BARRHAVEN 2016 · ORLÉANS 2025
Staff Welcome & Service Guide

Walker's FinestWinny Esmond

Braid, Loc, Lash & Wax Specialist — Orléans & Barrhaven. How we work together, day to day, plus your full priced menu.

Welcome

Welcome to Walker's Finest

Walker's Finest is more than a shop — it's a family-oriented, culturally-rooted business built on what we call a spirit of excellence: doing the work well, showing up for each other, and treating every client like they matter. That's the culture here, and it's the standard we hold everyone to, ourselves included.

Your loc, braid, lash and wax work is a real part of that. There's a genuine opportunity here — to build your own book, grow your skills, and be part of something bigger than any one chair.

What we're looking for from everyone on this team, you included, is real buy-in: showing up with the right attitude, wanting to be here, and bringing that spirit of excellence into everything you do. We're glad to help you grow — but we want you to want this too, and to understand what we expect from each other in return.

This guide lays that out — schedule, pay, tools, the client experience, and your full service menu with pricing for both locations. Take the time to read through it, and come to us with any questions.

The Basics

Your Role

  • Braid, Loc, Lash & Wax Specialist — your own menu of loc, crochet, lash and waxing services, plus a few shared services (cornrows, take-down, natural-hair twists) alongside the rest of the team.
  • Home base: Orléans. You're also building a book at Barrhaven — the same menu, same standards, at both locations.
  • Have an idea for a new service we don't currently offer? You're more than welcome to propose it — we're always open to growing the menu.
Reliability

Schedule & Punctuality

  • Arrive at least 15 minutes before your first appointment of the day, and before each service after that. That's your set-up time — station sanitized, tools ready, hair pulled if you're doing an install — so the client's appointment starts on time, not while you're still getting ready.
  • Fifteen minutes is the minimum, not the target. Clients notice when their stylist is ready and waiting for them — it's one of the simplest ways we build trust.
  • Consistency is what we're building our name on. When someone books you, they're trusting that you'll be there — and we want Walker's Finest to be known as a shop people can always count on. Cancellations hurt that trust, so the goal is simple: be reliable, be consistent, show up.
  • If something truly unavoidable comes up, call or text us as early as possible so we can reach the client before their appointment time — never leave them unnotified. But that's the exception, not the plan. What we're really asking for is dependability: the kind of consistency that means a client never has to wonder if you'll be there.
  • If we ever get a rush of walk-ins, you're always welcome to come in and help us move through the line faster — but that's completely optional, never an obligation. The door's just open if you ever want the extra chair time.
What Sets Us Apart

The Walker's Finest Client Experience

The goal is for every client to feel like they're genuinely being taken care of, not just booked in for a service.

  • Greet every client warmly, by name if you can, like you're glad they're in your chair — even on a long day. That warmth is a huge part of why clients come back and tell their friends.
  • When a client asks about upkeep — and they will — that's your opening to set up the rebook. Give them a realistic timeline for their style (for example, "most people come back for a retwist every four to six weeks") and invite them to book with you again by name next time. It's the easiest, most natural way to build a client base that's genuinely yours.
  • For any appointment $150 and over, bring your client a snack and a beverage from our client refreshment station. It's a small gesture, but it's the kind of thing that makes a multi-hour appointment feel like an experience instead of a wait.
  • Keep your tools and station clean and sanitized between every client — it's the standard we hold everyone to, and clients notice.
  • For now, please wear professional clothing in dark colours or black where possible, so we keep a consistent, put-together look across the team — we're looking into branded aprons soon and will make the switch once those are ready.
  • Come in with the right attitude. Clients can feel the energy in the room — we're all glad to be building something here, and that should come through in how we treat each other and every person who sits down with us.
One More Thing

Our Team Culture

Something we care about a lot here: real pleasantries. A proper greeting carries a lot more warmth than a flat "hi" left hanging with nothing after it — something like "Hi [name], how are you?" invites an actual response and starts things off well, whether that's walking into the store or sending a message in the group chat.

This isn't a checklist we're measuring you against — it's simply how we operate at Walker's Finest, and it's naturally what we look for in people who fit well here. It's part of what makes the shop feel like a family instead of just a workplace, and we'd love for you to lean into it.

  • Try something like "Hi [name], how are you?" or "Good morning — hope you're doing well!" — a greeting that invites a response, not just a one-word hello.
  • The same goes for messages — a text or WhatsApp check-in deserves the same warmth as an in-person hello.
Staying Connected

Phones, Content & Communication

  • Your phone is totally fine to have on you — we just ask that you keep phone use to a minimum during an actual service, so your client gets your full attention. Between appointments, on breaks, in the downtime — no problem at all.
  • If you do need to check a message from Jess or the team mid-appointment, just excuse yourself from your client for a moment, step away, then come back to them.
  • We love showing off your work — please drop photos and videos of finished styles into our shared Google Drive folder so we can post them and actively market you.
  • Before photographing or filming any client's hair, ask if they're comfortable with it being used to showcase the work — a quick "mind if I grab a picture for our page?" is all it takes.
  • We'd also love for you to actively market yourself — sharing your own content, tagging the shop, telling people what you do. Growing your book helps you and it helps all of us; bringing in clients is something everyone on this team shares responsibility for.
  • Got an idea for a promotion? We're always open to collaborating — bring it to us and let's build it together.
  • We have a group chat for the whole team — promotions, updates, day-to-day stuff. Please stay engaged there so we're all on the same page.
  • Any concerns, big or small, bring them to Jess privately and we'll work through them together. For quick day-to-day questions, Neika and Bintou are also great people to check with.
Please Read Carefully

Client Confidentiality

Our Strictest Policy

Clients you meet through Walker's Finest are Walker's Finest clients. Booking or providing services to them privately, outside the shop, is not permitted — no exceptions. It protects the business, and it protects you too.

Money Matters

Pay & Commission

  • Commission split: you keep 60%, the shop keeps 40% — the same 60/40 at both Orléans and Barrhaven. Commission is calculated before tax.
  • Pay day is weekly, every Saturday.
  • Every Wednesday, send Jess a log of the services you did that week — date, service, and price, using the menu below. Jess will work out your commission from that log, so keeping it complete and accurate matters.
  • You should be receiving your tips daily. If you're ever owed tips that haven't come through, just let Jess or Andel know and they'll get them issued.
Coming Prepared

Tools & Equipment

  • You're expected to have your own tools — the shop isn't your primary supply source. This keeps your kit consistent and ready no matter who else is working that day.
  • Prefer to buy through us? Staff get 15% off anything you pick up from our retail floor — just let a manager or Jess know before you use it. A quick "I'm grabbing this for a service" is all it takes, so it gets rung up and recorded properly. We just want an accurate record of everything that leaves the shelf.
  • In a pinch, it's fine to ask a teammate to borrow something — but that's a backup, not a plan. Come prepared with what you need for the day.
Building Something New

Your Barrhaven Trial

Barrhaven is a trial for you right now, and we want it to feel like an opportunity, not added pressure. Because Jess isn't able to be in person as often these days (there's a new baby at home!), check-ins won't run on a fixed schedule — instead, expect periodic video or voice calls to see how it's going, whether you're enjoying it, and to talk through anything that needs attention.

We also haven't started actively marketing your Barrhaven services yet, on purpose — we want to make sure things are running really well here in Orléans first, while you're close by. Once that's locked in, we'll start pushing Barrhaven properly. None of this is about holding you back; it's about setting the trial up so it actually works.

Before You Start

Let's Make It Official

Please read everything above, then fill this out to confirm you've got it. If anything's unclear, ask before you sign — we'd rather answer questions now than assume. We'd also love to hear a bit from you in your own words below.

Acknowledgment

No wrong answers — we're just genuinely curious where your head's at as you're getting started.

I have read this guide in full — including the client confidentiality policy — and agree to everything outlined above.

This form sends straight to Jess once submitted — no need to print or sign anything separately.

Walker's Finest

Orléans & Barrhaven · Welcome to the team, Winny