WITH the idea of being boss-free and feeling empowered through his skills set combined with an aura of determination to establish his very own small business, Shazam Bacchus of Tuschen North, Old Scheme, East Bank Essequibo is making his mark in the local beauty industry.

He has his beauty salon right at his home, where he utilises his backyard as his space for making a lot of people feel and look pretty via his inventive hair-cutting techniques, bleaching, Japanese permanent straight hair, deep conditioner treatments, colouring, manicure and pedicure offered at pocket-friendly prices.

Bacchus, who is well-known and a cut above the rest in his line of work, has managed within a short space of time to draw customers, mostly women, to his small business and they come from all over the country for the services provided.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he would promote his small business through social media, especially Tik Tok. After viewing some of his work, people started to come for the services and have left very pleased.

In fact, many first-time customers returned for a second and third service, and he is of the view that they will keep coming and he is very happy about that vision in keeping his business alive.

“For me, I worked at a salon for people and it was an experience that made me realise that I wanted my own business, and after gaining the skills needed and I also did some courses to make myself more qualified, I knew it was time for me to start off on my own,” he reasoned.

Bacchus added that it has been two years since he started his own small business from his home and it has gained momentum and he would take appointments and walk-ins.

Becoming self-employed is one of his biggest achievements; it is a stepping stone to accomplishing even more, which is the construction of a beauty salon in the near future.

“Having a small business is all about providing a reliable, excellent service and establishing good relations with the customers and being able to relate to them in promoting my business and setting a standard for customer service goes hand in hand,” he explained.

Bacchus stated that, like any business, you must know how to talk to people in general and having established that, you can only become successful because treating people the way you would want to be treated is of great importance and value.

He pointed out that he has a passion for “doing hair’ and over time he has elevated himself and acquired quality products and built trust with his customers, who would journey long distances for the service.

Bacchus added that his personality also draws people to his business which is open every day of the week and customers can call ahead of their visit, which is highly appreciated to reduce waiting time.

He stated that, for this season, he managed to be on top of his game in multi-tasking and had no need to employ anyone to assist like he used to and he is very proud of himself.

He credits his success on time-management and being able to multi-task because wasting time isn’t part of his agenda.

The hairstylist told the Pepperpot Magazine that creating a small business out of nothing is quite a bold step and risk because there are a lot of challenges in terms of location and meeting customers’ needs.

Bacchus added that he truly enjoys doing his job and would not change profession at all; it is his way of expressing himself through his work.

“I think I have what it takes to taking in my business to a higher level and it is with the encouragement of his family and friends he was able to muster enough strength to get things done,” he said.