Seeing the Need, Building the Dream
Irma Arribas works with a client in her Little Rock salon, where her passion for serving customers remains at the heart of her work.
(Photo by Marshall Deree)
También puedes leer este artículo en Español aquí.
Successful businesses often begin by identifying a need. When entrepreneur Irma Arribas arrived in Little Rock in 2005, she wasn’t planning to open another beauty salon. Before making that decision, she wanted to know whether the city's growing Latino community needed one.
To answer that question, Arribas asked where most Hispanic families gathered on Sundays. She visited the church, observed the community and quickly realized there was an opportunity.
“I thought, ‘This is an emergency.’ Everyone needed a haircut,” Arribas says. “That’s when I started making plans to open the salon.”
Her observation led to the opening of Nueva Imagen. According to Arribas, when she applied for her salon license, the Arkansas State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners said Nueva Imagen was the first Latino-owned beauty salon in Little Rock. More than 20 years later, the business continues to serve the community despite a cosmetology industry that has become increasingly competitive.
Arribas says identifying a market need was only the beginning. Building a business that lasts requires discipline, consistency and earning customers’ trust every day. She believes one of the most important ways to do that is by respecting people's time.
“Success starts with responsibility,” Arribas says. “Be punctual, be responsible and don’t let today’s work pile up for tomorrow. Once things start accumulating, it becomes much harder to solve them.”
Before opening her salon, Arribas completed the education required to become a licensed cosmetologist in the United States. She attended Parisian Beauty School, in Hackensack, NJ, completed the required training hours and passed the state licensing exam before opening her business.
Throughout the years, over a dozen stylists who started their careers at Nueva Imagen have gone on to open salons of their own. Rather than viewing them as competitors, Arribas continues to offer advice when they ask for guidance.
For Arribas, success is not only measured by how long a business stays open, but by the relationships built along the way and the willingness to help others succeed.