We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kai Fujimoto a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kai, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

I do! I need to. I’ve been doing hair for 16 years, starting in my hometown of Tokyo, Japan. There, I learned to put my work before my personal life. I told what and whom I was supposed to love in my life and not, making me feel like a robot; I lost the joy of living.
For the first time, my partner and I went to the Maldives for a 10-day vacation this year. It’s something I wasn’t accustomed to with my own business of 5 years, to allow myself to let go and be away for so long. However, I finally started seeing the balance I needed between my work life and personal life.

My work is my passion; I am deeply dedicated to it, but taking vacations and flourishing in my personal life has helped me to recharge my batteries, reignite my passion for work, be kinder to others, and be more grateful for my clients who support my business, Salon Aqua, and Hair By Kai.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My favorite color line is CØR color from Original Mineral. It is the next generation in ammonia, PPD, and Resorcinol-free professional organic hair color. As a hair stylist, I always choose the safest options for my health and that of my clients, not just hair but body and skin.

I consistently research and try new hair colors and products, seeking the best. What sets me apart from others is that I never get comfortable with what’s convenient. I am always willing to adapt to new trends, research, and product innovation for the best results for my clients that make them feel confident, happy, and safe; I’m always up for new challenges, and color corrections are my forte.

I can focus on doing my clients’ hair for hours, and many desire to transform their hair into something they always dream of but never done, and sometimes that can take a lot of time to make it flawless. That’s what I thrive for and do; that’s the joy of my job. I’m very diplomatic with coloring, balancing my client’s dreams with realistic expectations based on their natural color, hair structure, and issues that may arise when going from already processed or chemically treated hair, giving them a result I can guarantee. I always map the service clients and break down what processes to achieve a perfect final result.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I usually prebook my clients and keep them informed my schedule via Instagram. It’s very personable and I always give my 100% to my clients. That’s what fosters my brand Salon Aqua’s loyalty.
My clients know I never get lazy or comfortable. I am always honest to myself and my clients, what is the best for them, what products they should use. I don’t lie or make up things in order to get profit. I truly think about my clients best interests and when I show my honesty and being true to myself, my clients react to my loyalty to them and that’s what I believe

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn was to sacrifice my personal life. I have had my own business for 5 years and it was a tough lesson for me.
I never turned down clients and some years I worked on thanksgiving day and Christmas Day.
I did everything I could do in order to make sure my business is thrived.
But I started stopping caring myself. I was gaining huge amount of weight. Always stressed. Cut off all my social life. Just work, 7days and sometimes works until midnight, 1am, went home to sleep and came back to work at 9am.
I started stopping to love my life and started being unkind to everyone I knew in my life including my own family. I had nothing to prove to anyone.
Meeting my partner changed my life, I finally started seeing the balance of my life. And we take vacations and I come back to work rejuvenated and kind to people.
It was an important lesson I learned in order to thrive better at work, you need to flourish your personal too and I’m forever grateful for my partner Josh to make realize something important in my life I never did learn myself

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kai.fujimoto
• Facebook: Kai Fujimoto
• Yelp: Hair By Kai