Good looking Ugochukwu Igbokwe is the MD/CEO of Make Me Beauty Saloons (situated on Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, Lagos). The affable young man who started out as a barber, but today operates from his own property, shared how it all began for him as well as the strategies he adopted to get to where he is today with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine’s AZUH ARINZE. The Imo State-born businessman who is always surrounded by women equally let us into how he’s been avoiding the temptations that dot his line of business. Enjoy…
Tell us the story of Make Me and how it all started.
Make Me is not my doing, but God’s. The vision and everything came from God. That is why even up till now, sometimes I ask myself: Is this true? It’s still like a dream; everything came like a dream and the only thing I can say is that I’ve come to realize that God just put me in charge and to manage Make Me.
What got you interested in this line of business? It’s not the kind of business that most men would find attractive?
Money! (General laughter). Yeah! Money basically. I started off as a barber and I was employed in a unisex salon and I realized that the female section was generating more funds. Even the workers there were being paid more. Everything about the female section was generating more funds and I was like, why waste your time with barbing? So, I just switched and that was it.
When exactly did Make Me start?
Make Me started in 2004. But I think sometime between 2002/2003, I had that name in my head and sometimes I would forget it, because I didn’t write it down. It kept happening; I will remember, I will forget and after sometime I decided to write it down and it stuck. And in 2004 we started Make Me.
The name – Make Me – how did you come about it and what does it mean?
It’s a relative name to the business because anybody that walks into the beauty shop, it’s all about make me; I want to make this, I want to make that. That’s basically how I got it. So, I just thought that it’s a beautiful name, it’s a good name. When you say make me, you also tell us how you want us to make you. Do you want to be like a beauty queen, do you want to be like a super star, you tell us how you want us to make you and we do that.
You started the business alone, but brought in your wife at some point, what is your staff strength now?
We started together, my wife and I. Our staff strength today is 87.
What is the most difficult thing about managing those 87 people?
Getting them to understand your vision, getting them to understand the mission of the place, getting them to understand the next thing in line, getting them to be on the same page with you.
What strategies did you adopt that made you succeed, because a lot of people are also in this business but they are not succeeding?
This is where God is God. I’m not God, so I can’t say why other people are not really doing as much as the other people, even though we are into the same kind of business. However, one thing I can say is that God has been on our side tremendously; He has been helping and blessing us and we’ve been trying and practicing a lot of things and yeah, we are seeing results. So, I really can’t say why other people are not as successful or not getting results. I think it’s all God’s favour.
What is the best way for one to make money in your line of business?
Ah! Best way to make money? Hmmm! It’s getting your product right, I think. There’s no other thing. Getting the primary reason why people come to your saloon or your beauty shop to patronize you right. That singular reason why they want to come and exchange their money with you.
You started from a rented place, but now operate from your own building, how does that make you feel?
Do you wanna hear the honest truth? I feel proud, but at the same time I’m more challenged than I used to be, I’m more restless than I used to be, I’m more on my toes now, and it’s a lot more work now. It’s nothing to relax about. But yes, I am proud that God has seen us this far. Everyday when I look at it and think about it, the only thing I can see is more work, more work…This is the time to work even more.
When was the turning point for Make Me?
I think it has always been going up, up, up…There wasn’t any time we experienced a huge jump. But over the years, we’ve been able to expand in terms of size, capacity, more staff and all that. So, over the years, we’ve seen growth. But maybe now that we have opened this complex, which is going to be our second branch; from our projections, maybe that is when we would have the leap.
Did you hear comments like why would a man be making hair for women, what is a man like you doing in a business ‘reserved’ for women and all that when you started and how were you able to overcome them?
I think it boils down to the people you relate with and their level of understanding; their exposure. It boils down to how you carry yourself; it boils down to how you present yourself. Even in your line of business, when people see that you are succeeding, I don’t think there will be need for ‘don’t you think you are in the wrong profession?’ I think that comes when people think you are wasting time or in their own thought or belief, you are just whiling away time. I hear people say that, but nobody has ever said that to me.
How do you avoid being seduced by some of your customers, considering that the majority of them are women?
No other way than God. That’s it. No other way to explain it than God. And you know, sometimes when you are too used to something, somehow, it’s nothing anymore. You don’t see what people that are not often close to such things see. I mean, I’m with women all the time and sometimes I don’t even remember the difference in sex.
Has any of your customers tried to seduce you before?
People ask this question a lot and they forget that women have so much pride. Well, I’ve not come across any, because these people come with a lot of pride, a lot…What we call ‘swag’ these days. They have swag, they have their ego, they will want you as the guy to make the move…
Have you been making the move then?
No! (General laughter).
You make hair for a lot of celebs, who among them do you enjoying making her hair most and why?
Em…(Thinks) My dream is to have one international star, not a Nigerian. Okay, even if she’s a Nigerian, but not based here; not resident here. An international face that will come to Nigeria one day and say, maybe he or she is here to perform, to act or to sing and she will say to the organizers of the event or the people that brought her, I’ve heard of one stylist in Nigeria, Ugo is his name, I want him to come make my hair.
Do you have any name in mind?
Anybody! Anybody!!
When can a woman’s hair be said to be well made?
When you see that astonishment in her face; looking at her through the mirror, you see her blown away, you see a lot in the smile; she’s at the same time taking pictures of herself, posting them on the net. That’s the only time I feel I’ve done a good job.
What is the biggest mistake that most women make with their hair?
Trying to keep their hair, especially if they are wearing attachments or extensions. Yeah! Anything that is not your own natural hair, trying to keep it for too long is not good. That’s the biggest mistake.
Women are noted for their tantrums and idiosyncrasies, how have you been coping with that?
If you are a chef, you must know how to deal with the chillis, you must know how to deal with onions, because if they get in contact with your eyes, you know you are gonna cry. However, that shouldn’t stop you from trying to make good delicacies. It’s expected, and when they come, I don’t feel anything because I expect it most times.
What do you like most about working with women?
You know I’ve never thought about it! (Laughs). The only thing I can think of is the fact that they feed me. In fact, they are making my dreams to come through. I’ve never thought about the most interesting thing about working with women. I honestly can’t think of anything now, but just the fact that I get fulfilled doing my job.
What do you like most about what you are doing?
I honestly do not think I can do any other thing better than what I’m doing. The thought of it, and each time I try to come up with something new, the thought of the job, the thought of the creative part of it, the thought of the job generally gives me great joy and especially when people see you somewhere and they compliment you on how fabulous, how much you’ve made their day; how beautiful you made them look, how they walked into an occasion and they took the centre stage, with everybody looking at them. That’s it.
What is the nicest compliment that a customer has paid to you?
Whaaooh! This chick came and when I finished making her hair, I said to her: The hair that I made for you – it was one of my new inventions then – and I knew it was a hair style that was gonna sell. I convinced her to do it and after doing it, she was like whaaooh! And I said do you know what I’ve done to you? I’ve just made you a super star! And she said that’s what she wanted; that she was going to Silverbird Galleria to see a movie. She said at the Galleria people stopped her and they were touching her hair, trying to figure out how it was done and when she saw me, she started by saying Ugo, thank you for the look. She said you gave me a tool of confidence and you gave me the look of a new personality. She said she went with her friends and there was this distance between her and her friends. That everybody was around her. That she’s never had such compliments before.
What distinguishes you from the other hair stylists?
My ability to create styles, my ability to turn around things, my ability to combine different pieces, different concepts. Basically, to come up with something different.
What is your dream for Make Me?
Taking it around the world. Yeah! Why not? Taking it around the world and it’s a long journey; very long journey. I pray that God will give us the strength, the wisdom, the knowledge to do a lot in my life time. Make Me has come to stay and my dream is to see it around the world. People far and wide, even when they don’t have the opportunity to visit any of our outlets anywhere, they should know about it.
NB: First published December 2013