“IT IS A FANTASTIC INDUSTRY-come be a part of it”

Vaijayanti Bhalchandra, Co-Founder, and rahul Bhalchandra, CEO, YLg Salon india, discuss the current state of beauty education while recounting their journey in India’s salon industry, in an exclusive interview with Priyanka Parshurami.

Tell us about your journey of a decade and a half in the beauty industry.

It’s been a wonderful journey. We launched our first academy in 2000 and the salon in 2008, since then we have grown fourfold into two metros -Bangalore and Chennai. In the year 2010, we launched our home services. We used to have big hot pink vans for our beauticians, which would go servicing clients around Bangalore. In 2015, home services started to shift to apps, and in 2017 we, too, launched our exclusive app for home servicing. So, we have been in this field since 2010, and the business has been doing very well.

We have also had our own brands such as YLG wax, nail polish and skincare products. So, we believe in giving 360-degree beauty care to our customers wherein our salon, at-home services, products and education, all work together in tandem. That’s why it’s been wonderful to be a part of this lovely industry.

We have 52 salons in South India - 6 each in Bangalore and Chennai. The academy is located in Bangalore.

What made you start an academy?

Both of us wanted to do something more in the beauty space. We realised there’s this opportunity in beauty services because overall the availability of trained staff was very less. So, we decided to create our own niche.

Our curriculum and our approach to education is process-driven. We have structured our curriculum in the way to create employable professionals.

At the end of the day, training has to lead to employment. It can’t just be for the sake of training or to be used as a trademark. Creating employable individuals was a big opportunity for us and we decided to capitalise on it as not much was being done in this field back then.

You can build GREAT CAREERS HERE. You can become entrepreneurs here. IT’S ONE OF THE BEST INDUSTRIES to be a part of going ahead.

What is the business format of YLG Salon like?

From the start, we were clear that we wanted to build a system where there is a lot of standardisation and consistency of service delivery. And today we are one of the most process-driven and organised salon chains in the industry.

Till date, we do not have a single franchise. Everything is company owned. However our first franchise salon is slated to start in March 2023.

Tell us about your curriculum planning.

It is entirely based on science. It is not just about hairdressing or beauty therapies. There has to be in-depth knowledge about hair and skin. And also maths! You need to know about angles and degrees when you are giving a haircut. So, maths is important in hairdressing. We approach beauty education with the seriousness of the approach towards science. Our training rooms are called labs. That’s the beauty of our industry - it is where art meets science.

Also, since it’s a skill based industry, practical knowledge is the king. Theoretical knowledge is very good for deeper understanding and for career growth. Due to this, our curriculum is in the ratio of 70:30, where 70 per cent is practical and 30 per cent is theory.

What are the criteria for enrolling for a course at YLG Academy?

The criteria for enrollment is that an individual should be able to read and write a little. However, we have also taken on students who are not literate, mainly because of their deep interest in beauty. For us, it is more of how much interest the candidate has for getting educated and for being a part of this industry. That is how we look at our students. The qualifications that we offer range from an art associate to hair academy owner.

Few of our USPs are the international diploma certifications we offer, along with CIBTAC since 2010 and CIDESCO since 2020 as well as ARTH certification.

How can Indian beauty education be at par with international standards?

We are happy to say that it’s becoming better and better by the day. From when we started, we can see that there is far more professionalism in the industry today. The beauty industry is growing by leaps and bounds, which is great news for us, too. One thing we wish to have more is to attract more qualified people, such as graduates because that will really make it more exciting.

But the journey is going very well. More people are now interested in international diploma certifications and in structured education rather than being okay with observing somebody and learning.

What message would you give to beauty industry aspirants?

It is a fantastic industry - come be a part of it! People make more monthly income than in other so-called educational sectors. You can build great careers here. You can become entrepreneurs here. It’s one of the best industries to be a part of going ahead.