ONE week ago, Lee Nesbitt had three thriving businesses: his eco-friendly hair salon in Cooks Hill and his two Chops hair bars at Greenhills and Charlestown shopping centres.
Mr Nesbitt, 38, has since closed down his Chops stores because his staff were scared to be working in such a public space and the strict social-distancing measures were difficult to adopt in small centre spaces.
Nesbitt Hair & Body continues to trade in Darby Street however Mr Nesbitt is torn as to what remains the best course of action.
"I want to stay open to keep my staff out of the unemployment line and I think the more we can keep them out of those lines the better it is for the country, we have to pay back all this money one day, our kids will be doing that," the father-of-three says.
"I'm addicted to keeping my business going because I love it, but I have a young family and I worry about getting sick and taking that home. My other family is my staff, who I need to support."
If he closes, Mr Nesbitt is worried he won't be able to get as much access to the federal government's stimulus package. "No one is a failure for taking that support, but I have the attitude of trying everything else first."
Nesbitt Hair is trading using the strictest of measures, benefitting from the fact their clients are almost like family.
"If people think I am naive by opening, we have been open for 12 years and our salon is not the sort which has walk-ins. Most of our clients book until Christmas, we know their story," he says. "Our co-ordinator is so switched on she is ringing to say 'We remember you were overseas, how long have you been home?' We know who travels for work, we are calling them before they call us and vetting who we let in."
To those who query why hair salons are viewed as an essential service, his response is simple: "I know it sounds pathetic to some but my clients are really worried about not colouring their grey hair. Your hair is the dead fibre on the outside of your body but it's almost like it's connected to your soul because there is not one person who doesn't get a hair cut and feel better after."
Mr Nesbitt says the government's changing and "confusing" restrictions have been tough. When salons were allowed to trade via 30-minute appointments, he and his staff scrambled to change rosters and work out stock, only to have the 30-minute rule reversed.
As a result, Mr Nesbitt is not sure he would be able to prove a 30 per cent drop in trade required under the JobKeeper subsidy, because he says his March turnover was likely reasonable because his team worked hard to bring forward appointments and were "rushed off our feet".
He is working with his close-knit team of 20, discussing with them their individual circumstances and offering them the ability to take leave without pay or annual leave. "If we respect and look after each other now we'll come back in a lot better," he says.
Amid the worry, he is exploring new opportunities.
"For the past year,a mate who is a hair product distributor has been telling me about a colour that works in 10 minutes, I had put it on the back-burner but yesterday I was at work I decided to test it," he said. "It may help get us through this time."
For now, Mr Nesbitt is "doing what he knows best" amid a sense of confusion.
"If they decide to close us I would happily close. I'm definitely not playing down the risk of coronavirus or thinking I am in my 30s so I'm fine, I am just trying to keep doing what I know and keep my business alive."
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