Meet Danielle Jane Chaffey
Meet Danielle Chaffey, the founder of Studio Aircuts, a mobile hairdressing service based in the Redlands and Brisbane region. With over a decade of experience in the hair industry, Danielle has turned her skills and determination into a growing business. After navigating personal health challenges and time away from the industry, she made the decision to relaunch and scale her business in late 2023. Today, she is building Studio Aircuts into a flexible, client-focused service while working towards expanding her team and creating more opportunities for others in the industry.
Read more about Danielle’s business journey so far:
About the business 
I run Studio Aircuts, which is a mobile hairdressing service. We don’t have a physical salon. Instead, I travel to clients and provide services in their own space. I offer haircuts, styling, colouring, treatments, and other services depending on what people need. It’s open to all genders and all ages.
I’ve been operating the business on and off for a couple of years, but I’ve been properly scaling it since October last year. We’re mainly based in the Redlands and Bayside areas, but I also travel into Brisbane. I have a website with an online booking system and I stay active on social media, posting regularly.
Before restarting my business, I had been in the hair industry for over 13 years. Since 2020, I’ve had ongoing health challenges and have been in and out of hospital, which made things difficult. I had previously started a business but stepped away because of my health and uncertainty about continuing in the industry. Eventually, I decided to come back and rebrand the business into what it is now.
I wanted to go into business again to rebuild something for myself and create a business that could work around my health and lifestyle. I also wanted the freedom to shape something that reflects my goals and values.
Working with Many Rivers
I was referred to Many Rivers by a business advisor when I was struggling financially to get my business back on track. I got in touch in October last year, not long after the recommendation, and started working with Renee.
Overall, the support I received was guidance and direction. Renee helped me with marketing, setting things up properly, and identifying small but important things I had missed. She also helped with the logistics of running a business, like managing payments, improving my online presence, and understanding how to bring everything together.
The most useful part for me was the ongoing guidance and regular check-ins. Having weekly or fortnightly meetings, setting goals, and working through task lists made a huge difference. It helped me stay focused and consistent. Just having that support behind me kept me motivated and on track.
I didn’t take out a loan, but the business support itself made a big impact.
At the moment, I’m running the business on my own. I’m doing everything from marketing to working with clients, which can be exhausting. However, I am working towards hiring staff as soon as possible so I can step back slightly and better manage my health.
Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenges for me have been self-motivation and finances. There have been times where I’ve questioned whether I should continue because running a business is difficult. I haven’t made much profit yet, and a lot of what I earn goes straight back into the business. It can be hard to stay motivated when you’re dealing with that, but I remind myself that if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Biggest Success
My biggest success has been seeing what I can accomplish on my own. I’ve built the business into something professional and created things like my website from scratch without paying anyone. It’s shown me the drive I have and what I’m capable of achieving in a short amount of time. Seeing the business grow and the platform I’ve created has been really rewarding.
Biggest Change
The biggest change for me has been having more flexibility and time for my family and my dog. Being able to manage my own schedule has made a big difference in my life. Having that balance and flexibility is really important to me, especially with everything I’ve been through with my health.
Future Goals
In the future, I want to expand Studio Aircuts across Australia and potentially even internationally. I want to grow the business into something much bigger. I also want to create more opportunities within the hairdressing industry, especially for single mums or people who want flexible working hours. I’d love to help people return to the industry or work in a way that suits their lifestyle. Ultimately, I want to provide more job opportunities and create a better, less toxic environment in the industry. I want my business to make a positive impact while continuing to grow.
Thank you Danielle for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with future endeavours and business success.
If you would like to stay updated with Danielle’s small business, follow “Studio Aircuts ” through the following links:
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