Franca Oriakhi Osas: Not Everybody is Aware of the Need and Benefit of Undergoing Beauty Therapy

Meet one of Nigeria's successful beauty therapist as she shares her story and journey in the industry with Ruth of possibility media.

Franca Oriakhi Osas
CEO world beauty s

PM: Tell us your name,

Ans: my name is Franca Oriakhi 

         Osas, I hail from Edo state, I 

         am the 8 child of 9 children

PM: Tell us about your background

        and how growing up was like 

        for you?

Ans: I am a graduate of Business Administration from the Prestigious University of Benin.Growing up was fun for me because my parents provided everything I needed, they were always there to listen to me. 

PM: What are your hobbies?

Ans: My hobbies are cooking, travelling and meeting people.

PM: What do you do for a living? I am a beauty therapist and a 

        cosmetologist.

PM: Can you explain what you mean by that?

Ans: Well, as a beauty therapist, I own a beauty salon and spa     called ‘World Beauty Salon and Spa”. We make hair, pedicure/manicure, fixing of eyelashes/nails etc.

 "I want my name and business to be associated with someone      
who has helped cure a lot of skin challenges i.e. a good cosmetologist. When you talk about good skin care, hairdo etc, you remember world Beauty spa and saloon" 

We also render spa services like facials, massage, body scrubs/glow, waxing etc. we also do skin testing and treat skin challenges such as acne, pimples burns etc,we make beauty products such as skin lightening, whitening and toning creams, soaps, cleansers etc.  

To cut the long story short, making people look radiant is my specialty.

PM: Was opening a beauty saloon your dream     
        career?                

Ans: Not really, but while I was growing up,my 
         aunty had a saloon and I

used to visit and assist her every now and then.

Apart from that,after school I knew I wasn’t the working class type neither was I into buying and selling, I wanted to work with my hands

PM:  What inspired you to set up the saloon and spa?

ANS: Years ago I had difficulty getting a cream to fit my skin colour, that inspired me to go into cosmetology again when I was a growing up, I used to do massage for my mum and whenever I finish, she always tells me it was good and she liked it, all these inspired me to go for further study on cosmetology abroad and on my return to Nigeria, I established the beauty saloon.

PM:  How long have you been in this business?

ANS: 5 years and counting.

PM:  What is the beauty therapy industry like in Africa?

ANS: It an interesting industry, there are many competitors and a lot of 

          people in this industry do not know how to do the work, so for you to 

          be successful in it, you need to be good at it……..yes its competitive 

          but once you are good at your job, even if you are small and hidden, 

          people will still sought you out and come for your services. Your 

          work will speak for you

PM: What challenges did you encounter setting up this business? Oh at

first funding to start up was not too easy because my dream saloon was to own a duplex where all the spa services will be rendered since the funds were not available for that, I started with what I had. Inexperience: I knew that the industry was wide and I didn’t know much about it, so I had to go for further studies on it abroad.

PM: Who are your target customers? My target customers is everybody because everyone needs beauty therapy but majorly on people with skin challenges like acne,Eczema etc

PM:  And what are the challenges so far you have encountered running a              saloon and a spa.

ANS (1)    Power supply,  fuel scarcity, incompetent staffs. And most

importantly, unawareness by majority of Nigerians, because not everybody is aware for the need and benefit of undergoing beauty therapy like facials, massage etc not knowing that these things have health benefit.

(2)    Pricing: people do not want to pay good money for the services rendered. Yes they want the service but what they sometimes offer as payment is far below the services we give.

PM:  So what are the health benefits of some of your services?

         For example massage helps you relax for free flow of blood, it keeps            the body healthy and it good for people who don’t exercise to release            muscles also skin scrubbing and facials helps to open one pulse and              allows the skin to breath well thereby avoiding some skin diseases and          challenges.

PM:  Is the beauty therapy a profitable business?

ANS: I will say yes to an extent that is if you know your job and you are good at it.

PM:  What have you enjoyed so far being in the beauty business?

ANS: I have enjoyed good clientele, networking besides I enjoy helping people solve their skin related challenges

PM: What is your advice to those out there with the intention of

becoming an owner of a beauty shop like yours?

ANS : My advice to anyone who wishes to own a beauty saloon are:

(1) First go to the school and learn it after then you can now open

       the saloon.

(2) Learn new method on the job; go for further studies to be good at 

       it,

(3) Don’t just open the spa and leave it alone for your staff to run, be 

       involved in it.

(4) Don’t open a saloon and a spa just and only because you have the 

       money to set it up but because you have a passion for it.

PM: What do you want to be remembered for?

ANS: I want my name and business to be associated with someone      who 

          has helped cure a lot of skin challenges i.e. a good cosmetologist. 

          When you talk about good skin care, hairdo etc, you remember world 

          Beauty spa and saloon.