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New Style is a well-known beauty salon located in Bak Touk district. It provides beauty services for both males and females. Every day, the three shops are busy with customers. It is so busy that New Style’s 20 workers often find it a challenge to keep up with the crowds, especially on weekends.

Under the direction of smart business owner Im Kimleang, New Style has expended from a small shop, when it only had two hair-dresser chairs, to three large shops in only four years. Im Kimleang, 27, said “my life is so busy, from morning until night, Monday to Sunday. There’s work for me to do.”

With almost 10 years experiences as a normal beautician, Im Kimleang has understood the challenges of working within the business. “Before you can be a powerful boss, you must have experience being a worker,” he said. Luck, talent, creativity and persistence pushed him to be the successful business owner he is today, running his own salon shop.

Im Kimleang discovered early on that salons could be successful money-making businesses. Since he’s expanded the New Style business, he’s upgraded his lifestyle as well. However, many salon shops now are going bankrupt. Im Kimleang explained that the salon business is highly competitive. The only way to keep the business growing is to have a special service and charm that attracts customers, he added. Im Kimleang seeks to give customers more than they expected when they first walk into New Style, so that they leave impressed and want to come back next time.

New Style, although its services may sound expensive, benefits from offering reasonable prices. Although the shops are popular and modern, New Style is half the price of other well-known salons offering the same services and comfort. Im Kimleang has never made services more expensive with the expansion of his business, and he said that “I have tried to design my shop neither very high class nor low class, so that everyone can accept it.”

Since Im Kimleang owns and also manages New Style, he is not able to spend much one-on-one time with his clients. Because of this, he is very careful in selecting his staff. Only the outstanding beautician can be selected, he explained: “I’ve never cared or looked for how many certificates he or she has, but [I look at] his or her ability. Only the creative person can fit my requirements.”

At New Style, Im Kimleang makes sure that his beauticians each have a clear task. His beauticians are only allowed to work within their best specialties. This philosophy, Im Kimleang believes, makes for the best service possible at his shops. “I have both male and female beauticians with skill, so no matter how you look, my shop will make you a beauty in any style you prefer,” Kimleang said.

Cameras are set up in each of the New Style shops to help Im Kimleang keep watch over the business, and make sure that his beauticians are doing their best. “To control your workers is not easy, and there must be rules. Otherwise, the shop cannot run smoothly,” he reflected.

Im Kimleang wants to open one more branch of New Style in the future, but he’s not sure about the exact time when he’ll open the fourth shop. It depends on both customers and chance, he said.