The accidental phone call that changed everything.
Every business has an origin story.
Some begin with a carefully planned business proposal. Others begin with years of market research.
Harpo Hair began with a butt dial.
At just 25 years old, Posey Broomhall was selected as one of only ten hairdressers across Australia to attend the launch of Kérastase Couture Styling.
What made the invitation even more special was what her Kérastase educator—who, more than a decade later, is still her L’Oréal representative—told her.
“You weren’t chosen because of the salon you work in. You were chosen because of you.”
For a young hairdresser only a year out of her apprenticeship, it was one of the proudest moments of her career.
The event was everything she’d hoped it would be. She learnt from one of her biggest idols, Sarah Laidlaw, explored the Couture Styling range before it was released to the industry and spent time learning alongside some of Australia’s best hairdressers.
Then, over dinner that evening, Posey learnt that her salon had asked whether another stylist could attend in her place.
“It completely shattered me,” Posey remembers. “I was hurt more than anything.”
That night, her boyfriend—now husband—picked her up from the event. As she climbed into the car, she tucked her phone into her lace stockings and started talking about everything that had happened.
What she didn’t realise was that her phone had accidentally called her boss.
Everything.
She’d heard everything.
“I honestly wanted the ground to swallow me up.”
The next morning, Posey had a choice.
She could let one of the most embarrassing moments of her life define her…
…or she could finally chase the dream she’d always had.
Owning a salon had never been a passing thought. It had been the dream from the day she finished her apprenticeship, and her boss knew it. But dreams can feel impossible when you’re comfortable enough to stay where you are.
That phone call changed everything.
Instead of dwelling on what had happened, Posey channelled every emotion into building the future she wanted.
Every morning before work, she woke at 5:00 am and started writing the business plan for Harpo Hair.
Every night, her boyfriend Marc sat beside her, helping edit every page.
There was no ChatGPT.
No AI to help write business plans.
And for someone with dyslexia, writing page after page was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
“But I wanted it more than I was scared of it,” she says.
For the next six months, Posey searched for the perfect salon.
She looked at several spaces before her mum spotted a little shop on Hampton Street.
“I love this village,” she told her. “It’s easy to park, it has a beautiful community feel, and I think people will love coming here.”
Standing outside the empty shop, Posey remembers thinking,
“How am I ever going to do this?”
Her mum and Marc had a much simpler answer.
“We’ll make it work.”
And they did.
Posey’s mum believed in the dream so much that she loaned her the money to open Harpo Hair. Every afternoon on her way home from work as a nurse, she’d stop by the salon and help with the renovation, doing whatever needed to be done to get the doors open.
Marc—now affectionately known to clients as Mr Harpo—was there every step of the way too.
Together they painted walls, built furniture, unpacked deliveries and worked late into the night to transform an empty shop into the salon Posey had always dreamed of.
More than twelve years later, not much has changed.
Mr Harpo is still the salon’s handyman, always the first person to grab a paintbrush, fix something that’s broken or help bring Posey’s latest idea to life.
When Harpo Hair recently relocated into its new home, the family did what they’ve always done.
They made it happen together.
Working night after night, they transformed the new salon in just three weeks, proving that while the salon may have grown, the heart behind it never has.
“Harpo has never just been my dream,” says Posey. “It’s always been a family dream.”
What started as a business plan written before sunrise, an accidental butt dial and a family willing to back one young hairdresser became Harpo Hair.
Today, more than a decade later, Harpo Hair has grown into one of Bayside’s most recognised salons, with an incredible team, a loyal community of clients and an exciting new chapter just around the corner.
When people ask Posey how it all started, they usually expect a polished business story.
Instead, she smiles and says,
“Honestly… it all started with a butt dial.”
