At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Ratna Kulkarni for an exclusive interview with us. Ratna is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Coach, Consultant, Motivational Speaker and Change Enabler. She is the Founder and Owner of LeMiroir Salon & Spa. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Ratna:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please.
I was born in a small village in the Palghar district. It was my mother’s desire to educate her children in English medium and as there was no English medium school in the village, I was sent to Panchgani to complete my formal education. Further, I completed my graduation in Pune and soon fell in love and got married.
I started my professional journey as a Sales Executive and later was shifted to the Investment department, as I was always interested in understating mutual funds and the share market.
I also went ahead to work as an Independent Mutual Fund Distributor after taking the AMFII and IRDA Exams. I did this with the aim to educate women about financial freedom.
As a Fitness and Wellness conscious person, I always wanted to explore this part of the industry and then an opportunity came knocking at my door, I couldn’t say no. I took up a franchise for Salon and Spa in Pune.”
Got myself involved in it from the very start and soon we had customers visiting our Salon, and things went well. I soon launched my own Salon brand Le Miroir Salon.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I grew up on a farm and watched my mother manage the whole farm, most important thing – I was most attracted to Saturday evenings when my mother would pay wages to our workers, and I actively participated in that.
I was fascinated by the power and impact she had on the lives of workers. It was then, I decided that I want to become an entrepreneur, but it took me 20 years to start a business and be my own boss.”
‘Le Mirior’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving.
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous” is a famous quote by Coco Chanel and I live by it! Whatever mood you are in you must look Fabulous!!
My brand is Le Miroir Salon and Spa! Le Miroir means the Mirror in French and the tagline is Love Yourself!
Beauty is a way of life! Each one of us wants to look his or her best. Wants to put her best foot forward into the world. This is where we come in.
We offer services that make them relax and rejuvenate their mind and body and we enhance their hair and skin! So, the next day morning when she looks at herself in the mirror she must say ‘I Love You’ to herself!
We are so occupied doing our daily chores, that we overlook the importance of giving time to ourselves.
What are the key offerings? What does your company specialize in?
Be it hair care, skin care, body care, or makeup, Le Miroir Salon has got you covered. We provide the best services and our ambience is so relaxing that one will forget all their worries once they just step in there.
We have systems in place that assures the client about the hygiene of the place. We follow all the precautions laid down by PMC and BWSSC the national governing body.
We also have this amazing facility of providing a membership plan to their customers starting from just Rs. 10,000. We have Gold, Platinum, and Titanium memberships with mind-blowing benefits that come with them that will definitely make you want to get one membership plan for yourself too.
The range of services includes full-body massage therapies. We offer Hair Care packages, Skin Care, and Skin treatments and services. Our warm and welcoming staff, quality services and facilities and so much more, make us a ‘must-visit’ salon and spa.
What was the thought behind becoming a SalonProfitability coach? How do you do it?
Anyone can CLAIM authority but Very few people actually DEMONSTRATE it. I have 9+ years of experience in running my Salon! From being a Franchisee to owning it! From ZERO revenue and no STAFF to $137000 in 9 months.
Now, I understand entirely Salon Operations with absolute clarity. I see this as an opportunity to make a difference, helping and creating an impact on salon owners lives. This is my chance to give something back to my community.
When you are under my Coaching you get immediate value and quick and easy ideas to run your Salon efficiently. My mission is to help and Coach 1000 women Salon owners to understand their business and run a profitable Salon.
I specialize in turning around non-performing and nonprofitable Spa and Salon businesses into profitable, sustainable ventures with consistent revenue, sales, and growth in clientele.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
As a child I was always competitive, especially with the boys, I always thought I can do better than the boys. This is my spirit that keeps me going despite challenges. I cannot give up.
YES, I have faced many challenges in life, but always looked for solutions. ex: In Dec 2017 all my employees left without informing me, I was devasted and to add fuel to the fire my stylist opened a salon just two buildings away with my manager, but I did not let this deter me, I called back my staff and many of them came back and we started afresh.
The First 3 months were difficult, but from 1st April to 31st Dec 2018 we had a revenue of 1CR.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
First, my mother managed her farm and made sure we got the best education. Secondly, I strongly believe that I can do much better than in my current state so, knowingly or unknowingly I keep on preparing myself for the future.
E.g during covid I was stressed in the beginning but then I started utilizing time to study and invest in courses and this lead me to become a ‘Salon Profitability Coach’. So, being relentless is my motivation.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
> Being relentless is the very first thing.
> The second is to be open-minded.
> Third, accepting the situation as it is, not wasting energy fighting it.
> Fourth is delegating and developing your own team. Helping them grow in their personal as well as professional life.
> Fifth Motivate your team and keep them bound to your vision and mission.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Learn to have patients – From my 30 years of experience, I strongly state that having patience is vital, but first of all be patient with yourself. Initially, I started as a team player, and then I became a team leader by taking responsibility for my team members.
So, when you seek a job or when you start as a newbie entrepreneur, you need to be patient with yourself, and YES!! You’ll need to practice. There will be hard times coming your way, you can only navigate if you instil patients in yourself.
Learning NOT Earning should be your goal – In the initial years of your career, you will work as a newbie or as an intern. You will be given the worst of the jobs and that’s where the learning is. So, work to learn, and then you earn.
Observe and learn from your seniors – Who You Surround Yourself With, Is Who You Become. Surround yourself with good, positive, and smart people who will challenge you to make you better.
Invest in yourself – First, you need to analyze what is happening in your surroundings and market. Read books and articles from the best publications. Next, build your skills or upgrade your skills according to the needs of your market.
So, Investing in yourself will boost your confidence in your own abilities and have a positive impact on your self-esteem. It opens up new career opportunities and also helps you build connections.
Last but not least, what are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
If you want to be successful keep your ego aside, Nobody cares.
When you put your ego aside, you free yourself from all the judgments and pressures that you impose on yourself. Your ego will also distract you from who you want to be.
Givers gain, it means “Do unto others as you would have them unto you”. This is my golden rule.
“Givers Gain” is more than a phrase. It’s a way of living one’s life. When it’s applied properly, it will change your life—and it has the potential to change the world. What goes around comes around is also the law of karma.
Always keep learning and have an open mind.
Never say I don’t know, instead, say I will find a solution, and this is what call having an open mind. Be open to learning, there is always a solution if you do not give up on learning.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
