Nick Arrojo: Enjoy the Ride!

by George J. Miller

Nick Arrojo has developed a way of understanding our industry, what it takes to be a success, and still remains humble because he loves what he does every day...

GM: I heard you still work with 50 to 60 clients a week. Is that true?

NA: No, it´s more like 40 clients a week! I work behind the chair three or four days a week because that's what I love to do: Cut hair! I like being on my salon floor and I like to lead from the front and push from the back. Cutting hair in the salon means that I am totally involved. I don't have a manager that walks around the salon. Instead, I have a management team made up of ALL hairdressers. We manage ourselves more efficiently because a hairdresser has a greater level of respect for another hairdresser. We understand how to communicate with each other, because we know what we do for a living.

GM: What advice could you share with our readers who are still in beauty college or who have just started in our profession?

NA: I think hairdressers should make up their own vision of where they want to be and not be influenced by anybody who doesn't believe in that vision. I think it is very important to see yourself somewhere, wherever that may be, and have something to work toward. After that, you have to find some mentors that you believe in, that you can trust. You have to take their advice and be prepared to work very hard to achieve your goals. If you work hard and learn from your mistakes, then you can pretty much achieve whatever you set out to do.

GM: Do you still have a mentor that you look to for advice at this stage of your career?

NA: Completely, completely! I have a good friend of mine named Jerry Gordon who owns a salon in Chicago. He's 72 years old, so he's been on this planet 30 more years then me, and he's been in the hair business probably about 30 more years then me also. He is my sounding board, he's my advice guy. In fact, I was on the telephone with him last night! We have a very open, honest dialogue about how we are going to sustain, grow, improve, and retain our happiness as we go about our daily business.

GM: In your opinion, where is the beauty industry headed?

NA: That is a very good question. I think there is a lot of opportunity for hairdressers. I think we have to improve as an industry, across the board. There are a lot of clients out there that can help to support us, but I think we have to be the leaders! I think we have to look past the excuses of why this isn't right or that isn't right. I think we have to look at ourselves and say ‘What can I do to improve things?´ If you look at the technology that's out there and how technology has changed America, it's the Web. In 1994, I was working with Bumble & Bumble and the Web was in its very early stages. The Web affects our business through online bookings, through Websites, through the Youtube generation. If you look at the possibilities, I think we need to embrace technology, new ideas. I think the whole professional verses consumer product, diversion, and other challenges within this industry are things that are not going to go away, so we need to be visionary in how we do things. If I can sum up my 26 years in this industry: We are in the service business. We need to be really good at service. We still cut, color, and style, but what we need to do is really serve our customers and be excellent craftsmen.

GM: Do you have a technical tip you can share?

NA: Most stylists always go for the avant-garde and the super-creative. I think it is time for stylists to focus on the classic foundation techniques. I educate all over this country so I know there needs to be a marked improvement in foundational skills so that stylists can improve their technique. There are a lot of clients out there dying for a great haircut but they can't really find it. They are happy when they leave the salon but two weeks later the shape is gone.

GM: Can you tell us what it´s like working on "What Not to Wear?"

NA: I am the lead hairdresser. I get five minutes on TV doing a consultation, a haircut, and a color as part of the total makeover. I have done about 250 episodes and we get about 10 million viewers a week. It's had a major impact on my business. I think being on the show has helped to elevate the power of the everyday stylist. We are really more than just haircutters, we are image consultants. So for me to be able to have the opportunity to wear that ‘hat´ is something I am very proud to do.

GM: I know that the name of your organization is Arrojo Studio. Why not use your whole name?

NA: I didn't want it to be just about me. The concept we started was to create a slightly different perspective from ‘just´ a salon even though it is a salon. A studio is a place for an artist, so we decided to call it Arrojo Studio. We created Arrojo as a brand. We have Arrojo Studio which is the salon component and we have Arrojo Education as the educational arm which incorporates a cosmetology school as well as our advanced education. Then we also have the Arrojo product line. To me, the backbone of our business has always been about the work, so we have one simple name.

GM: For a stylist that is just building a clientele, what suggestions would give them?

NA: It takes two things to be a really great hairdresser: communication and skill. If you are a great communicator, that can make up for your skill level while you´re improving your skill set. You can be very busy out of the gate if you´re really good with people, because people come to you to feel secure, to feel comfortable. They want to build a relationship with someone they can depend on, and being a stylist is all about building relationships. Don't think of your client as a one-time client. Think of her as someone who is going to bring something to your career and to your future. This is not just a job, this is a career and you need to focus on building your career. You need to be smart. You can be creative and that's why a lot of people get into this industry, but creativity alone is not enough. You need to be a great communicator focused on building your business by being professional and skilled...and that is what has helped me get to where I am today.

GM: Did you ever struggle with understanding hair or did you have a natural talent?

NA: I was as bad as the worst! I believe hair is a completely trainable skill, and if you commit yourself to training, you can overcome any challenges. There were some things that I was good at and there were some things I wasn't so good at. You work on your weaknesses because your strengths will always be your strengths. I tell everybody it takes 10 years to become a great hairdresser. Experience is the one thing you can´t simply learn. You need to experience personalities and it definitely takes a long time to become a true ‘Master of the Craft.´ I think 10 years is a good benchmark. After five years you should be starting to roll, but with 10 years under your belt, you won´t be scared anymore! In that 10 year time frame is where you challenge, and tackle, and strive to develop your weakest elements and improve your game to become a great all-arounder. You´re never going to stop learning. Even after all of this so-called ‘success,´ I am still striving and pushing every day when I come to work. Make sure to pat yourself on the back from time to time and to be honest with yourself when you don't deliver so you learn how to do it better the next time.

GM: Are you planning on opening other salons either here or say in California?

NA: My ideas are like a coffee pot...always percolating. This is what I have percolating right now: I have just finished expanding my salon here in New York to a 13,000 square foot facility. It's an academy, a salon, and it´s a boutique cosmetology school. We are now in the final phases of completion after a three-year process that´s been my dream. So now, I am clearing space in my brain for the future. One of the ideas percolating there is to open other salons, so we'll just have to wait and see. But I think in a very basic form, you're either growing or you´re not.

GM: Any final thoughts?

NA: I think hairdressing is the best career in the world. It's about setting your style out there and having a good vision. It's about enjoying it while you´re doing it, there's no destination!

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