The Bowral salon was also one of four finalists for the national 'Gold Ella' award, the highest recognition in the network.

Salon owner Merilyn Knight said there were more than160 Ella Bache salons across Australia, so to be recognised like this in only our fifth year of business was very rewarding.

Ms Knight was recognised for her business acumen in implementing extensive employee training programs which resulted in 25 per cent growth for the salon over the past 12 months.

"I saw an opportunity with our salon to improve the customer experience by refining our systems and processes," Ms Knight said.

"It's not something that happened over night but with the hard work of our salon manager Kylee and the team we really started to achieve results for our very loyal clients and our salon."

Ms Knight said the success with Ella Bache had come after looking for a fresh direction in her career.

"I wanted a fresh change in my career and after having my daughter, the need for greater flexibility was another deciding factor in owning an Ella Bache salon.

"It was a perfect fit because I have used, and been involved with, Ella Bache since I was 13 and have an enormous respect for the brand," she said.

Ella bache CEO Pippa Hallas said Ms Knight was a shining example of the success that hard work and commitment could achieve.

"Merilyn is an outstanding leader in not only her salon, but also her community and I am really proud of what she has achieved," she said.

"Her manager Kylee was also considered the best in the state and it is obvious they work together extremely well to deliver the best service to locals.

"The whole Bowral team deserves this recognition and we look forward to seeing their business continue to flourish."

Mrs Knight has previously taken out the award for 'Franchise of the Year' and the 'Humanitarian Award' for her outstanding contribution to the community.