Roshani expands with more salons

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

Fashion is a term more associated with women and is more closer to a woman's heart. They keep a close eye on evolving trends and enjoy being part of the fashion world.

For Roshani Hemamali Kulatunga, the proprietor of Roshi's chain of hair and beauty salons, a venture related to beauty care industry was always fascinating as she had the skills for many aspects of this industry. She improved on her skills in fabric painting, flower arrangements, beauty and hair styles and manymore to be a versatile service provider in a highly competitive field. Roshani is hopeful of beauty care industry growth where it provides ample business opportunities for the young and upcoming. The industry particularly in Sri Lanka has developed to be on par with international standards and there is an ever growing clientele who regularly patronize these services. Society has given more attention on appearance and this has paved the way for a vibrant beauty care industry in the country.

Roshi's Hair and Beauty Salons is highly sought and her diary is full of appointments that run for months. Her secret of success is the personalized service blended with the use of reputed quality products by her dedicated staff members.

She was interviewed by Daily News Business.

Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Q: How do you describe your line of business?

Roshani Hemamali Kulatunga

Roshani at work

A: I am the proprietor of Roshi's Hair and Beauty Salons which will emerge as a chain as time goes on. I have three salons at present in Kelaniya, Kiribathgoda and Kollupitiya with plans to open two salons in Negombo and Wattala shortly.

I am in the beauty care industry for the past 14 years and was trained in Sri Lanka as well as in Singapore. I also have work experience in Singapore where they maintain strict standards. This experience and exposure has been invaluable to conduct business here. I have ten well trained staff members and we cater to needs of both gents and women as well.

From the schooling days I had this appetite for make up, bridal dressing, flower arrangements and fabric paintings. The salons were set up going one step further and I am happy with the progress made so far. I am proud to say that I am a qualified beautician and all my salons are 'A' grade certified.

Q: How do you manage time to handle your personal life?

A: I consider family support to be the driving force in the success of the business. My father Hiran Kulatunga and mother Olga Kapurubandara spotted my talents early in life and gave me all encouragement to build a solid business. My brother Manjula was instrumental in setting up the business. I have two sons, twins- Manupa and Dinupa Balasuriya. All what I have achieved so far reflects the family support and it also gives the flexibility to engage in day-to-day life as well as business activities uninterrupted.

Q: What motivated you to venture into business?

A: As I always had an eye for fashion and related areas, furthering my skills in the hair and beauty field was very easy. I acquired knowledge and was trained in this field to become a qualified beautician where business is derived due to quality service. The opportunity to harness my skills motivated me to start up my own business.

Q: What are your goals?

A: As the salons have been already certified "A" grade, I strive to maintain the expected standards and improve on them. My main goal is to expand within Sri Lanka and earn the reputation of being the best salon chain in the country.

Q: How do you face the challenge of competition?

A: As everyone is aware, there are a large number of hair and beauty salons in the country. On the other hand there is a growing clientele and demand for these services. Hence, having more salons will not pose a threat in the immediate future as there is a high demand. However, the experience that a customer gets and the feedback will be a decisive factor in sustaining the business in the long run. Therefore, my way of facing competition is to provide a superior quality service and ensure customer satisfaction. I have the product differentiation as a competitive edge over other similar ventures as I only use reputed products imported from Singapore.

Q: What examples do you provide others?

Roshani with her sons

A: I am hard working and committed to the task. I am ambitious when it comes to educating my sons. I make all my effort to strike a balance between business and life as I enjoy providing a good service to my clients.

Q: What is your specialty?

A: I consider the large number of salons to be a blessing as it provides the momentum to be ahead of others. The customer loyalty can change with drop of service quality and hence if one does not maintain and improve on quality they will lose customers. This will not augur well for the business. I persist on service quality and also display the fee charge so that customers make an informed decision. In many cases, they get to know what they have to pay at the end and this, some times is higher than what was anticipated.

Q: What are your achievements in business?

A: I was able to secure a business partnership with the Arpico Supermarket chain to set up 'Roshi's' at the supermarkets. The first two such salons will be set up in Negombo and Wattala shortly. Having won the confidence of a leading supermarket chain is remarkable considering the fact that there are a large number of salons islandwide. The positive customer feedback takes a long way and this will be a good opening for my chain of salons. As I focus on low margins and more customers this has lead to a growing customer base.

Q: What is your message to society?

A: I will direct my message to the industry as it faced a setback due to an unfortunate incident. This resulted in many appointments being cancelled particularly in every salon and posed a serious threat to the industry. The customers were reluctant to go to salons anymore. However, with understanding and gradual reasoning the situation improved. My advice to customers is not to be afraid to go to a well patronized salon where quality products are used. In all my salons we conduct a patch test free. This will ensure that the products are compatible.

The industry needs to sustain to support the large number of employed at present. It has the capacity to grow and to become a leading employment generating industry. The changing fashion and beauty trends provide new vistas for industry growth.