean boring.  I have been sober on all of my nights out, and I still have managed to have the best time by the end of them! The hype of intoxication shouldn't be something you feel peer pressured to do.

Not drinking on your nights out is always an option. It doesn't mean you can't still have a good time, you won’t wake up with a hangover, and you’ll remember the whole evening…

You might find that you still make a bigger fool of yourself than any other drunk person. If that's the case, take a long hard look at yourself and make sure you do whatever you did again.