If the business cannot function without you, you haven't built a business: Florian Hurel

Celebrity hairstylist turned entrepreneur Florian Hurel reflects on what it took to move from being the product himself to building something that could outlast his own presence in the room. Drawing a sharp contrast between the two roles, he said, "When you are a hairstylist, the result is very immediate. You do the work, the client sees it, and you are responsible for the outcome."

As an entrepreneur, however, the responsibility takes on an entirely different scale. "As an entrepreneur, the responsibility becomes much bigger. You have to build systems, develop people and create a culture," he said.

For Florian, the real test is whether that standard can survive without him physically being present. "You have to make sure the business can deliver the same standard even when you are not physically in the room. That transition teaches you to let go of the idea that you have to personally control everything," he said.

In his view, that is fundamental to building something sustainable. "If the business cannot function without you, you haven't really built a business. You have built a very demanding job for yourself," he said.

These days, his sense of achievement comes from a different place entirely. "For me, the real achievement is seeing someone I have trained or mentored deliver something that I would be proud to put my name on. That is a very different kind of satisfaction," he said.

Asked what entrepreneurship has taught him about people that his years with celebrities never could, Florian points to the difference in perspective that comes with time. He said, "Working with celebrities teaches you a lot about people. But usually in very specific, high-pressure situations."

Running a business, he explains, offers something broader. "Entrepreneurship gives you a much longer view of human behaviour. You learn that talent and attitude are two completely different things," he said.

"Someone can be incredibly talented but difficult to work with. Someone else may have less experience but an incredible work ethic, willingness to learn and ability to make the people around them better," he said.

He's also come to see clarity as more valuable than direction alone. "People don't necessarily need more instructions. They need clarity, trust and accountability. Everyone has a different definition of 'urgent', Which is perhaps one of the great mysteries of running a business!" Florian ended.