Q & A with T.Q., Owner of Hair Therapy Concept

What year did your business start?
I opened the salon in July 19, 2015.
Where are you located?
Hair Therapy Concept is located at 19585 State Road 7 in the Boca Greens Plaza next to Stella’s Pizzeria and KPB Pharmacy.

How and why did you get into the business?
All my life, I never had a professional haircut. My father cut my hair but it was like a bowl hair cut so I decided at the age of 13 to cut my own hair. During high school I mastered cutting my own hair and then I started to cut all my friends’ hair. My name started getting around the school that I only charged $5 for a hair cut. I only did hair cuts from spring to fall because I lived in Boston and it was too cold outside. There were days when I did 10 haircuts but forgot to eat or drink. I never felt tired or bored.
After high school, I went straight to cosmetology school. I knew this would be my hobby and something that I could do and love for a long period. I thought I would just figure out what I wanted to do in life but I found everything else boring. Since I already knew how to do a man’s hair cut, I decided to go to school to learn more about womens’ hair cuts.
What is your educational background and how were you trained?
I finished school and got my cosmetology license. I began working for 6 different salons including JC Penney. It was exciting but overwhelming when I got my own chair. I built up a clientele but I felt there was something missing so I decided to look for a job with one of the best salons in Bosoton. I got a job at Avanti, a high end salon and was trained on hair cutting, blow drying, color application and styling hair.
I met my most powerful teacher at Avanti. Ines taught me a new amazing technique called dry cutting. When she saw I was talented, she offered me a job under her in a new salon. I also traveled to Vietnam to train under the most well-known stylist in the city. I worked for Ines and Cruz at Debu Salon and Day Spa for 2 years before I decided to open my own salon. While I owned Europa, I won #1 and #2 two at the Worcester Hair competition two years in a row. I decided to move to Florida shortly after.
Are you known for anything special?
People know me for my cut/color and my specialty, dry hair cutting. When you cut hair dry, you can see the way the hair grows, the weight in the layer and the way the hair falls. You can cut out the most split ends.
What services do you offer?
Hair cuts, blow drys and styling, coloring, chemical treatments and waxing. We offer hair cuts to men, women and children.
What hours are you open?
We are open from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Do you support any community groups?
We don’t support any specific organization but we give free services to people who are involved in non-profit work and help all charities.
What do you love most about the business?
I love to make people feel great about themselves. I believe when you look pretty or handsome, you have unlimited confidence. I think confidence is very important in everyone’s life. I love to educate my clients about their own hair; what type they have, what I can do with it, the best way to wear it and how to handle their hair on a daily basis. Not every hair cut is for everyone and not every color looks good on everyone. I love the creative, trendy life styles and it makes me very happy when I see my client dancing their way out of my salon.
What do your think is your biggest challenge with the business?
Communication! When it comes to hair, it has its own language. People have their own language and own understanding. If you are not clear what the customer really wants, you will be wrong. For example, if someone says “I want a lot of layer around my face to me it meant that they only want angles around the face, not layer.  Sometimes the customer says I want my hair red but not too red, I like it light but not too light. So you have to really try to understand or show them the exact shade of color by picture.
Managing the client’s expectations is a challenge. A customer may bring a picture of a person with hair they like but that person has a totally different type of hair. You have to be honest that not everyone can have what they want or that the style is not good for the health of their hair. If you don’t understand a client they sometimes get frustrated. If we can’t communicate, I may ask them to come back another day. But I would rather have no business than bad business.
What do you want the community to know about you?
I want the community to know that we are honest, fun, friendly, talented and creative stylists. Our goal and mission is to help anyone to feel the best about their hair style and color.