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She left her job as a personal assistant and started doing nails in a tiny office space. Now Dany Gharzo has beauty salons across Joburg, writes Zamayirha Peter.
The beauty industry is thriving and highly competitive, and salons that can’t make the cut close as quickly as others spring up. But The Treat, a nail and beauty franchise, has seen an influx of clients from all races and class backgrounds monthly.
It’s run by wife and mom of two, Dany Gharzo (35), who uses her personal relationships with her clients to attract customers and keep her staff happy.
“I left home [Lebanon] when I was 13,” she tells #Trending during our visit to her salon in Blairgowrie. “I always had an interest in beauty and nails. I used to wax my mom’s and sisters’ eyebrows. I did my make-up daily. I really love discovering make-up and nails. My husband and I eloped and, because he’s Muslim and I’m Christian, it was taboo. I was really young and at the time I was working as a personal assistant to the Lebanese ambassador in Pretoria. I resigned after not being satisfied with my work and I was depressed for three months. My husband then asked me what I wanted to do, seeing that I wasn’t happy as a housewife, so I did a beauty course and, fast forward, The Treat began.”
The Treat beauty salon started as a one-woman show with Dany doing nails in a tiny office space among other market vendors. Dany describes the growth as remarkable – having moved to China Discount Shopping Centre in Randburg and grown, with new stores opened in and around Johannesburg. Now, The Treat has franchises valued at between R450 000 and R5 million based in Randburg, Midrand, Centurion, Hatfield and East Rand Mall.
Dany prides herself on remembering all her clients’ names and attaches a story to each of them, whether it’s the last relationship or a new business venture.
The beauty bar operates on a first-come first-served basis and offers massages, pedicures, manicures and acrylic nails. Dany even has her own make-up brand, called Dany Cosmetics.
Entering her salon, clients are offered a drink; there are long lines of about 20 people waiting their turn. Long gales of chatter and laughter are abundant. Dany’s husband, Ali Noureddine, walks around greeting the clients and fixing the work stations of the staff and silently scolding some of them for keeping used up products. “My darling, this is finished; why not throw it away?” he gently exclaims before disposing of the product.
Dany’s beauty bar is built on faith, sacrifice and partnership. Her staff aren’t paid salaries but commissions according to the number of clients they service, leaving the ball in their court to get their paper.
Her first branch in Cape Town opens in 2020.
DANY'S TIPS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS:
- You need endurance; in business things will get tough.
- Be honest with yourself, your staff and your customers.
- Letting go. If something is not working out, especially for the betterment of the business, LET IT GO. There is a difference between letting go and giving up.
- Strength and courage: It takes strength to maintain a business, both mental and physical strength, mixed together with a whole lot of courage. Never be afraid to start or to go for what you want.
- Lastly, love. You need to have a love and passion for what you are doing or the type of business you run. In the great words of Marc Anthony: “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.”
