Hardik Malde - Armed With The Right Skills

Hardik Malde, Founder & Creative Head of Hair Castle Salon, turned around his fortunes by being creatively and commercially successful. He shares his thoughts with Salon India.

A self made professional, Hardik Malde started his journey in hair in 2007 after being professionally qualified. He went on to pursue various diploma courses in hairstyling and colour from L’Oréal Professionnel Academy in Mumbai. Later, in 2016, he enrolled at Vipul Chudasama Salon & Academy to master the craft further. He has also attended a number of educational seminars and workshops, as he believes that ‘education is the key to success’ in the hair and salon business.

Initial years

In 2008, with a single chair in the small balcony of his home, Hardik decided to put theory to practice. He elaborates, “Due to financial constraints, it was difficult to have a salon at a commercial place with plush interiors and proper infrastructure. Hence, I did what was the best option at that time, styling client’s from my balcony. After garnering a reputation and with an influx of income, I gradually replaced the regular chairs and tools with professional ones, converted half of my home into a hair studio and increased my capacity from one to five hair stations.”

Challenges then and now