Morgan’s Wigs are a national wig supplier with over 11 years’ experience. Founder and Director Rebecca Morgan-Brennan, a highly qualified hairdresser, opened her own salon, Morgan’s Hair and Beauty, in 2013 but her journey with wigs started after a close friend came to her for advice regarding her hair loss after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
This inspired Rebecca to start helping others that were suffering from a medical hair loss condition. She set up Morgan’s Wigs in October 2016 after securing a contract with NHS North Wales which meant Betsi Cadwaladr patients were able to use their vouchers at Morgan’s Wigs when purchasing a wig.
In November 2018, Rebecca decided to move to bigger premises as an answer to the rapid growth and expansion of the business.
What they did
Rebecca started Morgan’s Wigs in October 2016 following a successful tender for a Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board contract for the provision of a fully managed wig fitting service which includes consultation, supply, fitting and cutting of wigs.
What would they do differently?
“There isn’t anything we’d do differently in the setting up process of our business. We are very proud that we have been able to grow and expand without financial help from any bank. We have a fantastic team of staff who are highly trained and work together to offer an amazing service.” – Rebecca Morgan-Brennan
Their proudest moment in business
“We have quite a few proud moments in business: successfully being awarded an NHS contract twice to supply wigs for patients in North Wales; being added to the list of suppliers for the National Supply Chain for the NHS to supply patients across all of England; being nominated for a community award hosted by the National Hair Federation; moving to a fantastic new premises in Prestatyn and opening two wig shops in Chester & Coventry.”
“We are also extremely proud to be working with the Down's Syndrome Association to offer a young person with Down's syndrome the opportunity to be a part of our business, build their confidence and people skills whilst also growing as an individual.” Read more about our work with the DSA here.
Do they use Welsh in their business? If so, how has this helped them
“My son works for the business and he is a Welsh speaker. In order to be awarded the Betsi Cadwaladr wig contract, we have to have a member of staff who speaks Welsh. Sometimes my son is required to take part in a consultation if a patient is more comfortable speaking Welsh as we see many patients from the Gwynedd area.”
Describe the type of support (financial / non-financial) they’ve received from Business Wales / Welsh Government
Business Wales Tendering adviser Guto Carrod helped Rebecca with the bidding process for the Betsi Cadwaladr North Wales NHS Trust contracts and further supported the business to tender for the NHS England contract, which they successfully won. This helped Rebecca to confidently move forward developing and growing the business, creating 5 new jobs.
Business Wales adviser Sian E Jones provided further business support including review of the business and explored funding options for the installation of a stair lift to allow for full accessibility to the salon.
Rebecca said: “[The Welsh Government’s flagship business support service] Business Wales helped us win our first ever NHS wig supply contract with Betsi Cadwaldr. The support and communication offered by the advisers and the wider team has been excellent, we had very little knowledge on how to tender for a contract and Business Wales made this process straightforward and understandable.”
Top Tips
Here are Morgan’s Wigs’ top tips for anyone else looking to start or grow their own business:
- work hard
- use all forms of social media or free advertising
- always treat your staff the way you would like to be treated
- don’t expect someone to do something you aren’t prepared to do yourself
- customer service is key