In a career that has spanned nearly 20 years, you would be mistaken to think Christos Kakoufas was pulling your leg. With his youthful looks, fun personality and cheeky nature, director of Christos on Unley, Christos assures me it really has been 19 years since he picked up his first pair of scissors. Since then, he has made a commitment not only to his craft of hairdressing, but to the education of newcomers to the industry.

For Christos, hairdressing is his art. In his salon, as principal hairdresser, he not only takes pride in his creations but in the next generation of committed coiffeurs. As a credited national educator, he has the skills to teach those in the infant stages of their career that hairdressing is more than just cutting, styling and colouring: it’s about being personable to not only your colleagues but your client’s; it’s about boosting your clients’ confidence through their appearance; it’s about being the best in what you do; and, above all, having the passion to succeed.

It was this passion that drove a young Christos to take the leap into business. At the tender age of 24, he opened his first business as the owner / operator of a hairdressing business in a medical centre in Adelaide. Early on he had the business nous to understand that if he wanted to grow, he would have to take on the big guns. And he did just that, ten years ago when he opened on the highly competitive and upmarket Unley Road.

Now, Christos on Unley employs six staff and a beauty therapist. Even though it’s an established business with a stream of loyal clients, Christos understands that he can’t sit on his laurels. His enthusiasm and passion is as fresh as it was 19 years ago. And that contagious enthusiasm rubs off on his staff. A lot of people fear an apprentice when walking into a salon for their inexperience, but as a young veteran in the industry, Christos sees a whole lot more.

“Apprentices are more loyal to you and your business,” he says, “and they are willing to work the way you do because they don’t know the other habits, good or bad, that people may have taught them.” “It’s really like having a protege,” Christos says. “You are their mentor, and you guide them, not only in hairdressing, but in life. “Parents are quick to teach you you have to do everything right, but I say to my staff that if you do something wrong it’s not bad, it’s just part of your learning curve.” With apprentices, Christos says “you create your own branding, they know how you want to function and work and they know your salon ethos.

“They need to have the right personality as you need to get along with them. They need to have the passion and drive to do the things you [want] from them but they need to want to improve themselves.”

Being in highly competitive business can be cut-throat itself without adding the extra element of an industry that is heavily reliant on trends. Hairdressing is always evolving and fluid and Christos has to keep on his toes to stay ahead. You are dealing with loyal clients, yes, but one bad-hair-day is all it takes in this game, for them to jump ship.

As the national trainer for Revlon Professional – which sees him travel regularly to Melbourne and Sydney to teach – Christos gets to network with his peers and find out what’s going on in the big smoke. His knowledge and experience is then passed back to his staff to make sure they and Christos on Unley as a salon stay one step ahead of what’s going on. To the point, he’s somewhat a trendsetter in his hometown of Adelaide.

Christos Kakoufas is a man of many titles. Speaking to him from his home in Adelaide where he is looking after his children, who are playing in the background, and whilst landscaping, it’s safe to say his talent for multitasking is the reason for his success.

A family man, a mentor, someone who has mastered his craft and succeeded, Christos is still hungry for more. “The sky’s the limit with what I can do, the sky really is the limit.”