SHE is the founder of veteran Newcastle hair salon Suki, chief executive officer of the Australian Hairdressing Council and a director of the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia.
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But Sandy Chong, like many of us, is sometimes overwhelmed by the enormity of the coronavirus pandemic that is leaving an indelible mark on small businesses across the country.
"On the phone I recently had a meltdown with the CEO and Chair of COSBOA and [federal employment minister and senator] Michaelia Cash on the line, because I was looking at my business and realising, 'I can't open'," she recalls.
"I am human too, but I bounce back fast. I feel like an idiot now but I come back stronger and determined than ever."
A small business owner of 35 years, Ms Chong closed her Newcastle East salon on Friday, March 27, to protect her staff.
"We have lost thousands [of dollars] in cancellations of colours, clients, and having to adhere to two metres per person means you can't have obviously have the amount of customers in your business to warrant being open," she says.
"It's not viable for us to be open from a business perspective ... But more than that when I told our 15 staff we'd close they cried with relief because they have young kids and old parents, it's about doing the right thing for people around you."
Hair salons are still on the federal government's list of "essential services" that continue to trade, however Ms Chong and the AHC are calling on Scott Morrison and his Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy to shut down their industry.
"The frustration is that the government has not given a directive for salons to close, and there's contradiction with information they are giving the nation: it's 'You must stay home, it's serious, you must only go out in twos', and we understand that for groceries and petrol and going to the pharmacy but hairdressing is a hands-on experience. There's contradiction in the 1.5m rule in social distancing and one person per two-square metres. Then saying we could open only for 30 minutes, then backflipping on that," she says.
As a mother and employer, Ms Chong's priority is the safety of the hairdressers "on the frontline", their families and their communities.
"[Suki] hairdressers are 95 per cent female, they have babies and many of us have old parents and so why put us in the frontline when they are being so strict and saying if you move outside you could be fined $1000 on the spot fines," she says.
Her current routine is waking at 6am in her Merewether home and fielding emails, phone calls and messages from hair salons across the country until as late as 1am.
The Australian Hair Council represents salons, registered training organisations and its educators, hairdressers and salon owners. Its main "product" is its accreditation processes recognising ethical and sustainable business practices.
A petition written by Ms Chong on behalf of the Council has amassed 44,000 signatures urges the government to close the industry.
"I ask you all, is vanity more important than safety? The fact is no one will die if their hair doesn't get cut for a few weeks or months. But people can die from being exposed to this virus, and that can happen right now at the hairdressers. Are you prepared to be accountable when this happens?" it states.
"We are well aware that certain members of the National Cabinet enjoy weekly blowdries. Sometimes the right decisions aren't the most popular. Our industry needs a Government directive to close until further notice. "
What Ms Chong worries about most is the emotional toll on hair salon workers.
"I get messages from people saying, 'I am closing because I can't do this anymore, I am so distraught, I have tried so hard." These are business owners who don't know if they are coming or going. Being a business, it's all about cashflow and planning and we can't plan, it's so frustrating," she says.
"There are so many concerns - domestic violence, mental health and suicide - and I think often the government forgets that business people are people and just like everyone else.
Often the government forgets that business people are people, just like everyone else.
"We all have anxieties and fears ... there's the uncertainty of tomorrow which is the basis of our anxiety - can I pay my bills, pay staff, will I lose my home.
"I know there's a hibernation time frame for bank loans and mortgages but it's all deferred and there's no income coming in. I worry about my daughter and her children, you have that on top of everything else. It's the multitude of concerns that is like an avalanche for all of us. Every part of our life has changed. There is uncertainty everywhere."
The AHC is working hard via its social media channels to explain how businesses can cope amid the crisis, from templates on how to stand down staff to accessing the stimulus package.
"The first video we put up had 91,000 views, our phone doesn't stop, 99 per cent of the emails are all 'help me'," she says.
While many have applauded the salons who have taken an early stance in closing, Ms Chong has received aggressive messages concerning some who are still trading.
"Some salons are being bullied and asked to do home visits if they shut, but your home or mine might have germs - salons are more hygienic," she says.
Ms Chong says she speaks from the heart as a hairdresser and salon owner as she taps her nationwide network to lobby the government, which she says has mostly done an "incredible job".
"It's great to know that if a person is worried about their business, we can get their message straight to the government," she says.
She believes many salons are "too scared" to close because they falsely believe they will then not be eligible for the stimulus.
She is also concerned for vulnerable workers on visas who she says are not entitled to the government's stimulus package.
"We have all these people on 482, 457 visa holders, it depends on the industry and their positions, and they can't go home because they can't get into their country. They are in limbo with no money," she says, adding one of her staff has a visa connected to her partner and cannot work.
Ms Chong believes the crisis will impact businesses and the economy for at least six months.
To offset the relentlessly grim news cycle, she is trying to stay upbeat by seeking consolation in the mundane.
"Last Sunday I had the ABC on all day and I just had to tune out. I went for a walk, cooked dinner for my daughter and her two kids, cleaned the house and did the washing."
Raised in Sydney, Ms Chong fell into hairdressing at 14, when she began a Saturday morning job in a local salon as a "little shampoo girl" and floor sweeper.
Completing her apprenticeship at Centrepoint tower, she moved to the Hunter in 1978 and began her first salon, Sandy Chong, at 61 Hunter Street, renaming it after 15 years to Suki.
"It remains a strong, stable and sustainable business - we recycle up to 98 per cent of what leaves the salon. For instance, anything that is plastic is made into park benches, foil is sold and money goes to Oz Harvest, the hair is put into hair booms to treat oil spills in a marine environment, pony tails go to wigs for children with cancer," she says.
Recently named one of the most influential nine women in Australian business by The Sydney Morning Herald and Age, Ms Chong says her staff have worked at fashion events around the world and are renowned for creating "beautiful, natural hair".
Her team's love of organised systems, she says, has allowed her to focus on her advocacy role. She calls them her "Sukettes", in return they have given her a nickname of affection.
"Over the years I have nurtured a lot of people who come to me for lots of advice and they started calling me Mamma Chong."
Right now, she repeats, we need to communicate, collaborate and care.
"People can be quite irrational and if I had one message, whether you are a leader or individual, bear in mind you look after yourself but at this point everyone else needs looking after. There is not one person who is untouched by what is going on."
