Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Bergen County
Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Ep. # 63 From Istanbul Stylist to NJ Salon Owner: Naz Korkmaz's Inspiring Journey and Beauty Business Insights
Ever wondered how a young stylist from Istanbul makes her way to becoming a celebrated salon owner in New Jersey? Meet Naz Korkmaz, a force of nature in the beauty industry, who shares her inspiring journey of resilience and passion. From her early days styling hair amidst the bustling fashion scene of Istanbul Fashion Week to opening her first salon at 24, Naz's story is one of ambition, adaptability, and overcoming challenges. Discover how a spontaneous trip to the U.S. for an Aveda workshop turned into a permanent stay, despite the initial language barrier, as she found her calling and success across the ocean in Creskill, New Jersey.
Listening is an art and Naz is an artist, painting a vivid picture of why understanding client needs is paramount in hairdressing. Naz talks candidly about how effective communication can transform a business, with satisfied clients becoming the best marketing tool. She also shares her excitement about transitioning into teaching, a testament to her love for the craft and her talented team. Naz’s enthusiasm for her work shines through as she discusses her salon’s thriving environment, where passion meets professionalism. Join us for an episode filled with insights into the beauty business and the invaluable lessons learned along the way.
Naz Hair & Beauty Salon
Naz Korkmaz
15 Broadway Suite 104 Cresskill, NJ 07626
Tel: 201-266-6050
Mob: 302-877-0576
Email: nazz.hair.beauty@gmail.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of the Bergen Neighbors Media Group's podcast called Good Neighbor, a podcast coming to you live from Bergen County. I'm in Harrington Park, from Bergen County. I'm in Harrington Park and today we are joined by Naz Korkmaz, who is just down the road from me in Cresco, new Jersey. So, naz, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:So Naz is the owner of Naz Hair and Beauty Salon. It's, as I said, down the road in Cresco, new Jersey, and, as the name might suggest, she's not exactly the typical Jersey name you might hear, although actually I shouldn't say that because we're a very diverse population. But, naz, so I understand you originally became a stylist back in your home country, in Turkey, is that correct?
Speaker 3:Yes, I am in this journey for 25 years already.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow. So how long did you work as a stylist in Turkey?
Speaker 3:Around 15 years. Okay. But, I have a little bit of experience. When I was 24 years old, I opened my own salon, and so it didn't go the way I want to, so I shut down after a year, and here we are.
Speaker 2:So was that in Istanbul, or was that in New Jersey, where you started?
Speaker 3:It was in Istanbul.
Speaker 2:In Istanbul. Yes so that's where you worked in a lot of fashionable salons and I think you also worked at like Istanbul's Fashion Week. Is that correct?
Speaker 3:Yes, that's correct.
Speaker 2:So what is that like? So you're working on different models before they go down the runway. You're working on their hair it's.
Speaker 3:It's a lot of fun for sure, because it's too much going on around like it's very busy traffic yeah but also a little bit stressful because everything have to go by time, like sure time right, right, right but it's fun yeah, I'm sure it's.
Speaker 2:How many years did he do that? Was it just one time or did he do it over I?
Speaker 3:did like for a little while and actually I have a chance to 2016, being in the New York Fashion Week of the well nice over Bryant Park. Like, yeah, so it was fun. Like I miss it. Sometimes I really want to go back, but at the same time it's like you need a lot of time from your other job.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 3:And also it's very much stressful.
Speaker 2:So when you're working Fashion Week, as the name suggests, you're there every week.
Speaker 3:As the name suggests, you're there every day of the week while the show is going on not really like I, when I used to was back at home in Istanbul when I was doing those kind jobs, is mostly like you know you will get once in the week, so you will continue to do your you know regular job at the salon and maybe in the weekend days or whatever is the time, because it's so many hairstylists and everybody know like somebody knows somebody, and that's how you end up going those kind of jobs yeah, yeah, oh, nice, nice.
Speaker 2:And when is fashion week? Isn't it, uh, around this time of year, or is it coming up?
Speaker 3:in new york I. I think so. Yeah, like, like, maybe, maybe a little bit close by the summer yeah, I used to work yeah now, actually they have some fashion week. You just remind me, they do have some fashion weeks right now yeah, yeah in the new york there's always a fashion week somewhere.
Speaker 2:When I worked in the, I used to work for nickelodeon and the home entertainment and publishing division and there was always a a publishing week fair somewhere, whether it was bologna or frankfurt or it was london, or it was new york, or it was in guadalajara or somewhere.
Speaker 2:There was always a you know a publishing fair, so I imagine there's fashion weeks everywhere. You know uh publishing fair, so I imagine there's fashion weeks everywhere. So so you have the experience of opening up a salon in istanbul. It doesn't work out, uh, you come to you know new jersey, new york area, so why start another one if you you know was it like?
Speaker 3:well, um, when I opened my first salon, I was only 24 years old, which is today I am 44 years old. So it was like a long time ago and I grew up and have a lot of experience. So I was too young and I did. I play very big.
Speaker 3:It was like three floor big salon and I have no experience, so I I could not made it work because I was too young and did a lot of mistakes. So I came here, 2013, november 6th. I just came for some. I used to work in the Aveda like a colorist.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Back in Turkey. So they have some workshop here. So that's how I ended up to be in the new york and somehow I get one other job offer here and I stay yeah, so when you're living in in istanbul, did you think, boy, someday I want to live in new jersey, is that? Actually not yeah I have to be honest, I always, always wanted to go to London because they have a lot of fashion about hair and hair business over there. That was my dream. So I came here and I didn't speak any English.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:So in that workshop I had a little hard time even with the headphone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, translation a headphone.
Speaker 3:Yeah, translation. But I say I'm gonna stay and you know, spend a little bit money and go to school and learn english.
Speaker 2:That was my plan stay six months and learn english.
Speaker 3:So then I get the job offer, I stay, I go to school, I learn english and then I just get used to being here and I end up to stay well, and how many years ago was that when you first came over? 12 years ago 12 years ago.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's great. So you know, you were obviously not in your 20s anymore, so to say. I'm going to learn another language, I'm going to make a move, that's. You know, it's a risky, risky endeavor, and I think one of the common themes that I see throughout all the different business owners that I interview on my show is that they, you know you have to take a risk and if you're going to start your own business, but you have a passion for doing what you, what you're doing, and you understand that the risk takers are rewarded. Sometimes we fail, as it would happen to you. I think most business owners fail at least once or twice in their lives, if not more. That's true, but you dusted yourself off and figured there's another way of doing this, although it must have been a lot different than saying OK, I didn't succeed at 24 years old, but I was in my home country and now I'm in a country where I'm just learning the language and the culture, and you said I'm going to do it anyways. That's great.
Speaker 3:Actually I was not planning to open one other business. I really love so much what I'm doing. I think when I first become a hairstylist, I have so much anxiety for this job and I want to stop people in the street, like the people I don't know, and tell them do you know, I'm hair stylist because, I love this job so much, and so I was working for some um guy and I was very, very happy and I worked for him for seven years I was not planning to move anywhere or open my own business, but some point it was in my mind one day on to business, but I was.
Speaker 3:I didn't have planned like today or tomorrow or next week. So one day, this place where I'm sitting right now, which is my salon right one of one of my client told me this place is available for rent.
Speaker 3:it was middle on the covet, like 2021, and so I sold location. I sold the place and I was in love. I just tell my boss I'm going to tell you something, so you're going to fire me. And he was such a sweet man. I tell him he didn't fire me he said because you're honest, I'm going to help you out.
Speaker 3:Right, I'm going to help you out and I stay there till I finish my salon to become like a salon. I work five or six months after I tell him over there and then I move to my place. I think this salon is already three years old and we are doing very good. Every year, like 20% and 30%, the business grew, continued to growing which is very good.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But I think back in the day when I opened my first business, I was so young I had no plan, I didn't know what to do. But today it was not like that. I do know what to do.
Speaker 2:I I believe whatever you do, if you do bottom from your heart with the love, it will work yeah, yeah, no, that's, that is a um again, another common theme if you follow, there's a saying like if you, if you love what you do, you'll never work another day in your life. But uh, exactly, listen, we know it's work anyway. There's a lot of things that go into owning a business that you couldn't learn in stylist school or or learn on the on the fashion runways a lot of different things. With you know, owning your own business, it's not like you go and somebody's paying you. You've got to make it happen and you've got to pay other people. So, um, but now that's incredible. So when you're, when you are um, you know, walking down the street, you want to tell people that you're a hair stylist is because you look at their hair and say, oh, my god, you, you know, I could do such a better job than than what? Who's ever cutting your hair? Do you ever have that like moment where you look at somebody?
Speaker 3:yes, yes, oh my god, all the time when I go most. I love being in the new y York City and when I go there, you know, in the subway you hang out like a lot of different cultures. People look like fashion, whatever you're gonna name it yeah. I cannot help myself that's funny, that's fine I just I say I wish they asked me for help.
Speaker 2:I will do for free yeah, yeah, really okay, so maybe I'll talk to you afterwards. So what are the? What are the services that you offer?
Speaker 3:um, everything about hair. Any type of hair extension, any type of coloring, any type of highlighting or cutting, everything about hair we have at the salon.
Speaker 2:So that would be. I mean, you're talking color, you're talking cut, you're talking, I mean what? So what types of treatments do do you normally work with women, or is it? Uh, do you?
Speaker 3:have? We do. We do have a man client as well. Um, we do men. We have men clients as well. They come just for the haircut like very, very, very few people liked a little bit coloring. You know, those days men are taking care of themselves very well as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, nice, yeah, nice. So what is it that? I mean? It's hair coloring, it's hair color, it's styling eyebrows, lips. I mean, is there something? I guess the most obvious thing. When you see somebody on the street, it's their hair that you see, and when you worked at the runways it was more of a hairstyling. Is there something that you really love doing more than one, or is it just the entire package? Of being able to style somebody.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I personally like color a lot, like playing with different colors. If I created a new color, like for mine, whatever the company, give it to us. And you created something, stop of that. That's very excited. And also, sometimes people come and they already go some other places and they get color done and whenever I fix those colors I say, wow, I'm genius well, the nice thing about what you do is people you know.
Speaker 2:When they walk out of your salon, you've made them feel beautiful. It's gratification, and maybe they walk a little bit taller and you know whether they do.
Speaker 3:I think for a woman is the hair most important thing? Because it's like how you hair is like how you feel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and there's so much that goes into, certainly, the hairstyle with somebody's, the way their bone structure is obviously the kind of hair that they have, whether it's straight or it's curly, whether they like it long or short. So, yeah, no, I think it's. You know, you're a testament to the fact that you know there's a dream. I mean you could call it the American dream, but you had that dream in.
Speaker 2:Turkey as well. But you know to come here to learn the language, to say you know you didn't think about moving to New Jersey when you're growing up in Turkey and working in Istanbul. But here you are and you know, three years, 20% growth, year after year. What do you think is? You know we talked offline. You don't do a lot of marketing traditional marketing.
Speaker 3:So what do you? Why do you think your business has been able to grow like? What advice could you give to other um business? Actually, I was in this area like the day I came to the us, so I built a lot of client. I, I think a most important thing, before the marketing when people come to you, you first understand what they're looking for and ask them questions yeah and if you want to cut one inch, why she want to cut one inch?
Speaker 3:I always asking them and sometimes people look to me like a little bit surprised because they're thinking I'm questioning them. I say no, no, I try understand what really you want okay and when you, when you ask question and listen to the person what they want, you can give them exactly what they want. But if hairstylist mostly they have like some idea in the head and they think that's the right, maybe is, but it's not a good fit for that person. You have to understand what they're looking for yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I've personally experienced, you know, times where somebody cut the hair that they think that I should have, or they're used to cutting men's hair a certain way and um, and a lot of times I trust them. I say, well, you're the professional, listen, this is what I like, but I'm not really sure, so I'm open to ideas. And then you walk out of there and you're like, oh God, and the greatest thing to hear when you get your haircut, for somebody to say, oh, don't worry, it'll grow back. I'm like, yeah, great, I just you know, and I got to sit with this for six weeks and wait till it grows back. And that's the worst is when somebody just kind of feels like, ah, I know how to cut hair and they assume every guy wants his hair cut a certain way and they don't listen to you. And that's happened a lot. That's happened a lot in my experience and I think somebody that listens to their client but then can also give them advice to the point where they trust them, that means a lot.
Speaker 3:It's probably why you've been able to grow Exactly Because you know what is the best marketing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, referrals, well no. The best marketing is your client walking down the street.
Speaker 3:That's the best marketing and also they will recommend to others.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean their friends say oh my God, I love your hair, and where'd you get it done? And there you go.
Speaker 3:Exactly, that's all it takes.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, naz, is there anything else you want? I mean, we're going to go through, like where people find you, you know where you're located. Go through, like where people find you, you know where you're located. But I mean, you gave great advice to other business owners out there. It's about following your passion and certainly you're going to make mistakes along the way, but you can overcome them. I think you know. I've been to your salon. You didn't overextend it's not three floors, it's not you know some huge footprint where your rent is costing you like 5 000 a month. I, I would hope not. Um, so I think you know you you've done it the right way and uh, certainly, if when you're talented, a, you're talented, but when you have the passion, uh, it, it shows through.
Speaker 2:So, uh, yeah I said a lot there. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
Speaker 3:yes, actually, um, doesn't matter what you do. You can pale potato in some you know restaurants, or you can do hair or you can anything. I think the like most important thing you have to love your job. If you don't love your job, just quick and do what you love yeah, yeah, that, yeah, that's great that's so important because I am working with no vacation last three years like no off day and I still Sunday.
Speaker 3:if I'm on my way to the work, I open Shakira and I dance in my car like that and drive to work because I still love what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great and actually I'm very excited. Right love what I'm doing. Yeah, that's great, and actually I'm very excited.
Speaker 3:Right now I'm going back to the school. I'm very excited to become teacher oh really, yes, and. I am very excited to teaching here, like whenever I finish mine 500 hours and I will start teaching and I'm so excited about that.
Speaker 2:That's great. That's great. Yeah, I mean you can. I mean you can teach what you do they can't. You can't teach the passion, so hopefully the people that you work with have the same desires that you have. But that's, that's amazing to see. You know you go from student to teacher. It's a nice, nice maturation and journey. So how would they where? Where are you located in cresco?
Speaker 3:um, we are located in 15 broadway and that's just off of uh piermont road right yes, like next to duncan, actually we're facing to the duncan. Okay, it's a very nice location. I like those areas.
Speaker 2:It's very unique Everything is very unique in this area.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I love being in this location.
Speaker 2:Nice. And then what's your website and phone number?
Speaker 3:My website is like www. nazhairandbeauty. com and the telephone number is like. Same name is like also Instagram. Like the telephone number is 201-266-6050.
Speaker 2:And you're open six days a week.
Speaker 3:We are open six days a week, okay, almost every day, 10 to 6. Except Sunday we close sometime at 4, but mostly time I'm here till eight o'clock wow, it must feel like you're open eight days a week to coin, yes, like so far. So far is really everything go like the way I was looking for, and that's why, I'm very happy about. I'm working with amazing, amazing team. I have two girls. I train them. They are so good right now and I have. I have a team. It makes my life easier.
Speaker 2:I am so happy about that, yeah like finally I'm working with right people.
Speaker 3:Like it's like dream become true yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:Well, naz, thank you so much for joining the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this was great, and I think I'll be paying you a visit when the time comes.
Speaker 3:You're welcome whenever you need.
Speaker 2:Sounds great, so we're going to close it out with Chuck, and you and I will be right back.
Speaker 3:Thank you Bye.
Speaker 2:Bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen. gnpbergencom. That's gnpbergen. com, or call 201-298-8325.