Kamaldeep Kirui arrives just in time for the interview at her business premises – Styles of Tomorrow. The place is a well kept bungalow with an inviting pink and green paint job. She takes me round; starting with the children section downstairs where a couple of kids are having a good hair day. We then go upstairs to the adult section which has a salon, barber shop, beauty and massage parlour.
I share my qualms on getting a massage. Her first time, she tells me was characterized by the same uncertainty. She maintains that a massage is extremely therapeutic and refreshing; she does it at least once a month. We agree that I will get over my fear and give myself a treat.
Kamaldeep is the proprietor of Styles of Tomorrow located just opposite Upper Hill Medical Centre. She started the business twelve years ago. Previously she was working with Price Waterhouse Coopers and after a state of redundancy, she took the monetary package that came along and invested in building her business.
It’s common knowledge that hairdressers in Nairobi and its outskirts are cashing in a handsome payday. Kenyan women are taking care of their hair more now as compared to a few years ago. Kamaldeep has regular clients who have a monthly regimen and drop by come to do the hair, a facial and a massage; “This is good for the business”.
Her passion for seeing women and girls have beautiful flawless hair was catapulted by the fact that most stylists shied away from doing her daughters hair. “As a mother, it was frustrating going round in circles looking for someone who would agree to do my daughters hair”.
Carving a niche
Styles of tomorrow is open to the general public, Kamaldeep has however designed it to be a family salon. It is a place mothers and daughters come for nice hairdos and fathers’ come in for clean shaves. The stylists that deal with the children do not crossover to the adults section and vice versa. Real dedication goes into dealing with the children and she goes an extra mile when hiring.
Her salon has become popular because of the unique niche it has carved in styling the younger generation. This is a plus since a majority of salons focus on adults and children are considered secondary clients.
That said, Kamaldeep has invested in kids’ entertainment whereby she has cable TV where they watch cartoons and other children related content. There’s also a garden within the premises with slides and swings for kids to play with while waiting. They come in as young as seven.
Kids in this digital age, she says are exposed and know exactly how they want their hair done based on what they see in the media and among peers. They come up with ideas on what hairstyles they want and cause tantrums if their ideas are not taken into consideration.
Putting employees first
Kamaldeep values her employees. One of the girls has stayed with her for twelve years, which is since she opened shop. This employee understands how she wants the work done and is a good assistant manager. When she notices discrepancies in the quality of work among the stylists she points them out. She is also keen when new stylists doing kids hair come on board, within the first few days she can decipher whether they will stay.
Kamaldeep constantly upgrades the services offered at Styles of Tomorrow. The internet is a great learning tool for the hair and beauty industry. With this in mind she set up Wi-Fi in the salon whereby the stylists get on YouTube and look for hair styles which are in synch and trending. One of the stylists has a facebook page where she advertises her work regularly, translating to a long list of clients. “You have to be proactive; this stylist calls clients after two weeks”.
As a manager she also invests in educating her employees, she took them on a customer care course by Kenya Women Finance Trust a while back. All her clients are served tea, juice and biscuits devotedly. She tells me of a time when she offered a glass of wine every Friday – this however did not last long. She jokes that some clients insisted on two glasses of wine and in the end there was imbalance in the economies of scale.
She tries to make a homily environment around her employees. Once she addresses their issues, they give undivided attention to the clients. She has encouraged them to start a welfare group in form of a chama. Additionally she introduced them to Equity banking facilities to save their money and qualify for loans. Her business setup includes welfare models such as NHIF for medical insurance and NSSF.
Overcoming challenges
Like any other business a salon has its challenges. The business does not go by the regular 9-5 and Monday to Friday rule. Most of the stylists can be in waiting the whole day having served just a handful of clients. The clients later flock in from 5pm till as late as 10pm. Kamaldeep makes it a point to stay with her staff until the last client is served; the moral support helps in fostering the spirit of teamwork. Notably business picks up on Fridays and weekends. Salon business is not conventional, January to September are fairly slow months only for it to pick up between October and December.
The salon business has expanded over the years and as an entrepreneur Kamaldeep has to work hard to maintain her clients. When she loses staff in most cases she loses clients who are attached to the specific stylist. Sadly some of the stylists also leave without the proper agreed notice, leaving her short-staffed.
The trappings of a good manager
Before venturing into the business she did a salon management course at Pivot Point where she got the basic knowledge of running a salon. In addition she had a one on one with Irene Njoroge on the key aspects of the hair and beauty business. This hands on training has been a lifeline in managing the business.
She attributes her efficacy to her earlier experience in the Human resource department at Price Waterhouse Coppers. The salon she says is like any other professional work premises. There’s no impromptu walk in and walk out, her employees have to follow protocol and fill a leave form for days off. As for accounting she keeps an excel sheet which is updated daily. Each staff member has an individual receipt book which Kamaldeep looks over at the end of each business day before she banks the daily revenue. When she is away, the CCTV cameras she installed seven years ago aid in monitoring business activities.
Kamaldeep’s team totals to over twenty staff members. A majority of them are female with the exception of the men who work in the barber shop. She has to be a no-nonsense team leader since It’s her duty to resolve conflicts arising among them without taking sides.
She has been studying other similar salons such as Milele and Queens which have several braches. For the last 12 years she has not enjoyed maximum profit. She has been re-investing into the business, now she believes expansion will be the next huge step for Styles of Tomorrow.
She has been setting up systems for a second branch. Styles of Tomorrow is set to open its doors to the people of Nakuru this February. She also plans to spruce up the business by doing things differently and innovatively in days to come. This includes offering additional services such as taking care of her client’s shopping and laundry needs while they are being pampered in the salon.
She insists on the need for business women to re-invent themselves constantly. Kamaldeep attends seminars on how to improve her business model. She likes to get out and network with people in the wider business spectrum.
A little advice
Kamaldeep encourages young business minds to have a plan before plunging fulltime into business. “Don’t leave your job without at least six months caution money for school fees, rent and utilities. Passion is important as you start, since the money does not start to trickle in immediately.”
