Marketing guru in the hair business
Kgomotso Molelekeng | Wednesday November 27, 2013 17:46
The former newspaper columnist and executive at the National Development Bank now runs a hair salon. After 10 years in the banking world, in September, the 34-year old dug deep into her talent bag and savings, and opened Hair Garage at the bus rank in Gaborone.
“Having been retrenched myself, I decided to take it in a positive way and empower other people out there so I looked into what I am good at and it came down to beauty and hair which is something I am very passionate about,” she said.
Understanding the market was crucial in deciding where to operate. So, Musa explains, to make it she strategically placed the salon at the busiest place in the capital city, the station.
Under her employ are 13 beauty and hair care specialists. The team offers services such as manicures and pedicures, and eyelash extensions. They also do hair extensions and sell other hair products including premium hair, popular with the city’s young high flyers. While women are still the major clientele, Musa and her team see many men who come for dreadlock grooming, scalp treatments and barber services. Employing a big team in these tough economic times is hard, but Musa has still to see the downside of it. In fact, she reasons that it is her own form of community service. “It gives me great pleasure to have been given hope and I have helped 13 people to survive and I must add that I would not be where I am today if it was not because of this great team. I have here with me dedicated, hardworking young people who have done nothing but please my customers because they are good at what they do,” she says.
To Musa customer service is key to her survival in this cutthroat world of beauty and care, and so is cleanliness. “We take hygiene very seriously and we believe our customers need to be treated in a clean place so that they can relax and enjoy being treated so as a result we tend to keep the salon very clean at all times,” she says.
Although Musa holds a masters degree in statistics management, going on a job hunt is out of the question. Her sole focus is on growing her business and expanding to other parts of the city.
“I am currently planning to open another salon here in the city. This is a popular form of business in town, as we all like to fix our hair and look beautiful. I also want to add body massage to the line.”
Qualifications and experience in marketing help her manage the business well. “I am able to market my business well and I am in a position to see how to best improve it. But most important, my accounts books are always up to date as I do them myself,” she says.
Having seen the fruits of the business in a short time, Musa is happy to encourage entrepreneurial youths to try hair care. “The secret here is to always make the customer leave with a smile. I always tell my employees to do their best when dealing with a customer because it is that very person who will bring others if they are satisfied. I also always encourage customers to complain if they are not happy,” she said. Her long term plan for the salon is to franchise. “I have started consulting relevant stakeholders to come up with a five-year strategic plan to franchise. The next venture is targeted at Palapye in the next two years,” is the energetic entrepreneur’s parting shot.