Raymond Chin found himself entering the hairstyling industry after finishing secondary school 16 years ago, when his mother suggested he take up the trade like his cousin.
It actually took him a year to decide on fully committing himself to this vocation.
Today, through his perseverance and drive to upskill himself, he owns and runs Ray’s Salon, one of the most established salon chains in Kuching. Although his role in his company has expanded, the hairstylist and entrepreneur still takes the time to serve his customers personally, as he appreciates the relationship he has with all of them.
“When you have customers encouraging you, you won’t give up easily. You will continue to give your best,” he said.
Yet his motivation, especially since starting Ray’s Salon 11 years back, was his strong belief in teamwork, while the support and encouragement of his family members allowed him to bring the business to greater heights. That belief has led him to develop his team of younger hairstylists, devoting his time to train and encourage them to take part in as many competitions and modelling photoshoots, in order to build up their network and achieve their own career goals.
Team-building sessions are also essential for him and his team in improving their camaraderie so they can better work together in the salon.
“I’m focused on helping my team members to give them hope for the future so that everyone can move forward, and have a strong team spirit and energy.”
Having been in the industry for 16 years, he believes there is a better future for hairstylists for they are becoming more specialised and creative, hence the increasing respect they have received as of late.
He said young people who are not academically inclined but possess a strong sense of creativity and love for fashion can choose to go for this career, although Chin cautioned that in any vocational-related occupation, in the initial stages the monetary reward may not be as high as one would expect.
“You can’t demand a lot because you’re learning from experience and techniques that will be passed on to you – which you can’t buy with money.
“So young people need to set a time frame, to use either one or two years to persevere, acquire skills, upskill themselves and make the most out of their experience.”
You can catch the video interview with Raymond on the SarawakYES! YouTube channel or on SarawakYES! Facebook page.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
This article first appeared on The Borneo Post, visit this link: http://bit.ly/2b7EQ09
