From a backyard salon to $100K of impact

When I (Nicki) opened the doors to Salon Purpose in 2020, it wasn’t the beautiful Manly salon you know today. It was a salon in my backyard, built during lockdown, fuelled by a big dream: to prove that a hair salon could be more than just great hair.

I wanted to create a business with heart — a place where people could walk out looking incredible and know their appointment had created change for someone else in the world.

Back then, it was just me, twelve clients, and a vision. Fast forward five years, and Salon Purpose has grown into something extraordinary: a multi-award-winning salon with 19 team members, more than 5,000 clients, and now a giving legacy of over $100,000 donated to charity ($108, 532 to be exact).

Why we started: high-end hair with heart

From the very beginning, generosity was never an “add-on” — it was built into the DNA of Salon Purpose. Every appointment has been part of something bigger, because we believe beauty and purpose can grow side by side.

Two key initiatives make this happen:

• One Chair, One Child — for every salon chair we add, we sponsor a child in Uganda. What began with one chair has grown to eight, with eight children now supported each month.
• With Love — our annual two-week campaign where $25 from every service goes to a cause chosen by our clients.
  

This year alone, our 2025 With Love campaign helped fund:

• 199 days of healing workshops for First Nations women affected by domestic violence
• 348 maternity care appointments for women and babies in Uganda
• 12 repaired water wells in Northern Uganda, giving 9,000 people access to clean water

We couldn’t have achieved this without our partners at Pro Purpose, who make giving with purpose simple for businesses with a heart to give back. From the beginning, they’ve been instrumental in helping us build giving initiatives that reflect the heart of our salon.

Closer to home, we love supporting local organisations making a difference on the Northern Beaches — Manly Nippers, Bear Cottage and the Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter.

We also proudly partner with Sustainable Salons, recycling 95% of our waste into projects for good — from meals through OzHarvest to hair booms that clean up oil spills.

What we’ve built together

Salon Purpose has become known as Australia’s most recognised purpose-led salon. Along the way we’ve been:

• Named Hairdresser of the Year at the Local Business Awards
• Recognised in NSW Parliament for our service to community
• Featured on Channel Nine’s Helping Hands
  
• Invited to speak at national events like Hair Festival and Pro Purpose Conference

And yet, the heart of it all hasn’t changed. From our backyard beginnings to our Manly salon today, we’re still here to serve people with excellence, kindness, and generosity.

(Want to see our journey in motion? We captured it all in this special highlight reel on Instagram — from our humble beginnings to the moment we hit $100K).

Recognition in high places

This milestone was even acknowledged in NSW Parliament by James Griffin MP, Member for Manly. To know that Parliament heard about our salon spoken about was surreal — a full circle moment that reminded me just how far we’ve come since those backyard days.

Why $100K matters to us

For us, this milestone isn’t about the number. It’s about what it represents:

• That a salon can be both profitable and purposeful.
• That success and generosity don’t have to compete — they can thrive together.
• That every client who sits in our chair is part of something much bigger than a haircut.
  

Be part of what comes next

We’ve reached $100K in giving in just five years — but this is only the beginning. With every blowdry, colour, and cut, we get closer to the next milestone.

When you choose Salon Purpose, you’re choosing more than a hair appointment. You’re choosing to support safe housing, healthcare, education, and clean water for people who need it most — here on the Northern Beaches and across the globe.

“Purpose isn’t something we add on — it’s at the heart of everything we do.” – Nicki Ranatawake

👉 Book your next appointment today and experience high-end hair with heart. Together, we’re only just getting started.

Want to dive deeper into the full story of our impact? Click here to check out our impact page.

Salon Blog Bio:

Who is Salon Purpose? 

Salon Purpose is a multi-award winning hair salon in Manly on Sydney’s stunning Northern Beaches. 

From our excellent hair, exceptional client experience, incredible team of highly skilled stylists, world-class premises, free community events, loyalty program, sustainability commitment and our generosity initiative at the heart of everything we do, Salon Purpose is redefining what it means to be a hair salon. 

We are here for people.

Fuelled with passion.
Driven by purpose.

Purpose is who we are.