Esther's Chat With Banker Turned Hairstylist and Successful Business Man, Bruno Oaikhinan

My Story: I’m a Banker turned Hairstylist and Lifestyler

Just like there is no glory without a story, so also, there is no testimony without a test. Nothing, whether good or bad, happens by chance. Everything is preordained by God, but all things work out for good, to them that love him and are called according to his PURPOSE. My journey so far has not been easy, but looking back now, it is worth it.

In 2005, I lost a well paid job as a banker. I had no better option than to start a barbing salon. I got a private teacher who taught me how to do female hair. In 2008, I was called back into the banking sector; I planned my exit from day one.

I saved all I could and I got all the training I needed. I connected with people who could help me. In 2011, I left the bank and partnered with Bobby’ Signature Salon. There, I was groomed, pressed down and shaken together, left to establish Tamara Salon. Then, poise Salon. Now, Bruno’s Place. This place is about TRANSFORMATION and CONVENIENCE. We inspire, empower and relate.

Sow your money in the right place, and watch it grow!

Besides, I had a really interesting chat with Mr Bruno Oaikhinan. Enjoy.

ESTHER: I know it’s not easy to leave a well paid job to pursue a vision or business of your own. There are a whole lot of people who do full time jobs but with workable business ideas and desires they want to pursue but don’t have the courage to leave. What was it like for you?

Bruno Oaikhinan: It was tough. When I was working in the bank, I was earning quite a good sum at that time. When I told my wife bout my decision to resign, she didn’t find it funny. She couldn’t just understand why I would leave a good job like that for ‘hair making’. For me, I had a vision. They say, when you have a vision, you are the one seeing it, others will not. I’ve been in Lagos and I’ve seen pure water move from sachet to bottled water and now almost all the pharmaceutical companies want to go into water business. I saw an opportunity in hairstyling business. As at that time, the people in the hairstyling business were not really enlightened, hence they didn’t add value to what they were doing.

The big challenge was that I had to learn. I got a private teacher who taught me how to. I also had to collaborate with someone who was already established in the industry. He taught me the business angle of hairstyling. Every business has different aspect to it. There is the skill, the personality, and attitude. A business is like a human being because it is the human being that reflects on the business. I had to learn all that before I pulled out from the bank. Those are the things that gave me the courage and the drive to quit my well paid job.

Esther: Asides the business opportunity you saw in this industry, did you have any desire for hair making when you were younger?

Bruno Oaikhinan: I got to know early in life that I would go into business. Business is about relationships with people, it’s not about the skill or career. I was looking for the easiest thing that I would do that will connect me easily with people. Money does not walk on the streets, people walk with money. If you have good relationships with people and win their hearts, they will bring money. Secondly, I also wanted to do something that I could use to give back to the society. I wanted it to be a platform to transform the hairstyling business. So, for me, it was a big opportunity and I took advantage of it.

*Still curious about why he really dived into an hairstyling career, aside from the business aspect. So I ask…*

Esther: Do you like women with long hair? Is there something about ‘Hair’ that get you excited?

Bruno Oaikhinan: *Laughs* A lot of women like long hair. And it also depends on what is trending.

Esther/ED: And I heard most guys too like long hair. What’s it about long hair sef? There’s something about long hair right?

Bruno Oaikhinan: The question to ask is ‘why do they like long hair?’ The long hair is just a means to an end. When a lady wears long hair, it makes her look sexy and attractive.

A Stylist at Bruno's celebrates her birthday with other stylists at Bruno's place.

Esther/ED: Did you go to a business school for this?

Bruno Oaikhinan: I went to Orange Academy. I’m a graduate of Orange Academy. Besides, I worked in the banking industry for about 12years and you know in the bank, you get to go for all kind of trainings and you get transferred from one department to another. So I got my experience from there.

You know, while I was talking to one of my staff recently, she just completed one year at Bruno’s place, and she said something that really touched me. She said haven worked at Bruno’s place, she does not need to go a business school anymore, and that this is a (practical) business school.

Esther/ED: I see that you take branding your business very seriously…

Bruno Oaikhinan: I‘d like to use this opportunity to explain the difference between branding, advertising and packaging. At one point, the in thing was Avertising, then the Marketing/Packaging era came, and now people are talking about Branding. Here’s the best way I’d like to explain what branding is. Just like the human being is made of body, soul and spirit. Body represents advertising, then your appearance (what you wear) represents packaging while branding is the core of the being. Branding is the content.

You need to ask yourself: What are you advertising? What are you packaging?

Branding is not just about logo or colors.

For example, here at Bruno’s place, we sell Transformation and Convenience. There is no way you will enter Bruno’s place that you will not be transformed, and we do it at a very convenient price. There is good parking space, clean environment, clean toilet facility and more. You can be here doing your hair and your kids are playing at play zone and your wife or husband could be watching a movie. It is very convenient here. That’s what the Bruno brand is about. It’s not just about hair, its way more than that.

Get your branding right and every other thing follows.

Esther/ED: Should we expect more from the Bruno Brand/Business?

Bruno Oaikhinan: This is Bruno’s place. If you notice there are no salons in malls in Lagos and the reason there are none is because of the high expenses. I took it as a big opportunity for me to lunch my brand because this is the best place to introduce a new brand. This is the most talked about salon in town now because it is in a place like this. So we have built the brand but still organizing. You will hear from us very soon. We are looking at opening branches at other major cities around Nigeria

Esther/ED: So, you are a successful young business man who is in a business that involves dealing with women every day, every time. Though you are married, there will be some who who would want more than a 'hair do' from you. How do you handle such battles? (Lolz)

Bruno Oaikhinan: Like I said, I am selling my brand. People have come to identify that this is a serious brand. Bruno is about Transformation . I stand for anything that brings Transformation and Integrity. People know that, and when they see me, that’s what they see first. They also know that it’s about business and not pleasure. Besides, I’ve told myself that I want to be a role model, I want to be different. It’s a challenge though. I’m relying on the grace of God and so far God has kept me and it’s been wonderful.

And I promise my wife that I’m not going to do home service *laughs*

Esther/ED: Here’s another side to this question. You know how we women are, some of us can have wahala. Some of us are perfectionist, never satisfied about a service, some can be so indecisive (like not knowing what they want), while some can be just plain troublesome. How do you handle such situations and characters?

Bruno Oaikhinan: Like I mentioned earlier, I worked in a bank for a while. In banking, they teach you customer service and also you get to work in different units. I worked in Marketing, Customer Service, and Corporate Affairs. So the bank cooked me for all that. I understand customer relationship and management. I put all that to work here. There are some people that come and they just want me to do their hair, but I can’t build this business around myself alone, I have to raise people. What of when I’m not here. What I do now is that I market my staff and I vouch for them. At the end of the day they get so satisfied by what my staff has done that when they come the next time, they ask for the staff.