Meet Ezekiel Gichobi, man in beauty industry dominated by women

More people have ventured into the popular niche with companies coming up.

 

Ezekiel Gichobi, alias Zack, has tapped into this money-making industry.

The 30-year- old owns Zalooks Beauty Parlour which is located in the Central Business District along Moi Avenue.

He studied at the Nairobi Institute of Business Studies in 2011 where he pursued a diploma in Information Technology.

However, he only got to the second year when he gained an interest in entrepreneurship.

He was first exposed to hairdressing, quit school and went to study more about hairdressing at Beauty Point College in 2013.

"I learnt about hairdressing and completed the course in 2015. I realised it was not bringing in enough money and decided to turn to beauty,” Zack said.

"A friend of mine who was threading eyebrows brought in a lot of money from this and I immediately got interested in it." 

Zack said his friend agreed to walk him through the process from 2016 and 2017 when he was employed to do threading.

In August 2018, he opted to open up his business and this is where Zalooks Beauty Parlour was born.

It entails professional nail, make-up, eyebrow and spa services.

"I began all alone with a very small space where I paid Sh10,000 rent monthly. I did everything including make-up and threading eyebrows nonetheless, after two months, I hired a nail technician and a make-up artist," Zack said.

He said that it was tough at the beginning since he was just starting up and he had to gain the trust of his first clients.

His business gradually grew and currently, he is celebrating four years in the beauty industry.

He has hired 13 people, six women and seven men.

"I chose to stick to beauty since it brings in good money and people, especially ladies, love being pampered effectively by professionals," he said.

"It is a field that is growing intensely and I am driven by the passion to keep pursuing what I love." 

He said a nail technician who has just begun his work will averagely earn not less than Sh50,000 monthly.

"It is a good business and I could make close to Sh650,000 per month during good months minus the stock which could add up to around Sh30,000 per month," Zack said.

"Occasionally, we get some male clients although women take the lead. On a slow day, I could averagely receive about 30 clients while on good days they could go up to 50 clients." 

Zack said eyebrows, nails, and make-up services are the most popular among his clients.

He manages the rest of his team while majorly focusing on eyebrow services that include threading, micro blading and brows tinting.

The prices for eyebrows range between Sh200 to Sh 11,000 depending on what it entails.

At Zalooks Beauty Parlour, four ladies are make-up artists, one handles the spa and massages while the other is in administration.

Make-up services range between Sh700 to Sh1000. They even offer to make up classes that range between Sh15,000 to Sh30,000.

Ann Barake, 27,  is a make-up artist at Zalooks and she was among the first employees that the parlour acquired when it began.

"It is very easy to give up at the beginning since the business does not pick up immediately," she said

There are six nail technicians.

Clients prefer men working on their nails as opposed to women.

“Men are more gentle and they have the physical energy to do pedicures which calls for a lot of strength," Zack said.

"Women are more confident that men will do the job well, they believe they know how to do the job better than women which in reality is true."

They make various types of nails including stick-ons, tips, overlays, and acrylics with a price range between Sh500 to Sh3500.

Oliver, a 26-year- old from Burundi, is a nail technician at the parlour and has worked there for two years.

"I have been able to grow at Zalooks parlour compared to how when I used to work in Burundi," he said.

Zack said that the spa service is his newest service.

"I know it will pick up eventually just like the other services I offer," he said.

He added that he charges Sh2ooo per hour for massage services.

Other services the spa offers include waxing and facials.

Challenges

He said that during the Covid-19 pa wearing of masks affected the make-up business. The majority of clients were not coming in to get their make-up done since they had to wear masks.

He said the majority of the work is done during the weekends while business is slow during the weekdays.

“Many of our clients come on Fridays and Saturdays which makes us overwhelmed with work,” he said.

"I have expanded my business. I am not able to accommodate the spa in the same building, it is in another building in town."

Zack aspires to get a bigger space that will accommodate all his businesses.

He said that beginning a business takes courage and patience.

"Patience and trusting the process is key. I never knew that one day I would open up such a big parlour and employ more than 10 people, trusting in God and always being prayerful also goes a long way," Zack said.

He advises people who would like to join the beauty business should not agree to be in a station structure.

He said this is where one is given standard money, for example, Sh10,000 monthly no matter what it is made during the month.

Zack said that being paid on a commission basis has more profits instead of being paid per station.

"Enjoy the process, take bold steps if need be, even if you start at the bottom it is part of the process that will shape the next chapter of your life," Zack said.