Using Motivation And Enthusiam - With Style!
American Salon Magazine

Place of Employment:
Salone Nadwa and Day Spa, Michigan's largest full-service salon and day spa.

Title:
Owner and master stylist.

Length of Time in that Position:
Six years.

Primary Job Responsibilities:
Management and hairstylist.

Previous Experience in this Field:
Yono has 20 years experience as a stylist, working for a number of different salons. Remembering the number of salons she worked for, she said, "Gosh, I've gone through about 10. That's the nature of our business. Some people stay for a long time because they don't have the drive, they don't have the goals. They could care less if they have their own businesses. But people who are looking to always advance themselves move around looking for something better. That's what happened with me. I kept looking for something better or I wanted to see what everybody else was doing. I knew my goal was to open up a business."

Yono said being a stylist was in her blood ever since she was a little girl, and knew early on that her goal was to run her own business. As she moved from salon to salon, she picked up some keys for success.

"Nobody taught me how to run my own business. I just kind of watched to see what was going on with other places. Some of the things I kept in my mind. I like how some salons had direction and they helped people make their goals."

She also had it in her mind to run a salon and spa.

"I always wanted a salon and spa, but I knew my husband and I couldn't afford it. I just wanted to open up a small salon and I thought I would grow it into a spa. We really wanted it here and Novi Town Center wasn't giving a small area. Then they told us there was 5,200 square feet and I panicked."

But then her husband talked her into it. Her business is now expanding.

Favorite Aspect of Job:
"I love to motivate people and motivate clients. When a client sits in my chair, I always like to motivate them to do this or that. Same thing with employees - when they're down, when they're having a slow day, I always like to hype them up and motivate them. I put a lot of excitement into myself and talk to them with a lot of excitement and I give them a lot of advice."

Yono's salon and spa does not experience a lot of the same turnover that other salons might experience because of the relationship she has with her 50 employees.

"We don't have a lot of turnover here. It's a very small percentage." She said that one of the keys to that low rate is communication. "We do a lot of stuff together. I motivate them. I get them to take opportunities to better themselves through education. "I don't want to call myself a friend to them, but I am their leader. I am not a boss. I allow them to think for themselves. I allow them to explore themselves. I allow them to take control of a situation. I let them be who they are."

Least Favorite Aspect of the Job:
"Unprofessionalism. A lot of people don't know how to talk to people or clients. They're too tired and don't really want to dress up. Attitude. I like to groom them on that."

Biggest Challenge Facing Your Field:
"Bringing the industry corporate structure up to a higher standard. A lot of these salons are unprofessional. There's no structure. What my husband and I are trying to do is make a new image for our industry. This is a professional industry. Look at it different than just a bimbo hairdresser."

Greatest Personal Goal:
"To win hairdresser of the year award. You enter a competition, and it's across the world. You send in photographs of your work, before and after. It has to be super creative. They look at the whole picture - how advanced you are, and they want to see a picture that they don't see all the time in a magazine. They want to see something beyond that."

Most Memorable Event on the Job:
"My grand opening, I was really surprised how many people showed up for that. It was over 400 people. I didn't know them to invite them, they were just excited to see this kind of place in Novi." Salone Nadwa opened on November 23, 1994.

Best Business Advice:
"Think outside of the box. What I mean by that, people are always thinking, this is a hair salon. This is a spa. Let's just do what we know and not elaborate on that." She instead says, "Learn new things. We're into education. Don't be afraid to try different things."

Quality You Most Admire In A Person:
Personal drive.

Three Words to Describe You:
"Self-made millionaire," and she stressed self-made.

Person who Most Influenced You:
"Madonna. The reason for that is that she has a great business sense and she is very creative, and that's how I see myself. I wish I had as much motivation as she does."

If You Could Have Another Job:
"I would spend more time at home as a housewife and mother. A woman should contribute more to her children."