Tell me why sustainable salons are the future

Gulf News

Layla Alhajjaj, Founder of Boho Salon, joins Tell Me Why podcast host Maria Botros to talk about why she opened an environmentally friendly and sustainable business to match her personal values.  The goal is to use Boho Salon as a platform to educate people about how shopping behavior has a massive impact on the environment Layla: Boho Salon uses products that are ethically sourced, to reduce our footprint Products are packaged in biodegradable or recycled materials  Layla: We work with brands that have the same values and goals in our sustainability journey The founder of Boho Salon said one of the challenges was introducing a new concept and educating the public about sustainable salons  Read the full story here:   See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km

Transcript

00:00So like I faced some challenges because my leadership style maybe in the beginning was

00:04similar to what I had to use when I was in corporate, which is more about

00:08empowering people to make their own decisions and expecting that people will be self-motivated

00:14to reach their KPIs or work because they would care also about their own career development

00:20themselves. What I realized in my business that not everyone is the same. There are some people

00:26that actually need to be micro-managed and sometimes they may not be self-motivated

00:33and then they don't want to be involved in the decision-making process.

00:37They just want to be told what to do. So that was a little bit

00:42different because it's completely different than my leadership style.

00:46All right, all right. Welcome back. This is Tell Me Why. I'm Maria Botros and today,

00:58I know I mentioned this before, but we just recently launched a mini-series within our

01:04podcast called Get to Know the CEO and we try our best every month to get at least one CEO

01:10or entrepreneur onto our show to talk about their business, how they grew their business and

01:17how they expanded either in the region or internationally or even locally as a starting

01:23point. Today in the studio joining me is Leila El-Hajjaj, who's the founder and managing director

01:29of Boho Salon. I want to say salons, you have more than one, right? Yes. Okay. So can you tell

01:35us a bit more about Boho Salon? Sure. First, I'm very happy to be here and thank you for having me

01:40and of course, I'll tell you about my salon. With your perfectly coiffed hairs.

01:51Boho Salon, it started on a branch first in Abu Dhabi and it was a business that I've launched

01:58during COVID. If you asked me before that time, if I have ever thought about opening a salon,

02:06I'll tell you, no way, maybe. It wasn't really an industry that I've had an interest in before.

02:13I've came from like an engineering background mainly. So it was a very different shift. But

02:21during COVID, a lot has changed in the world that I've had some time and money that I wanted to

02:27invest in. And then I was looking what would be the opportunities or something that I would be

02:33interested in doing. And during that time, I mean, someone like me was thinking of opening a

02:39business, which was not the common thought at that time. There were many people that were actually

02:46leaving UAE going back to their home country and selling their own businesses. And so what I did

02:53was I found a salon that was at that moment, salon space that was for sale because the previous owner

03:01wanted to leave. And I thought maybe this would be a better move for me to take over a space that

03:07is already ready and then just change the concept, change the brand and create the brand from there.

03:16So that's the first branch that I had. So it was mostly like an acquiring and establish a space

03:22and then just changing it, adding my touch to it. And in the same time, because of what was

03:27happening in the world, I wanted to make sure that I have an impact through that business.

03:34And I wanted to make sure that it has my own personal values in it. I don't want it to be

03:38just another hair salon without having something that will make it stand out between the rest.

03:44And so that when I decided to make it more sustainable and I've looked into how can I

03:50make it sustainable and how can I use it as a platform to educate more people in the community

03:57to make better choices when it comes to what kind of products they're using on their skin or in their

04:03bodies and how their shopping behavior could actually have an impact and also the environment.

04:12Two years and a half later, I've decided to move and open another branch in Dubai. So I had the

04:20second branch, which is a much larger scale than the first branch that I had in Abu Dhabi. Dubai is

04:28three times bigger and a little bit different tier, I would say, and different market. And it was

04:38completely shell and core space. So it was a different experience for me in terms of the

04:44challenges that I faced, building a space from scratch, different investment that was required.

04:53And then here we are now with two salons. That's amazing. Okay, I want to backtrack a little.

04:58So you were saying that you come from an engineering background. Yes. And you said that it

05:03was never like part of your like long term plan to open up a salon. What was the turning point?

05:09Like what got you into it? So first, you know, I think with a lot of fuss here in the Middle East,

05:16specifically when you decide to go and study a major, sometimes it's just about what can you

05:21get a very good job in or what your parents wanted you to do. Right. And that was a part of why I

05:27decided to go and study computer science in the beginning. And it was more about, okay, if I go

05:32abroad to study computer science, I can go back to Saudi and I can work in Saudi Aramco, the biggest

05:38company in there, you know. And back then it was kind of like the dream, you know. But after I

05:45finished from my university, even though I was good at it, and I enjoyed it, but I wanted to do

05:52something different. So I decided to go into oil and gas. And oil and gas is not really a field

05:59for women, I would say. And that was the main reason maybe why I wanted to be in it.

06:05Because when I shared my decision with people, a lot of people told me like, are you crazy?

06:10And like, a lot of men can make it there. Why do you think you will be able to do it, you know?

06:15And my response was like, I want to prove to people that women can do it, not just any woman,

06:20like Saudi women can do it. And I, and obviously, it involves a lot of traveling and working with

06:28diverse groups. And that was very attractive to me at that time. And so I've joined the company,

06:35and I was in it for six years and a half. I worked in four different locations. And even though it

06:42did shape me as the person who I am now, I developed a lot of skills from just like the

06:48challenges working in a male dominant industry. And just like the traveling, the different

06:54positions that I have, obviously, it gave me all the transferable skills that I use now.

07:00But eventually, it wasn't really aligned with my values or what kind of impact I wanted to

07:06have in the world. And then through it, eventually, I reached a place where I felt

07:12my I wanted to have a job that I feel like it's meaningful, a job that I feel like, okay, I have

07:19a purpose, you know, I didn't want to just wake up, go to work, make money and come back, you know.

07:24And, and that was my turning point. At first, I've decided to have a career change. I moved from

07:32oil and gas to where I am now, I still have a full time job. And I work with an nonprofit

07:38organization that focuses on people with intellectual disabilities. Oh, wow. And

07:44and through that, you know, just entering at first was a little bit difficult, because,

07:50you know, people will look at you and be like, okay, you're an engineer, you have these kind

07:53of skills, how do we know that you will be able to do something different, right? And it's all

07:59about showing your problem solving skills, your project management, your data analysis, and then,

08:04okay, if you can deliver a project in this, you can still deliver a project in a different

08:09industry. And I was very lucky, because with my current position, I've had the chance of

08:17delivering programs and projects in different industries, in education, in the community,

08:22in sports and health. And that gave me a better understanding and background of how I can shift

08:29things in between. And maybe that gave me more confidence and thinking or knowing that, okay,

08:36if I decide to actually open a business, then just like how I moved and shifted between different

08:41industry, then I would have a better or more confidence and better skills to lead the business.

08:49Yes, precisely. You know, you mentioned oil and gas, and I my brother spent like 10 years in oil

08:55and gas. And I remember, it is a male dominated, you know, industry and props to you for making

09:01it through in that. And I remember him actually telling me, when he used to see women in that

09:06industry, he used to have a lot of respect for them, because it's tough on men. So he could only

09:11imagine what it was like for a woman, not because we are not as strong or can't do it. But it is

09:18very taxing. It's, it's an exhausting and very demanding job. So and a lot of the things that we

09:24learn from different positions from different job roles, really do feed into our future experiences

09:30and our future job roles, because it's not like a standalone job, and that's it, I'm done with it,

09:36and I put it aside. There's so many things that you learn from each job that you put to the test,

09:41be it when you move to a new role, or when you open up your own business. So going into a bit

09:47more into boho, what are some of the skills that you really put into, like, you put to the test

09:54when you were opening up your business, be it through challenges, or just some of the successes

10:00that you, you witnessed with the salon? Yeah. And I think mainly it was the operational skills,

10:10and like managing the, the budgets and the numbers. Obviously, when I was in the

10:18oil and gas industry, it was about managing locations and resources, equipment, and the

10:24employees, and just having that long term plan about how everyone and everything is going to be

10:31assigned. And, and it was more about, like, I would say resource and resource optimization.

10:38And I think that what I am more skilled at that helped me in boho itself. And then with my

10:46current position, it was more about partnerships and collaborating with other entities.

10:54Were the skills that I've gained that helped me with boho. And saying that, though, a challenge

11:00that I felt was a little bit different when it comes to my experience, is that sometimes leadership

11:08is very different when you are in corporate than when you are in your own business. Of course.

11:15And mainly because obviously, I've managed a team of men, men are more in like, they use intellect

11:21and reasoning more than emotions. And now with the salon, it's managing a team of women that

11:27could be a little bit different. But it's also the backgrounds. So like, I faced some challenges,

11:34because my leadership style, maybe in the beginning was similar to what I had to use when I

11:38was in corporate, which is more about empowering people to make their own decisions. And expecting

11:45that people will be self motivated to reach their KPIs or work, because they would care also about

11:51their own career development themselves. What I realized in my business that not everyone is the

11:57same, there are some people that actually needs to be micromanaged. And sometimes they're not

12:02midnight, they may not be self motivated. And then they don't want to be involved in the decisions

12:08making process, they just want to be told what to do. And so that was a little bit different,

12:15because it's completely different than my leadership style. And that was my hardest

12:21thing, maybe to learn and okay, how can I do this? And how can I be different?

12:26But I, I mean, that's really good that you recognize that because, you know, some people

12:31might be good at what they do, they just have a different way of doing it. So for instance,

12:35the person that likes to be told what you know what to do exactly, might actually be good at

12:41what they do, they just need the guidance when someone else so it's not really judging how good

12:46they are, they might be capable, it's just they they have a different way of doing things. And

12:50it's good that you recognize that because I think some people might miss out on opportunities

12:54because they're misunderstood. So yeah, it's still good that I mean, as a leader that you,

12:59you know, you recognize that. Okay, so I want to discuss the salon a bit more,

13:04you mentioned sustainability, you mentioned sustainability through products through the

13:09setup of the salon, other than the fact that it's aesthetically beautiful. And, you know,

13:16very boho chic, actually, tell us about the sustainability part, what what what are the

13:22sustainable, like, what's the, what are the sustainable solutions that you're actually

13:26implementing in your salon, be it through the products or the services,

13:30the main part of it is reducing our footprint. And that could go into two parts. One, using the

13:41products that were made from ingredients that were sourced ethically, where also the workers have

13:48been paid fairly. And the other part is, I mean, the products are packaged in either biodegradable

13:58material, or from recycled material that for example, plastic that have been collected from

14:03the ocean or from landfill. And we managed to do that because we work with the brands and partners

14:10who are sustainable. And that helps us become like a head of the sustainability journey that we will,

14:18we want to keep evolving and improving in. And so the main two brands that I carry are actually

14:25B Corp certified, which is the highest certification you can get when it comes to

14:30sustainability. And it just means that they look at everything that they do from sourcing the

14:35ingredients to production to delivering, including offsetting their carbon emission. And then you

14:43know, it's all like ingredients that have like, no, no non toxic, like they're good for the hair,

14:49they're good for the skin. And by working with them, we know that, you know, we have sustainable

14:57products, we're using products that have not been tested on the animal. So we're also contributing

15:03to animal warfare. And then after that, we want to make sure that we segregate our waste,

15:12and we recycle what we can we work with a company that comes and collect

15:16from us weekly or biweekly, depending on how much waste we have at that time. And they collect

15:23plastic and metal. And I'm confident that there will be more solutions where we can recycle and

15:29the aluminum foil or the hair or other waste that we currently have at the salon that the current

15:35existing companies don't recycle, especially that with this year being the year of sustainability

15:42in UAE, with COP 28 being around the corner. It's exciting and amazing that everyone is coming

15:50together here to have more conversation about sustainability and how different businesses can

15:55take more actions to be more sustainable. And so I'm sure like, but with time, it's not going to be

16:03only Boho Salon that is looking at minimizing the footprint or minimizing waste. I'm sure a lot of

16:10other salons will also join the sustainability journey. Yeah, I was just gonna say, you know,

16:16it's still not common. I mean, to be very frank with you, especially with the, you know, with

16:21salons, I want to say, it's not common that you find ones that offer sustainable solutions, or

16:27have that at the core of their business. So what are the some of the challenges you faced with

16:31trying to introduce this idea in the market? Because a lot of people are not familiar with

16:36that. Yeah. And so in the beginning, when I opened the salon, especially like during COVID,

16:43most of my marketing tactics were about sustainability and how sustainable we are.

16:48But I've realized a lot of people didn't really relate to it or didn't really care about it as

16:53much or all what they care about is like, okay, is your service good or not? Exactly. And it was all

16:59about educating them, which I feel now, three years after a lot has changed, there's more

17:06awareness about how important it is to either use sustainable products, or how better it is to

17:14support a sustainable business, right? And I feel there's a shift in consumer behaviors and

17:19understanding, which I feel is going to eliminate some of the challenges. And the cost of getting

17:27these products or being sustainable is also higher than using things that are not sustainable.

17:33Exactly. But it just means that maybe my profit margin is going to be lower. And that's something

17:40that I decided that I would accept only because I know long term, it's gonna pay off. Yes. And

17:47knowing that I've started ahead of the trend, when it wasn't really something that many

17:55consumers cared about, right, but maybe a year from now, two years from now, three years from now,

18:00that's all what consumers would want, would want. And then it's gonna put me ahead of the competition,

18:05because eventually, the competition is not going to be able to keep up as fast, because it's not

18:11something that's on the radar at the moment. Right, right. And you're ahead, I was just gonna say

18:16you're ahead. And you don't, you know, down the line, businesses and consumers will both want

18:22to lead by that example. And you're leading by example right now. And you're doing something,

18:27as you said, the profit margin might be a little less than, you know, other, I want to say business

18:33setups. But the reward is much greater. And down the line, it might be more rewarding, as you said.

18:40So what's next for Boho then? What's next for Boho? It's a tricky one. I know. Like some people

18:48don't actually like think about it until I asked them. And they're like, Oh, you caught me off guard.

18:53It is tricky, because I think what next changes for me from one week to another week, okay,

18:59it really depends on whether am I at the top or the bottom of the entrepreneurial journey,

19:07you know, because it's not a straight curve. So sometimes when I'm on a high, I feel like,

19:13you know, when I expand, I want to open a branch in Saudi, I want to open it for a franchise,

19:17or I want to go into consultancy. And but then, you know, when I am at the lower bottom, I feel

19:24like this is not something that I want to continue anymore. Yeah, you know, yeah. But my main goal,

19:31or like the near goal for me is to expand my Abu Dhabi location into a bigger location.

19:37Okay. And, and that's what I want to focus on. I want to make sure that I don't get too excited

19:44about, like a growing without making sure that I make the most of these two branches first.

19:51And then after that, I will say there are different options in terms of what I want to do.

19:58Okay. But as you know, it will be decided. Yeah, to be decided. You're right. Okay,

20:05so you mentioned Saudi quite a few times. You're from Saudi? Yeah. Okay. So and your family lives

20:12back home? Yeah. So as an entrepreneur, how do you find that balance? Like, how do you it must be?

20:19I mean, a lot. There's there's a lot on your plate. You were saying you have a full time job,

20:23you have your business, and your family's back home. Can you tell us a bit more about that? Like

20:28for our listeners who are maybe venturing out and trying to start a business? Yeah.

20:35So you know, like I've left Saudi when I was 17 to study university. And I've been living

20:41abroad and doing things independently. And since then, and it's definitely hard not having your

20:49family close to you or not, you know, because especially when you're doing a business, it's

20:55easier when you have a support system and people that you can always go to. And with me having my

21:02family far and I wouldn't feel like I would want to burden them maybe or go to them and vent or

21:10share with them my challenges, like I try to keep it a little bit more positive conversations only.

21:16Right. Which I feel makes it harder being an entrepreneur.

21:23And do you like, think that sometimes it is difficult to have all these things at once?

21:30Like, do you reach a point where you feel like this is too much? Or have you managed to, you know,

21:37keep going and tell yourself, no, I can do it with a little bit of time management or whatnot?

21:43Definitely. There are a few times that I feel I've reached like, you know, like, like a burnout

21:50situation. Right. And, and mainly, like impacted, I would say my ability to make decisions were like

21:57every small decision became too stressful for me. Or like I developed, like, you know, an anxiety

22:04where it made me feel like, okay, for a while, I just need to go into a cave or like bury my head

22:13in a hole just so I can like regain my power and my confidence. And, you know, going through

22:20these moments made me like even realize more that, you know, if you want to have a business,

22:24you definitely need to have a support system and like very close relationships.

22:31And that would always keep you strong when you go through these lower turns, I would say.

22:37Yeah. So that was actually my next question. Look at you, you're already ahead. What's your

22:42advice for entrepreneurs? Or people who are just thinking about starting a business?

22:50I mean, if someone is thinking about starting a business, so I mean, you know, first like,

22:55congratulations, it's, it takes a lot of courage to actually even just think or explore it, because

23:02not everyone would want to do it. But also not everyone can actually do it. And it's not really

23:09about do you have the skills to do it or not? It's all about do you have the power? Well,

23:14are you able to go through the stress? And do you enjoy, like the challenges? Because even

23:22the reward might be high, but also when you're going through a downturn, that's also like very

23:28like low, you know, the low is low and the high is high. And then just to have also like,

23:36more self awareness about what do you actually enjoy? And do you enjoy a structure and working

23:42from nine to five, because there is nothing wrong with that. And a lot of people think,

23:47oh, if I go open a business, then I have control over my, my time, or I have, I don't have to

23:54report to anyone or to do what anyone is telling me to do. But at the same time, it could be actually

23:59harder, because then you need to work around the clock, even if you manage to have a team that you

24:03can delegate to, and you can have your time off, but you're still the business owner, they will

24:09still come to you for decisions. And you just have to be like available all the time. And I think the

24:16main thing is to ask yourself, is this something that I want? Is this something that I enjoy?

24:20Because if you don't enjoy it, then it's gonna be much harder.

24:24Yeah, yeah, if you can't switch off, and if that's something you cannot, you know,

24:29live with, then yeah, that's something to consider. As you said,

24:33okay, I know your time is very valuable, but I have one last question. And then you're off the hook.

24:40What's next for Layla? I mean, apart from the business, what's next for you?

24:47Yeah, another tricky one. I know.

24:50And what's next for me? And I feel this is an interview now.

24:56And I'm not sure yet as well.

24:58Okay. Yeah, which is fair enough.

25:00Yeah. And I mean, I am enjoying the entrepreneurship journey a lot. And just like,

25:07you know, coming up with ideas, saying if I can implement them and execute them,

25:11just challenging myself. And I'm not really scared from failing as much. So I am a risk taker.

25:20And I enjoy pushing the boundaries. But at the same time, do I really just want to be

25:28in the business and focus on the businesses and give up my corporate side? And that has been

25:36a back and forth conversation for me. Because I feel sometimes my corporate identity is also

25:41a part of who I am. And I feel if I walk away from it, I'm not sure if it's going to be something

25:48that I'm going to feel comfortable with or not. You know, a lot of people will tell me, yes,

25:52when it's going to be the best decision that you're going to make in your life, you know.

25:57But then sometimes there are other business owners that will tell me, no, you could still have a

26:00corporate job and be at the top and have different businesses. But it's all about what you want and

26:07how you want to divide your time and also what you want to make from your businesses, you know.

26:14Exactly. So yeah, to be discovered as we discovered. Yeah, well, that's fair enough.

26:20Layla, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. We'd love to have you back. Hopefully,

26:25if you venture out and if you expand, we'll have you back and discuss that too.

26:29Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Thank you. See you though.

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