How a Cape Town hair salon cut through the

funding red tape

Ida-Louise Swart’s lifelong passion for hairdressing has blossomed into a thriving hair salon, and now beauty hub – with plans for even bigger things ahead

At four years old, most children are still figuring out what they want for lunch. But Ida-Louise Swart already knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: become a hair stylist.

Today, decades later, she’s the proud owner of Pink Scissors hair salon in the Western Cape, living proof that childhood dreams can become successful businesses.

“What I’m most proud of is that I’ve done it legit,” Swart reflects. “I’ve done it with hard work and I’ve obviously got an incredible team.”

But behind the glamour of the salon industry lies a reality that many don’t see; the constant juggling act of running a creative business while managing the financial complexities that come with it.

The creative-financial balancing act

Like many entrepreneurs in creative industries, Ida discovered that passion and business acumen don’t always go hand in hand. “People won’t realise that it is really hard work,” she explains. “There are lots of things that happen behind the scenes, especially with finances.”

“We as hairdressers are super creative, so we don’t necessarily think of that part. We are very happy to come in and do our clients’ hair and make them beautiful, but when it comes to paying our bills or thinking of things that pre-empt certain seasons or things like that, we always need someone in that area to help us.”

This seasonal challenge is particularly acute in the beauty industry, where client demand fluctuates throughout the year, creating cash flow pressures that can strain even successful businesses.

Finding more than just funding

When Swart needed financial support to manage these challenges and fuel her expansion plans, she found something unexpected with SME-focused fintech Lula, a genuine partnership.

The practical impact was immediate. As Pink Scissors grew from a one-person operation to employing multiple staff members, Swart used Lula funding to purchase the additional stock essential for her expanding team. "You can't sell what you don't have," she explains, highlighting how the funding enabled her employees to do their work and generate income during this critical growth phase.

“I found with Lula there’s a certain amount of trust in the fact that you have the ability to repay and to grow the business,” she shares. “They have faith in you to do that. You’re not just a number at the end of the day – you actually have a relationship.”

This relationship-focused approach has made all the difference for Pink Scissors. “We all need cash flow in our business and sometimes it gets stuck,” Swart acknowledges. “Lula helps you with that cash flow and relationship and understanding – like more intimate understanding. I find that it really helps us as small business owners.”

Simplicity that works

Perhaps most importantly for a busy salon owner, Lula’s approach eliminated the bureaucratic headaches typically associated with business funding. “You don’t have to jump through lots of hoops to actually get your money,” Swart explains.

The practical benefits extend beyond convenience. “The shorter payback period was very helpful for us, as the traditional ways would normally be paying over a longer period, then ending up paying more than double back than what you’ve actually learned from them. With Lula it’s different – you really are able to do it in a shorter amount of time.”

Expansion on the horizon

With stable cash flow management and trusted financial partnership in place, Pink Scissors is ready for its next chapter. “We’ve got to the point now where we’re actually expanding our business into beauty,” Swart reveals.

This expansion represents more than just business growth. It’s the continuation of a dream that started when a four-year-old girl decided she wanted to make people beautiful for a living.

The bigger picture

Swart’s story illustrates an important point about small business success: having the right financial partner can transform challenges into opportunities. When seasonal fluctuations and cash flow pressures threaten to derail expansion plans, the difference between traditional funding and relationship-based support becomes crystal clear.

For creative entrepreneurs like Swart, who excel at their craft but need support with the financial complexities of business ownership, finding a funding partner that understands both the industry challenges and growth potential isn’t just helpful – it’s transformative.

Pink Scissors hair Salon stands as a testament to what’s possible when childhood dreams meet hard work, great teams, and the right financial partnership. As Swart prepares to expand into beauty services, her four-year-old self would undoubtedly be proud of how far that dream has travelled.

This post was sponsored by Lula and produced by Media24 Advertising and Content Marketing for News24.