My working life...

Nov 30 2007

Robert Gillespie, founder of The Perfect Shave, shares his well-groomed work schedule

It may come as a surprise, but Scottish blokes have been slow to adapt their daily beauty regime, at least compared to their better groomed American counterparts.

Despite this, business is growing for Robert Gillespie, founder of Scotland's first specialist shaving boutique for discerning men, The Perfect Shave.

Since he started out in 2006, he's added an online shop, www.theperfectshave.co.uk, which has increased turnover by 25 per cent selling his exclusive male shaving and grooming products as far afield as Croatia, India and the US from where he imports a number of his lines. And although sales at the Princes Square shop grew by 14 per cent last year, he has yet to give up the day job.

Five days a week, Robert works as a retail partnership manager for Creation Consumer Finance which offers store cards and other credit to retailers.

"The majority of my week is focused on working with retail accounts," says Gillespie.

"I've worked in the finance industry for more than 11 years, which gave me an excellent foundation for setting up The Perfect Shave."

Atrip to Manhattan six years ago opened his eyes to the possibilities of male grooming. Importing the concept has been a challenge but one he is keen to continue and grow.

"I spend most weekends and Thursday evenings in the Princes Square store, dealing with customers and dispatching website orders. I'm pretty hands on.

"Being in Princes Square is a welcome change from my usual working office environment."

Gillespie has set his sights on the big city, with plans to launch a store in the UK's largest shopping mall, the White City Shopping Mall in Notting Hill in October 2008. But he still also plans to open his first Barber Spa in Glasgow's city centre and his own Perfect Shave branded product range. At 32 he's got lots of energy to keep going.

"As I order the majority of my stock from US brands, working with the time difference can be a bit tricky. I often end up liaising with distributors until 11o'clock at night," he says.

"Stamina is one of the greatest challenges of working two jobs, but I thoroughly enjoy the buzz of juggling both careers."