Nelson CHAN

by George J. Miller

Nelson's Salon is tucked away in an exclusive section of Beverly Hills, California. His clientele list includes: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Heather Graham and Alicia Silverstone among others. Nelson works with a public relations agency to help him develop his career agenda in many aspects. One of those ways is to introduce him to high profile and celebrity clients. I was very interested to learn how that works because most of the stylists I know don't realize that we all need help to expose our talents to the people who appreciate them the most.

Hi Nelson, Let's start with where you grew up?
I grew up in Hong Kong. I came to America when I was 17, I have been in the U.S. for 13 years. I started doing hair in Hong Kong in the summer right after high school, my father sent me to a salon owned by one of his friends and I learned how to shampoo, that's how I started.

Did you attend Beauty College here?
Yes, I came here, then I went to Citrus Beauty College in Glendora, California and I started working.

You've got your own salon in Beverly Hills, I'm sure our readers would like to know HOW you developed your ideas & concepts, how did you market yourself and come to do the celebrities you do?
It's more the connections, part of our industry that people are missing is that they think it's how big an ad you are running, I don't think it's that important. It's more important that the people you are meeting are the "right" people, that's more important than putting a lot of money in the advertising you do. I constantly have friends that are working for talent or modeling agencies and P. R. agencies that represent hairstylists. Those people are very helpful. At the very beginning I didn't know anyone, so I would literality just go out and knock on doors. I would just go and tell people that I worked down the street and I would just try to convince them to give me a chance. I started to build relationships that way.

How would you describe the newly opened salon?
We focus on offering eco-friendly hair color and hair care. I've also been working on developing a natural hair care line of products under the Nelson J signature. I specialize in hair color and hair extensions but the salon offers a range of full services including cuts, color, conditioning treatments, blowouts, updos, hair extensions, manicures, and massage.

Do you have any relatives in the Beauty Profession?
No I don't, no one. So, that brings me to ask you WHY then did you choose the Beauty Profession, what was the motivation for you? I have always liked to draw. I like art a lot. Doing hair is really interesting. When you are coloring someone's hair you are kind of like painting on someone's hair. You are not just creating something you like, you are actually trying to bring out someone's "Personality", so you have to get a "Feel" of Who that person is and help them achieve the perfect Hair Style or Hair Color for them.

How do you personally develop a "Communication" with your clients, is there anything you could share that has helped you to do this?
The first thing about communication is that you have to have a "Bonding" with them, you have to agree with them. You have to try to understand what they are thinking. This is very very important. So you look at what they are wearing when they come in. I ask them what type of work they do, not necessarily how they like their hair. If it's a Haircut or Hairstyle the next thing I do is show them something visual. I show them pictures of what I am thinking about. This gives them something to see, because sometimes I am thinking of something for them, but unless they can see what I am thinking about the end result may be different than what they were thinking. As for Hair Color, I use swatches that show them the color. I literally put the swatches next to their face. It works because instantly they will tell me whether the color is too light or too red or too green, they will tell me what they think about what I have shown them, and that is very important.

Are you married?
Yes, I am married with 2 boys.

Would you recommend the Beauty Profession for your children?
I would recommend it, it's a great business, I like what I do, but one thing I would like them to know more about is the business side of the profession, I think this is really important. Even now I am still learning and developing what I need to know. I did not do this when I was beginning. The Hairdressers I've met and I know, most of them really don't have a good enough understanding of the business part of our profession. Doing hair is really important, but the business side of our profession I personally think is even more important.

Do you have any mentors or specific people that you look up to in the Profession?
All of the people I have worked for, they are my mentors, and I would always ask them questions. All the classes I attend are part of my learning process, I don't agree with the people who go to hair shows and say I already know how to do "this" or "that", there is always some little things that you don't know about, like you cannot learn everything from one person, sometimes you will discover something and it will just "click", it is always better to collect Information from different people and then create it your own way.

Do you have a technical or styling tip that you do that you would like to share?
I'm the type of person who likes to be direct. The techniques that I create, the techniques that I have my staff use are simple. For example, if you are cutting one length hair, instead of taking a million sections, you actually take only one or two sections, and go really simple and really direct. That is the philosophy I believe in. Keep it simple.

What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Believe it or not, I like what a lot of the teenagers like; the Spice Girls, or Britney Spears, or Beyonce, things like that.

You mentioned earlier, that you are inter. ested in Art, have you done any paintings or any type of Art yourself?
I used to draw a lot, but I don't have the time to do it now, once and awhile I will try to do some.

In closing I would like to thank Nelson and his staff, I know our readers will appre. ciate your taking the time to share your valuable points of view.
For more information on the new Nelson J Salon in Beverly Hills, California, please visit: www.nelsonjbeauty.com.

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