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

Naoko, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I hate complaining. I believe that any problem can be solved, and I enjoy coming up with ideas and implementing them. When I was running a beauty salon for 27 years, I was always excited to solve customers’ hair problems. After seeing my mother suffer from thinning hair and feel embarrassed after wearing a wig for over 10 years, I created a shampoo that improved her hair and made her hair grow so much that she no longer needed to wear a wig. At the age of 45, I had a child, run a business, lived with a mother with Alzheimer’s disease, and created a lotion to rejuvenate my tired, sagging face.
I want to be excited all the time. I want to always stay positive. I don’t want to be surrounded by people who only complain every day, there is a solution to every problem. That’s where my business idea comes from.
Today, I would like to introduce a natural shampoo that can be used even by people with sensitive skin, such as my mother who wore a wig for over 10 years, but now her hair has grown and she no longer needs to wear a wig.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I used to run a hair salon. In 2000, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and after her surgery, her hair began to thin. Since I was running a hair salon, I was able to order various hair growth shampoos. My mother had sensitive skin, so I tried to help her grow her hair by using natural hair growth shampoos. However, no matter which shampoo she used, her hair never grew back. After that, she wore a wig for over ten years, and I began selling wigs in my salon as well.
One night, about ten years later, my mother realized she had forgotten to buy milk and decided to run across the street to the market. She had just taken a shower, was without makeup, and was wearing casual sweats, but still, she made sure to wear her wig. Seeing that moment gave me a huge shock. Even for a trip as short as one minute away, even without makeup and in casual clothes, she wanted to maintain her pride as a woman. It saddened me deeply to realize that my mother felt she couldn’t leave the house without her wig. At the same time, a firm resolve grew in my heart: “I have to find a way to help my mother grow her hair back!”
I began researching hair growth treatments again and tried several different products on my mother, but none of them worked. My mother had very sensitive skin and allergies, so she couldn’t use medicinal hair growth products either. That’s when I started thinking about creating a hair care product using herbs. I thought that if I used gentle herbs, even my mother, with her sensitive skin, would be able to use it. Additionally, I had been providing services to customers struggling with thinning hair for over ten years, and I had seen that there were many reasons why people lose their hair, and many didn’t know which shampoo would be best for them. I thought that if I could create a shampoo with herbs effective for all the causes of thinning hair, it might help increase hair growth.
The customers who used the shampoos I carefully selected for my salon often expressed dissatisfaction, saying that they didn’t get enough volume, their color faded, or their scalp became dry. I realized that if I were to create a product, I wanted it to be a shampoo that could not only fulfill my mother’s dream but also help all my customers struggling with thinning hair.
Of course, it wasn’t something a novice could easily do. I spent countless hours researching and studying, and eventually, I was able to develop a shampoo. Over time, my mother noticed that her hair appeared fuller, and eventually, she felt comfortable enough to stop relying on her wig. When I introduced this shampoo to customers who had purchased wigs, they too reported feeling satisfied with the appearance and volume of their hair. I decided to name this shampoo “SAI ZEN.”
“SAI ZEN” was the most effective product my mother had ever used since her hair began thinning. Even after just one use, the shampoo gave her hair volume and a resilient texture. Although I had initially developed this shampoo with my mother in mind, its reputation grew through word of mouth, and as we continued to improve it based on feedback from salon customers, we began receiving orders from other salons, retailers, and even internationally. It’s truly been a joy.
Since “SAI ZEN” is a natural-based shampoo, it can be used not only by those experiencing hair thinning but also by anyone who wants to keep their hair healthy, add volume, expectant mothers, those undergoing chemotherapy, children, women, men, the elderly—anyone can use it. I especially recommend it to those who wish to maintain healthy hair.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I believe that by sharing this story, you will understand why I poured so much passion into creating a shampoo for my mother.
When I was 8 years old and my younger brother was 4, our father passed away from cancer. My mother, who had been a housewife, was left at a loss. In order to support us, she decided to learn a trade and became a hair stylist. In Japan, there is a program where one can earn a cosmetology license through correspondence while working in a salon. My mother worked at a hair salon while raising us. However, since the salon where she worked did not allow children inside, my brother and I had to wait outside. Japanese winters are cold, and we would huddle under the streetlight in front of the salon to stay warm, playing “oshikura manju” (a children’s game where you push each other to stay warm) as we waited for our mother to finish her work. My mother felt heartbroken, wishing she could bring us inside if only it were her own salon.
After two years of working at the salon, my mother successfully earned her cosmetology license. She opened her own salon so that her children could spend time inside while she worked. However, having just earned her license and with no prior business experience, managing the salon, raising children, and dealing with the burden of significant debt caused her immense stress. Several times, she collapsed and nearly lost her life. I did everything I could to help and encourage her, always hoping to see her happy. She dedicated herself to improving her skills, attending hair contests to learn from the first-place winners. After training with three top stylists, my mother herself won a hair competition. Her victory led to TV appearances, and soon, her salon became very busy.
When I was accepted into a university in the U.S., my mother decided she also wanted to send my brother to study in America. She thought, “I opened this salon for my children, so I’ll sell it for their sake and move to America.”
My mother and brother moved to Los Angeles, while I went to university in Montana.
Seven years later, we opened a hair salon together. It grew from a 1,100-square-foot space to a 5,000-square-foot salon with around 25 employees. I worked tirelessly every day, from early morning to late at night, to make my mother’s dream come true and to ensure her happiness. Then, after she turned 70, my mother developed Alzheimer’s disease. Over the years, her dementia and Alzheimer’s worsened day by day. Living with her and caring for her brought me an overwhelming amount of stress. I loved my mother more than anyone and had devoted my life to her happiness, so seeing her personality and appearance change so drastically broke my heart. She told me she wanted to sell the business, to stop working after all these years since my father’s death, and to take a long trip to Japan—a country she loved dearly and dreamed of visiting again.
At that time, someone who wanted to buy the salon appeared. He was a successful entrepreneur with businesses around the world, and I believed it would be good for the employees as well. So, I made the decision to sell the salon. After that, I traveled with my mother and daughter for two months, and we took long trips three times a year.
I have always cared for my mother, and her happiness has been the most important thing in my life. The shampoo I created for her is also a product born from my deep desire to make her happy.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

In my case, my mother’s Alzheimer’s and dementia were major turning points, but selling the business also brought many valuable lessons. I took my beloved mother to various places, traveling with her and doing everything I could think of to make her happy. However, in the process, I neglected my own happiness. Throughout my life, I had only thought about making my mother happy. Alzheimer’s changed her personality, and through those painful days, I began to reflect on my own life. I wanted to create a business that aligned with my true passions, so I tried various new things. Additionally, for two years after selling my business, I worked as a business consultant at the salon I had once run, which allowed me to see the business I had built from a third-party perspective. I gained insight into the feelings of both the business owner and the employees, and I was also able to objectively evaluate the business I had created. These lessons have profoundly influenced how I want to live my life moving forward.
Now, at the age of 53, I’ve finally come to understand myself better. I want to love myself and be my own biggest fan. Going forward, I intend to live my life with purpose and passion. Since I love the beauty industry, I want to create a business that brings happiness to people not only in my community but also around the world through beauty. As I continue to promote the Sai Zen products, I hope to realize, one by one, the products and businesses that will allow me to contribute to the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saizenhair.com
• Instagram: @saizen.hair
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069833311577

Image Credits

Kimura, Erika