Today we’d like to introduce you to Ladan Zarrabi.
Ladan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I came to United States from Iran at age of 15, as a child bride. I settled into Stillwater Oklahoma, which was about as remote and culturally different from my childhood as one can probably imagine. After high school, I decided to go to beauty school. After I received my license in order to stand out in a small town like Stillwater, I was going to have to be better than anything available anywhere in Oklahoma. I traveled every month to Toni & Guy academy in Dallas and became their first regional educational director for Oklahoma and its surrounding states.
In 1993, I opened Ladan Hair Design and Day Spa in Stillwater and it was chosen as one of the fastest growing salons in United State in 1999 through 2002 by Salon Today Magazine. It was a dynamic business with 12 hairdressers, 2 massage therapists and one esthetician. Our mission was to make women look great and feel great. We would often have after-hours socials with business women to discuss building self-confidence and improving image I myself had arrived as a child and without family and I understood how difficult it was to build self-confidence.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
After my divorce in 2006, I left Stillwater and my salon, and started over in Dallas as an individual stylist. The shock of starting over and from scratch cannot be underestimated, but I started to build my clientele and make a name for myself in Dallas. Of course, the Great Recession soon arrived and crushed the economy.
Soon became clear to me that many people needed to start new jobs, create new image, and find new careers in alien industries. My mission was to help people facing these challenges and began to provide Complementary makeover to women in different organizations.
By 2015, I was ready to buy a salon, and expand when I began to feel weak and tired. Just as I was ready to commit to expanding, I was told that I had late- stage leukemia and would have to go into extended treatments. Once again, I was forced to leave my business and focus upon my health. It took more than a year, but I was able to push the cancer back and regain my strength. All through this time, I was focused upon the idea of getting back in to my work. I wasn’t going to quit. I loved my work and my clients. It was more important than ever to make people look good and feel good about themselves.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about A New Image for You – what should we know?
I specialize in image makeover. What sets me apart is the complete understanding of my client’s needs and my customer service.
I am most proud of keeping to my mission statement that I started in 1993 making people feel good and look great.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have had many great people in my life that had been my supporters and cheerleaders.
That I am very grateful for.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8335 Westchester
- Website: www.ladan.com
- Phone: (214) 538-1849
- Email: ladanmet@yahoo.com
Image Credit:
Photography by Misty
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