MARIA DEL RIO, OWNER OF SALON PALOMO HAS BEEN SELECTED AS A LEADER IN BUSINESS BY THE CALLER TIMES
Address: 2033 Airline Road, Suite G7
Phone: 855-8841
Company description: full-service salon and spa
Hometown: Corpus Christi
Years in business: 22
Tenure in position: 6 years
Education: Abilene High School, Abilene, 1985 ; Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, 1995
First job: It was right after high school at Total Design Hair Salon in Abilene. I was 18 years old and was one of the hairstylists. I got a jump start on my career because I had earned my cosmetology license by the time I graduated from high school. One thing I learned from that first job is that being one's own boss was the best way to accomplish one's goals. I worked there about six months before I started working for myself, renting space at various salons. At 25, I opened my first salon.
Biggest career break: Came from my friends and family when I was just 13 years old. They would let me experiment on them. I would give them haircuts and nail designs. That gave me a chance to see that I had a natural talent that could be developed. Looking back, it was something to see. It was the beginning of the punk rock look and we still had the disco looks going.
Business turning point: I've always had a following, but it just went a level higher when people were booking appointments years in advance. The number of these advance bookings have increased throughout my career.
Business philosophy: The customer is the focus of our business. They are not just numbers that drive our growth but literally the stars in our sky. This is what we like to call a client driven attitude. That attitude includes making sure clients are educated about their hair, their image and self-esteem. Women, in particular, relate emotionally to their hair and that comes across through self-esteem. We're here to make sure everyone's image and self-esteem are bolstered and motivated. Great hair goes a long way.
How would you improve Corpus Christi's business climate? By trying to encourage other businesses to focus on long-term success, not the fast dollar. We need to build lifetime relationships, not just transactions. From one customer, a business should get five referrals and make its service affordable for all those six people time and again. I think this view of business can be applied to all locally owned businesses in the area.
April 06, 2008