“I was in my twenties— without children— when I opened my first Cozy’s Cuts for Kids Hair Salon. I had no background in the beauty industry; I just thought a kids-only salon was a good idea and couldn’t believe there weren’t already a million in Manhattan. The day we opened, there was a line around the block.” —Cozy Friedman, Founder and CEO of Cozy’s Cuts for Kids; MORE magazine, November 2009
Do you dream of owning your own business? Do you have what it takes to start a business and succeed? While in New York City recently, I sat down with Cozy Friedman, Founder and CEO of Cozy’s Cuts for Kids. She took a risk back in 1992 with a vision of opening a kids-only hair salon. Her risk paid off; big time.
I met Cozy at her salon on 2nd and 74th Street— one of three Cozy’s Cuts for Kids in the Manhattan area. Although I knew the address I wasn’t quite sure where I was heading. Suddenly I spotted two young mothers pushing strollers and as I looked up I was greeted by a brightly colored sign that read Cozy’s Cuts for Kids.
When I entered Cozy’s Cuts for Kids, I was immediately struck by the fact that it didn’t appear like a hair salon. Rather, it felt very much like a toy boutique. There were toys upon toys extending as far as the eye could see; children playing; adults purchasing gifts for young loved-ones. It wasn’t until I walked to the other side of the salon that I saw where haircuts actually took place. I wanted to sit down and get my hair cut— it looked like so much fun! There weren’t normal barber chairs; instead kids sit in a blue Mercedes or a styling Porsche. And that’s not all— they can play with a toy or watch a DVD while they get their locks cut. This certainly wasn’t an ordinary hair salon. It is a kid-friendly environment that children actually look forward to going to. Imagine that— kids actually looking forward to getting their hair cut! And that is the genius behind this business model created by Cozy Friedman.
I was soon greeted by Cozy herself. She led me over to the kids manicure area where we sat on small, colorful chairs. I was immediately struck by Cozy’s down-to-earth nature. Having an entrepreneurial spark inside me, I suddenly found myself wanting to ask all sorts of questions. Mainly…how did she do it? How did she turn her vision into a viable, successful business?
The idea for a kids-only hair salon came to Cozy when she was in her early twenties.
“A friend of mine told me about her cute little nephew's awful haircut experience at an adult salon. He was scared and began to cry and they were politely asked to leave the salon. That was my "Lightning Bolt Moment", says Cozy.
Cozy began researching the industry. This was in the early 1990’s, before internet so she spent many tireless hours in the New York Public Library. Cozy was shocked to learn that a kid-friendly salon did not exist. She realized that she was on to something and she took action.
“I had a good job at the time. I was making a lot of money in the fashion industry as a Sales Manager for a denim division”, states Cozy.
But sometimes turning a vision into reality requires a big leap of faith and a lot of risk. Cozy quit her high-paying, prestigous job in the fashion industry to devote all her time to researching her business idea and immersing herself in the children’s market. She gave herself four months to open her kid-only hair salon.
“This period was such a surreal time in my life, explains Cozy. So much of my identity was with the job I left. At that point, I was just Cozy. I felt like an imposter. When I would run into people I knew from my prior career and tell them I was starting my own business, it didn’t seem real.”
During this time, doubt managed to creep in however Cozy pushed it aside and with the support of her mother, brother and now husband, she forged ahead.
With her four month time-frame in play, Cozy continued researching, developed her business plan, and began looking for a location. At the same time she was immersing herself in the children’s industry.
“I enrolled in barber school and worked part-time in a toy store, indoor playground, and children’s clothing store to learn and understand my market” states Cozy.
Although she knew she was on to something, most people didn’t understand her concept. At that time, there weren’t many businesses catering to children like we find today. Cozy found this most apparent when looking for a location for her salon. This turned into her biggest stumbling block.
“I could not find a landlord that would rent to me. I was young, I wasn’t married, and I had no retail experience”, states Cozy. “No one wanted to take a gamble on me”.
But Cozy continued to forge ahead; fine tuning her business plan, working her part-time jobs in the children’s market, and continuing barber school. Cozy found a real estate broker who believed in her concept and together they searched for retail space.
While continuing to secure a location, Cozy thought that it would make sense to team up with a toy company. She met with an executive with a major toy company and pitched her idea. She felt the meeting went well but never followed up. Looking back, she felt that it was her own insecurity that prevented her from following up. Instead, she continued down her path of opening Cozy’s Cuts for Kids with no partnership.
It was approaching two years since Cozy quit her job and gave herself four months to open her first salon. Two years and no salon. Right about this time, her real estate broker introduced Cozy to the Vice President of real estate for a national chain of maternity stores. They were looking to rent out some of their space on Madison Avenue and it just so happened that this executive got her idea and gave Cozy a chance. A retail location on Madison Avenue in Manhattan— it doesn’t get much better than that!
“We were busy from day one” says Cozy. The opening day we had a line around the block.”
Remember that toy company executive Cozy met with for a potential partnership? Well he came into the salon during Cozy’s first week in business. To her surprise, he asked her why she never followed up after their meeting. He thought she had a wonderful idea. From that point on, Cozy told herself that she would never let her insecurity get in her way again.
“Never let your own insecurity prevent you from making a move forward” says Cozy.
Cozy’s Cuts for Kids was a huge success. Two months after opening, it was listed as “Best Kids Hair Salon” by New York Magazine and celebrities like Meg Ryan and Rosie O’Donnell frequented the salon with their children.
Two years later, Cozy started planning for a second location. To date, Cozy has three hair salons in the Manhattan area, has published a book Cozy’s Complete Guide to Girls Hair, and wholesales her line of children’s hair care products nationally. And Cozy’s Cuts for Kids continues to be a hot-spot for celebrities to bring their children.
Cozy’s four-month time frame of opening her first salon turned into two years, however as Cozy says “sometimes things take longer for a reason”.
“If I would have opened my first salon in four months after quitting my job, I would not have graduated from barber school and spent the valuable time I did immersed in the children’s industry says Cozy. “This time was invaluable.”
Looking back, Cozy says the single most important factor to her success was her business plan. “It was my road map to getting to where I needed to be” says Cozy. She followed it strictly for the first five years.
I asked Cozy if there’s a certain motto she follows that has led her to success. “I am an eternal optimist” says Cozy, “I don’t believe there’s such a thing as no"; and she’s also a big fan of Jack Canfield’s book The Success Principals: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be!
Cozy has indeed found success. But her success does not stop her from wanting to achieve more.
“There’s always a bigger boat to sail” says Cozy. As Cozy continues to push forward expanding her children’s hair care line and tackling other business goals, I have no doubt that this eternal optimist will be sailing a bigger boat very soon.
Do you have what it takes to start your own business and succeed? Cozy reached success by:
· Risk taking: Cozy quit a secure, high-paying job to focus on her business start-up
· 100% commitment: Cozy devoted her resources, time, and energy to her business vision. She took on three jobs to understand her market; she spent endless hours researching and creating a business plan, and she went to barber school.
· Not giving up: Cozy gave herself four months to open her business. However, that four months turned into two years because she couldn’t find a landlord who would take a chance on her. She could have easily given up; but she didn’t.
Are you willing to take a risk, give your vision 100% commitment, and not give up when the going gets tough? I guess that depends how bad you want it.
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