If one looks a bit deeper at the current recession, it’s actually a fascinating time, one that could offer up many opportunities. I arrived in New York in 1977, when this country was in the midst of a recession. I was way over my head at the time — literally off the boat, a complete unknown, with a wife and child. I arrived in the greatest city in the world ready to make my mark. I relied on simple logic; I thought, “this is New York, where eight to ten million people live; there’s no way I can’t find clients!” When you start at the bottom, it’s easy to be optimistic about moving up, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t scared or intimidated by other hairdressers or salons. At night, on my way home, I’d review the internal dialogue I’d had that morning — there had to be a way to succeed in New York. I soon found out that most salons were closed on Mondays and open half days on Saturdays in the summer, which is when I arrived. To me, this was a golden opportunity. I stayed all day on both Saturdays and Mondays, picking up clients here and there. Gradually, Bumble and bumble began to take shape — client by client, apprentice by apprentice. Cash began to appear, but disappeared just as quickly, as I had to spend to improve the business. It’s not difficult to be successful when you’re on an upswing, but when times are hard and people are concerned about their existence, you won’t succeed unless you’re doing a great job. If you’re doing a great job, you can defy logic and grow.
