A former medical technologist was able to build her successful chain of hair salons in Central Luzon by only spending P30,000.
Joby Linsangan-Moreno is the founder of Orange Blush Salon. She started to build her business in 2004 with only P30,000 in her pockets.
It is a small amount to start a business, especially for a hair salon that needs to have equipments and hair stylists. But with her hard work, fighting spirit, and the support she got from other people, Moreno was able to make her business dream a reality.
Started off as a small hair styling salon with only three staffs, Orange Blush Salon now has over 20 branches all over Luzon.
According to Entrepreneur Philippines, Moreno has always been interested with anything that has something to do with beauty and cosmetics and dreamed of establishing a business in that industry.
“I have always loved the beauty business ever since I was a kid, but at 23, I could not afford the capital investment required by the beauty salons that offer franchising, so I decided to start my own salon. Back then, I was a medical technologist at a local hospital, with only Php 30,000 in savings,” she said.
Through her own efforts and little savings, she put up the first Orange Blush Salon in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
As a former medical technologist at a local hospital, she had to go back to square one and learn everything about the business she was about to enter.
“On my own, I studied everything about starting a business—from site selection, to choosing the right business, to accounting and marketing,” she said.
She also recalled the humble beginnings of her salon by saying, “I bought an existing salon that was about to close down. The deal included the salon equipment and the hairstylists, who agreed to work for me.
I changed the name to Orange Blush Salon, and formally opened in October 2004.”
However, business conflicts were inevitable for her also.
“On our sixth month, all three of my hairstylists left for another salon just a block away from ours. I could have easily given up then. I did not know anything about hair salon services, and was not prepared for what had just happened,” she said.
But with keen determination to make her salon the “top-of-mind hair salon in the country”, she decided to look for solutions.
“I enrolled in cosmetology courses and took up short courses on managing a hair salon business.
“I hired on-call hairstylists temporarily while I was training… I wanted to know more about the hair salon business; I wanted to be hands-on this time around and know the ins and outs of this business, so I would also know if my stylists are doing the procedures correctly.
From then on, Moreno’s business just kept on growing. By 2015, 11 years after her first store opened, she has already opened 21 branches.
They have also achieved their goal which is to open expand in Metro Manila after opening branches in Quezon City and Mandaluyong.
Moreno also shared her greatest learning in putting up a business.
“You have to know your business better than anyone else, since you own it. This means that, even if all your staff leave you, you yourself know how to handle the operations and can turn things around.
