Hairdresser reaps big from salon business

Busia,

Thursday, March 30, 2023

 K.N.A

By Peter Okeka/Salome Alwanda

A hairdresser’s dream of owning a salon and expanding her profits finally came true and she now finds fortune from her business.

Mariam Odinga owns one of the largest salons at Ogalo Market in Butula Sub County, Busia County. She narrates to KNA on her entrepreneurial journey from offering free services from her doorstep to becoming her own boss with employees.

“This hairdressing skill runs in the family. I learned all hairstyles by apprenticeship and started putting what I learnt into practice. I offered free services at first to see the progress,” she narrates.

The appreciation she got from her clients pushed her to venture fully into the business with an aim of making profits.

“Some of my clients used to appreciate me with the little they had. That is when I realized I could earn a living from my services. Thereafter I started receiving bookings and reservations,” stated Odinga.

Odinga attributes her success to the zeal, determination and commitment she has towards her work. She is also proud of her clients who she says pushed her to learn new hair styles so that they could get them from her place.

“A dynamic environment requires one to be flexible. I teach myself new hair styles which enables me to grab opportunities that come along with the clients’ demands,” she noted.

She moved from her doorstep and set up a stall near her house from which she continued her business from. On a good day, she could earn between Sh500 to Sh600 and Sh200 on a bad day.

An opportunity to own her own salon presented itself when she relocated near Ogalo Market. She had to learn the new way of doing her business in town having established it in the village.

Odinga shared a roof with one of the salon owners at the market as she looked for a starting capital to establish her own.

With a starting capital of Sh3000, she moved to her own apartment and was ready to take the bull by the horns. Her first big win was her customers who followed her to the new place of work, Shalom Salon.

“It seemed easy to establish and maintain my own enterprise since I had a wide network of clients. I started with a stock of Sh3000 from which the business picked its pace,” added Odinga.

Her profits and gains have increased tremendously as her current capital stands at Sh80,000. She now earns from Sh5000 to Sh6000 on a good day and Sh1800- Sh2000 on a bad day.

At the same time, Odinga offers hairdressing lessons to learners and upcoming hairdressers. Her class has 15 learners at the moment who are taught at a fee of Sh2000 per month each.

“Each student pays Sh2000 per month for the lessons. I absorb some of them as my employees after gaining the skills. Some of them look for greener pastures elsewhere as others open their own enterprises,” she added.

She has been given the nick-name ‘Mama Yao’ by her students who say she is a mother figure to them. They also lauded her for her excellent hairdressing skills and good customer relations.

“She is a mother-figure to us and usually corrects us when we go wrong. She has taught us to be self-reliant and use the skills learnt to better our lives,” said Maureen Anyango, one of the students.

“I have been able to learn a number of hair styles within the short time I’ve been here. She is a good person who delegates duties to us when she is busy. She has got good customer relations which is essential in this business,” added Sophie Wanjala, another student.

Odinga’s all-time customer Violet Oucho is proud of her services to clients.

She mentions that her hair treatment has to be done by Odinga since she is understanding, skillful and usually cracks jokes with her clients.

Odinga’s business has seen her raise her family’s living standards as she has been able to educate her kids and assist her parents from the profits gained.

She however faces the challenge of unpaid debts as some clients demand services on credit which ended up not being settled.

She encourages the upcoming hairdressers to be strong hearted because of the challenges that come with the business.

Courtesy K.N.A