IN A WORLD WHERE IT SEEMES EVERYTHING IS INVENTED, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY OR CREATE SOMETHING NEW. IT IS DIFFICULT - BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE TASK CORRECTLY, IT IS INTERESTING AND POSSIBLE. TODAY THE ESTEL COMPANY AND ITS GENERAL DIRECTOR LEV OKHOTIN CONFIDENTLY SPEAK THE WORD “INNOVATION”, CALMLY REPORT ABOUT “EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF CUSTOMER PERCEPTION” AND DO NOT REGRET ANYTHING ABOUT ALL THE TRIALS AND ERRORS THAT HAPPENED AT WAYS TO FOLLOW THE GOAL. THE GOAL JUSTIFYED THE MEANS, AND SOON A NEW PRODUCT WILL APPEAR IN SALONS - HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL. ABOUT TRANSFORMER PAINT AND CARE, ABOUT COLOR COCKTAILS AND EXCLUSIVE FRAGRANCE, ABOUT ENEMIES AND LOVE, ABOUT CHEMISTRY AND LYRICS - THIS IS SO CREATIVELY INTENSE OUR CONVERSATION WITH LION HUNT.
There is an opinion that luxury segment products are marketing and nothing more...
In the Russian Federation, we have some confusion in understanding what a luxury product is with regards to professional hair dyes. Today everyone uses the concept of “price-quality ratio”. But in my opinion, this is a completely incorrect concept. After all, when we talk about price, we talk about an absolute value - this is a specific figure. And we divide it by quality. And quality is a relative value. And it always upsets me when people use this concept. The word “quality” can be applied not only to certain products. It can be applied to the quality of certain services. And here there is something to think about for both cosmetics manufacturers and craftsmen.
Perhaps I will tell you a secret by saying that in Western Europe, in the segment of professional hair dyes, the price positioning range is quite narrow. For example, in Germany, France and other European countries, all professional paints cost approximately the same. If we are talking about a professional, a Master with a capital M, then the price of the product he buys is not his first concern. First of all, he is interested in how much he will satisfy his client, how much he will change his client, in what mood the client will leave him and with what probability he will return. I am almost sure that in ten years the price positioning in the field of hair dyes will be very much leveled off.
Where such confidence?
This is my forecast! Forecasts are a thankless task. A forecast always talks about the future, and the future cannot be proven. Society for the most part treats those who talk about the future very skeptically. And when this future suddenly happens, it ceases to be the future. And this is not even the present, this is already the past. But still, we live in our country, where we have historically developed our own ideas about what quality is and how it is expressed.
What ideas guided you when creating HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL? What kind of project is this? What is your attitude towards the luxury segment and what does the concept of luxury mean to you?
In the capital of Germany, approximately 50 top salons work with ESTEL, for example, one of the most famous luxury salons in Berlin “MonsieurMilan”. By the way, at one time my acquaintance with this salon made a serious impression on me. It was there that I saw high-quality service. As for the concept of luxury, “premium” is all relative values. In my opinion, these are simply illusions that are in the minds of the hairdresser, as well as some manufacturers and consumers.
Unfortunately, in our country the concept of luxury looks something like this: luxury = price. And the more expensive, the better. It's just a disaster. If we are talking about the Hairdressing Craft, then for me personally luxury is not a product at all, it is a combination: product + service + service. It is clear that a service is, for example, coloring. And service is the communication that the salon gives to the client. And here everything is important: how we meet the client, how we talk to him, what we talk to him about, how we see him off, in what mood the client leaves us. This is what HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is not a product. If you want, this is not just a product, it is a combination of product, service and service. After all, we don’t sell tubes. This is uninteresting and unpromising. The tubes themselves, no matter what is written on them, do not help the artist create traffic. They cannot bind the client to the master. This is impossible. Because the client’s love for the master is built a little differently. And the main task of ESTEL HAUTE COUTURE is to show the master new possibilities in the field of coloring and service for his beloved client. Since we are closely connected with the fashion industry, every year we will release separate HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL color collections. And every six months a fashionable collection of haircuts and hairstyles, HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL, will be released. This will open up new opportunities for communication between the master and his client and give the master more confidence in his professionalism. Yes, we have a high-quality product, but without the golden hands of the master and his love for the client, it is an absolute void. I don't understand how you can measure love with money. Love is in reciprocity. When something is done for money, it is not love, it is called differently. ESTEL - for love. The relationship between a master and a client can be compared to the relationship between a man and a woman. In both cases, love is divided into 4 stages. The first is looking, the second is breathing, the third is touching, and the fourth is penetration. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is penetration. This is penetration into the head, and into the heart, and through the hands, and through a smile, and through the eyes.
In Russia, there is a certain cycle of salons: salons open, operate for a short time and close due to unprofitability.
Of course, this is a completely normal situation. Today, the number of salons that are opening significantly exceeds the number of salons that are closing. And if there are now 55 thousand salons in Russia, then my personal forecast for 2020 is 75 thousand.
So you think that salon hairdressing services will become more popular?
I hope so. And we make great efforts to keep it that way. Today, 95% of women visit a salon for a haircut. Because a friend is unlikely to be able to cut her hair at home. And if we talk about coloring services, then approximately 85% of women do it at home. And the main problem here is not the price. It’s clear that you can buy paint in a hypermarket, invite a friend and paint it at home. And it will, of course, be cheaper. What are the chances of a master that a client will come to the salon for this service?
He should become for the client... a girlfriend?
More like a psychologist, a friend... He must give the client something more than just services for a certain price. Price is an illusion. It only seems to us that this is a specific value. And it seems to us that relationships are an illusion. Hell no! A woman will come to a salon for coloring only when she can get not a product at some price, but a quality service with high-quality service.
It seems to me that good emotions also play a role in this case...
Certainly! Why does she, the client, need emotions? Why does she come to the salon? Hairdressing is a very interesting and multifaceted profession. This is an actor, a doctor, a psychologist, an architect, a fashion designer, and a stylist... Who exactly does she come to? I believe that to everyone at once. For what? For what purpose?
To change yourself.
Exactly. But then the question immediately arises: why should she change? I will answer: to be loved. The profession of a hairdresser is very happy in every sense. If a hairdresser performs his service efficiently and provides high-quality service, he does not just dye his hair. He makes a promise of happiness. It helps to achieve happiness.
What about professionalism?
This condition is necessary, but it is completely insufficient for success. Coloring techniques and cutting techniques are a necessity. But to become a true Master, you need to add equally magnificent service to your magnificent technique. And then all the letters in the word “MASTER” will be capitalized. At one time, I interviewed women of different ages about why they dyed their hair. The clearest specific answer I received from women over 70: to please a man. Is it possible to get the same answer from a young woman? They all say something like this: to please your girlfriends, to please yourself... But the truth is different.
So Freud was right?
Everything in life can be projected onto the relationship between a man and a woman. When a new product, a new brand appears in the life of a hairdresser, he experiences the same fears as any person at the early stage of a relationship: how long-term will his relationship with the new brand be, will he like this brand, will his client like him with this brand . Everything in our world is built on this. And there is no point in arguing with this! For example, Milan, which I already mentioned, has one of the most successful salons in Berlin. When I first saw him, I asked myself the question: what is the secret of such success? The fact that he dyes his hair well? Hardly. Is it that he does a good haircut or styling? Also unlikely. I repeat that skill is a prerequisite for success, but... it is not enough. There must be something more. So: Milan is incredibly successful because he is sincerely in love with himself, sincerely in love with his clients, he loves his profession and everything that happens to him! He likes everything, no matter whether it’s raining or sunny outside. And people see and feel it. This is the secret. After all, everything that is done with love attracts to itself. Theoretically, success follows... Everyone says: success, success, success. But we must remember: success should never be made a goal. Success is just a consequence.
Let's talk about the positioning of HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL.
Our positioning is not price based. Let's start with paint. When a client comes to the salon, he does not buy paint, but a coloring service. Do you think that if the client is happy with the result, will he ask what paint was used? In our country, if you ask women leaving a salon the question “What paint did you use?”, I assure you that 50 percent will give you a detailed, detailed answer. What does this mean? About trust in the master? About trust in his choice?.. Or maybe the master, in turn, simply covers up his incompetence with a trademark?
And how to solve this problem?
Through training of masters. But there is such a subtle point: it is important what the master received during training and what of this he passed on to his client. So, HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is luxury, but luxury not only in price. First of all, it is luxury in terms of the combination of concepts “product - service - service”. Only with this combination does the hairdresser have a chance to win the war against home coloring.
So what did chemists come up with?
From a chemical point of view, HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is an absolute innovation. Of course, perhaps we don’t know something, but I’m talking about more or less well-known brands. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is the world's first paint that is based on so-called cationic substances. These substances are the main components in the production of hair masks. And something tells me that keeping a hair mask on your head, which also dyes, is much more pleasant than regular hair dye.
Why haven't other manufacturers adopted this technology?
The fact is that from a chemical point of view this is practically unrealistic! I know for certain that we are not the first to make such attempts, but all of them were unsuccessful. In my laboratory, I promoted this idea for almost a year. And then we worked on the project for more than three years. And I can say with all confidence that we achieved the result thanks to the titanic work of the laboratory. Thousands of models were painted during development! At the same time, I will not hide the fact that for the first two years nothing worked out for us. But we did not give up hope of realizing our idea.
I'm talking about permanent, that is, resistant paint. As for direct dyes, they are indeed created on a cationic basis. But these are dyes that are completely washed off from the hair in about 10 days.
Are these developments worth the effort?
Absolutely yes. And as for the price, in this case it is determined not by marketing, not by the value of the brand. In production, such paint itself is very expensive. And this could probably be a deterrent to developments by other manufacturers. Any sane manufacturer wants to put a product that is easy to use into the hands of the craftsman. Moreover, in the hands of a master, this product should become a magic wand with which he can charm his client. So that the client receives happiness and love. This is on the one hand. On the other hand... you see, for the professional hairdressing market the biggest competitor is not a neighboring salon or another brand. This is home dyeing. Therefore, HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL will be presented exclusively in beauty salons. Under no circumstances will the brand appear on store shelves. This product will only be available to hairdressers. And we have the tools to control this.
What about ease of use? Regarding HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL?
A good master will achieve the required color with any dye. And the market is developing in both directions: craftsmen are constantly learning and manufacturers are offering more and more quality products. But this is still not the most important thing. The struggle for the client is on two fronts. Firstly, it is important for craftsmen that the desired color is achieved as easily as possible. Secondly: achieve ideal hair condition. We have no doubt about the professionalism of our masters in achieving this or that color. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL gives the hairdresser not just a tool for realizing his ideas and the client’s wishes, but also a tool for obtaining a fundamentally different hair condition.
That is, the paint already contains a care formula?
Undoubtedly! That same cationic base provides intensive care, as if you had applied a mask to your hair.
How many shades will there be in ESTEL HAUTE COUTURE?
We also put a special meaning into the palette. It is clear that we want to give the master unlimited possibilities when working with color and make the palette as large as possible. When offering service to a client, we want to provide a truly individual approach to each client. Therefore, we offer an individual approach to color. Thus, we provide an additional tool in the HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL paint. In the first HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL palette, the master will see approximately 120 shades, of which 100 are the so-called basic tones. And the rest are cocktails. These are colors that are created by mixing basic shades in certain combinations. Thus, we give the master a clear recipe on how to create this or that color. We help the master to satisfy the client's needs as much as possible. But that is not all. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL gives the master the opportunity to create his own signature cocktail. And absolutely every hairdresser has this chance.
How is this possible?
ESTEL announces the “Colorist of the Year” competition. According to the terms of the competition, any master from any country will be able to send the recipe for his cocktail to the ESTEL Academy. All color cocktails will be carefully checked and tested by the academy's chief colorists. And the most successful proposals will be added to the HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL palette. We will tell the whole world that it was this master who created this particular shade. This way the palette will expand indefinitely, offering even more opportunities for masters.
But it’s no secret that, by and large, any paint can be cocktail…
Yes, on the one hand, we are not opening America. And we don’t have the task of simply expanding the palette. But! I understand perfectly well that a master always has a certain fear when working with cocktail shades. What if the color changes to a different shade? And HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL cocktails are ESTEL insurance for the master. After all, he, and therefore we, have a huge responsibility to the client. On the other hand, we really want to show the master how simple it is: mixing shades, getting new original tones! We want hairdressers to realize that they are not just good craftsmen, but real artists with a capital “A”. And for this you need to take just one step. After all, all our fears of the unknown lie not on the street, not on another planet. All of them are in our consciousness. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is an invitation card to the world of high hairdressing art!
Will the numbering be the same?
Yes. There will be fundamentally new shades, but the numbering remains the same.
Will HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL have a special series for coloring gray hair?
No. However, the unique formula of HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL paint provides excellent gray coverage, which is confirmed by numerous tests.
What interesting things will HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL offer in care?
Here we also tried to pleasantly surprise our client. Everyone is used to seeing shampoo for colored hair, shampoo for damaged hair, etc. But in addition to color, a woman needs volume, shine, restoration and much more. Therefore, the hair care collection is based on a combination of color with additional options. HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL can rightfully be called the widest and most complete collection for the care of colored hair. Each of the six series provides a double action: “Color + volume”, “Color + shine”, etc. You see, since the paint is fundamentally new, then the care must be fundamentally new. The task before us was very difficult. On the one hand, the world is developing rapidly, but at the same time this thought hangs over us: “everything has already been invented.” And even our care, which was created earlier, seems to cover everything you can think of. But we focused on color, and our goal was to provide a complete collection of products, each of which works on the principle of two in one. All the care components in HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL organically complement the effect of those components that we receive during coloring. And all care should prevent color fading as much as possible. Basically, this is the biggest problem in hair care products. At HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL we have managed to develop formulas in which color loss is minimal. These are several sulfate-free shampoos. They have an additional advantage: such shampoos have a gentle effect on the scalp and do not cause an allergic reaction. And at the same time they solve the problem.
The laboratory has studied a huge amount of materials on this matter. And, as it turned out, the structure of the hair of a woman of mature age and mature, that is, the long hair of a young woman is very similar. Both of them are very fragile, thin and require special, more careful care. All Time-Code care is aimed at strengthening the hair follicle and giving more nutrients to the hair. For an elegant client, it is important that the hair is initially as strong as possible, but for those with long hair, the hair follicles bear an incredible load, so the principles of caring for such hair are very similar.
Will any procedures be presented in the HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL collection?
Not all at once! (Smiles). All products, especially leave-in care, will be multifunctional. That is, they can be used by the master in various combinations, offering the client individual salon care.
But there is also a fragrance, the HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL perfume...
Perfume HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is a special scent of HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL. This is a limited edition. We exclusively release only 2013 bottles of women's fragrances and 2013 bottles of men's fragrances. We will never repeat these smells again. Only here and now. In 2014, other variations of the HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL scent will be released. This is another opportunity for us to tell you what HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL is. This is more than a high-end product. We expand the boundaries of our client's perception.
(1948 )Khabarovsk Krai, USSR
Biography
Court
According to information received from former prisoners, Lev Pavlovich Okhotin died at a logging site in the Khabarovsk Territory in 1948, having served there for 2 years out of 15.
Review of the case
Write a review of the article "Okhotin, Lev Pavlovich"
Notes
Okhotin in art
- Chernov T. N. In those days in the East. // Magazine "Baikal", No. 3-6, 1981.
Literature
- Okorokov A.V. Fascism and Russian emigration (1920-1945). - M.: Russaki, 2002. - 593 p. - ISBN 5-93347063-5.
- Rodzaevsky K.V. Testament of a Russian fascist. - M.: FERI-V, 2001. - 512 p. - ISBN 5-94138-010-0.
- Stefan D. Russian Fascists: Tragedy and Farce in Exile, 1925-1945 = The Russian Fascists: Tragedy and Farce in Exile, 1925-1945. - M.: Slovo, 1992. - 441 p. - ISBN 5-85050-314-5.
- John J. Stephan. The Russian Fascists: Tragedy and Farce in Exile, 1925-1945. - New York: Harper & Row, 1978. - 450 p. - ISBN 0-06-014099-2.
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An excerpt characterizing Okhotin, Lev Pavlovich
“Come on,” said Dolokhov. - I'm telling you the truth. Is this a joke you're starting?- Well, again, teasing again? Go to hell! Eh?...” Anatole said with a wince. - Really, I have no time for your stupid jokes. - And he left the room.
Dolokhov smiled contemptuously and condescendingly when Anatole left.
“Wait,” he said after Anatoly, “I’m not joking, I mean business, come, come here.”
Anatole entered the room again and, trying to concentrate his attention, looked at Dolokhov, obviously involuntarily submitting to him.
– Listen to me, I’m telling you for the last time. Why should I joke with you? Did I contradict you? Who arranged everything for you, who found the priest, who took the passport, who got the money? All I.
- Well, thank you. Do you think I'm not grateful to you? – Anatol sighed and hugged Dolokhov.
“I helped you, but I still have to tell you the truth: it’s a dangerous matter and, if you look at it, stupid.” Well, you take her away, okay. Will they leave it like that? It turns out that you are married. After all, they will bring you to criminal court...
- Ah! nonsense, nonsense! – Anatole spoke again, wincing. - After all, I explained it to you. A? - And Anatole, with that special passion (which stupid people have) for the conclusion that they reach with their minds, repeated the reasoning that he repeated to Dolokhov a hundred times. “After all, I explained to you, I decided: if this marriage is invalid,” he said, bending his finger, “then I don’t answer; Well, if it’s real, it doesn’t matter: no one abroad will know this, right? And don't talk, don't talk, don't talk!
- Really, come on! You will only tie yourself...
“Get to hell,” said Anatole and, holding his hair, he went into another room and immediately returned and sat down with his feet on a chair close in front of Dolokhov. - The devil knows what it is! A? Look how it beats! “He took Dolokhov’s hand and put it to his heart. - Ah! quel pied, mon cher, quel regard! Undeesse!! [ABOUT! What a leg, my friend, what a look! Goddess!!] Huh?
Dolokhov, smiling coldly and shining with his beautiful, insolent eyes, looked at him, apparently wanting to have more fun with him.
- Well, the money will come out, then what?
- What then? A? – Anatole repeated with sincere bewilderment at the thought of the future. - What then? I don’t know what’s there... Well, what nonsense to talk about! – He looked at his watch. - It's time!
Anatole went into the back room.
- Well, will you be there soon? Digging around here! - he shouted at the servants.
Dolokhov removed the money and, shouting to the man to order food and drink for the road, he entered the room where Khvostikov and Makarin were sitting.
Anatole was lying in the office, leaning on his arm, on the sofa, smiling thoughtfully and gently whispering something to himself with his beautiful mouth.
- Go, eat something. Well, have a drink! – Dolokhov shouted to him from another room.
- Don't want! – Anatole answered, still continuing to smile.
- Go, Balaga has arrived.
Anatole stood up and entered the dining room. Balaga was a well-known troika driver, who had known Dolokhov and Anatoly for six years and served them with his troikas. More than once, when Anatole’s regiment was stationed in Tver, he took him out of Tver in the evening, delivered him to Moscow by dawn, and took him away the next day at night. More than once he took Dolokhov away from pursuit, more than once he took them around the city with gypsies and ladies, as Balaga called them. More than once he crushed people and cab drivers around Moscow with their work, and his gentlemen, as he called them, always rescued him. He drove more than one horse under them. More than once he was beaten by them, more than once they plied him with champagne and Madeira, which he loved, and he knew more than one thing behind each of them that an ordinary person would have deserved Siberia long ago. In their revelry, they often invited Balaga, forced him to drink and dance with the gypsies, and more than one thousand of their money passed through his hands. Serving them, he risked both his life and his skin twenty times a year, and at their work he killed more horses than they overpaid him in money. But he loved them, loved this crazy ride, eighteen miles an hour, loved to overturn a cab driver and crush a pedestrian in Moscow, and fly at full gallop through the Moscow streets. He loved to hear behind him this wild cry of drunken voices: “Go! let's go! whereas it was already impossible to drive faster; He loved to pull the man's neck painfully, who was already neither alive nor dead, avoiding him. "Real gentlemen!" he thought.
Anatole and Dolokhov also loved Balaga for his riding skill and because he loved the same things as they did. Balaga dressed up with others, charged twenty-five rubles for a two-hour ride, and only occasionally went with others himself, but more often he sent his fellows. But with his masters, as he called them, he always traveled himself and never demanded anything for his work. Only having learned through the valets the time when there was money, he came every few months in the morning, sober and, bowing low, asked to help him out. The gentlemen always imprisoned him.
“Release me, Father Fyodor Ivanovich or your Excellency,” he said. - He’s completely lost his mind, go to the fair, lend what you can.
Both Anatol and Dolokhov, when they had money, gave him a thousand and two rubles.
Balaga was fair-haired, with a red face and especially a red, thick neck, a squat, snub-nosed man, about twenty-seven, with sparkling small eyes and a small beard. He was dressed in a thin blue caftan lined with silk, over a sheepskin coat.
Founder and permanent CEO of the company ESTEL- highly qualified chemist Lev Okhotin. Before opening his own enterprise, Lev Okhotin worked in a group of managers for a large entrepreneur who invested money in various projects and their development. One of these projects turned out to be a perfume and cosmetics factory, which a year later, thanks to the efforts of Lev Okhotin and his colleagues, emerged from the crisis. It was then that Lev Okhotin thought about the possibility of creating his own company for the development and production of cosmetic products.
The idea was simple: to develop and launch a domestic product of high quality and at reasonable prices. In 2001, a series of hair dyes for home use, consisting of 15 shades, called “ ESTEL ».
The brand was quickly noticed not only by buyers, but also by beauty industry professionals. In May 2005, the company prepared and released the first professional line of ESSEX dyes, consisting of 67 shades, shampoos and balms. By the end of next year, the ESSEX palette had almost doubled. The new product was a success among specialists and their clients, and ESTEL it was decided to develop and offer salons the widest possible selection of domestic products for hairdressers, developing and releasing in record time a huge range of excellent domestic professional cosmetics for hair, and subsequently the body. 
Production history ESTEL started on just 1000 sq. m rented. After a short time, the company needed something more reliable and large-scale. In 2004, production was launched, and dreams of a significant increase in production from 1 million to 2 million pieces of products per month became a reality.
Today, the brand’s dealer network includes more than 150 organizations in Russia, the Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Armenia and other neighboring countries. In 2011, the official representative office of ESTEL-Ukraine and ESTEL-Europe was opened in Germany. The first sales have begun in Poland. The company plans to enter other markets in Central and Western Europe.
ESTEL's strongest link is hair dyes: DE LUXE has 134 tones, ESSEX – 114, DE LUXE SENSE – 68. In the near future, it is planned to expand the palette, including towards lighter tones. ESTEL works closely with hairdressing salons and strictly monitors not only the quality of products, but also the correctness of their use
The company sees its mission in significantly developing and increasing the profitability of the hairdressing industry as a whole.
What is the secret of success of the young Russian professional brand? Main resource ESTEL– these are people, their potential and belief in success. The work experience of many is equal to the age of the company itself, and this says a lot. After all, things weren’t always the way they are now. There were very difficult times of formation and entry into the market, but, nevertheless, these people remained faithful to the business that they built together. And now, when ESTEL has become a reputable company with a name, with big plans, and a vast geography, people still remain the most important and dear thing in it. Everyone here is patriots in the full sense of the word. As Lev Okhotin himself says, “we are all infected with one idea at ESTEL!”
In the face of a sharp jump in the cost of imported drugs and consumables, many beauty salon managers are looking for ways to reduce the cost of services while maintaining their high quality.
It would seem that here it is - a chance for domestic producers to oust foreign competitors from the market! However, Russian enterprises producing professional cosmetic products can be counted on one hand. Those of them who are actually capable of seriously competing with Western companies are an almost unique case.
It is all the more interesting for us today to lift the veil of secrecy and reveal the “secrets” of production and commercial success of the Russian brand ESTEL, which for several years has been one of the leaders in the market of professional hairdressing products: the volume of products produced by this company is the largest in Eastern Europe!
Personnel decides everything
And not just personnel, but SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL. In the situation with ESTEL - Russian chemists. This is the foundation and heart of the company. The team of 30 scientists is led by pharmaceutical chemist Olga Chistyakova. All of them, as if by choice, are graduates of the best Russian specialized universities. Five are candidates of chemical sciences. Many laboratory employees have been involved in it since the very first years of the brand’s founding.
Nevertheless, such a large-scale and dynamically developing production constantly needs to replenish its staff with young talented scientists. This circumstance is one of the reasons why students from domestic chemical universities regularly do internships in the ESTEL laboratory. The best graduates who performed well during their internship are invited to work for the company. The brand’s laboratory also participates in institute grants: scientists working for ESTEL offer students their topics for their dissertations. This form of cooperation not only stimulates a thorough study of certain chemical processes, but also makes it possible to make new scientific discoveries. Several times, it was in the course of such research that original innovative ESTEL products were created.
Scientific partnership
From the first days of the brand’s existence, its leading scientific partner is the St. Petersburg State Technological Institute, the alma mater of not only many employees of the brand’s laboratory, but also the owner of the company, Lev Okhotin, a professional chemist, a graduate of the department of chemical technology of organic dyes and phototropic compounds. It is this partnership that gives ESTEL the opportunity to use the latest developments in fundamental science in the formulas of its products.
Quality of raw materials with a capital letter
ESTEL cooperates with large European companies producing cosmetic raw materials, which have production facilities located all over the world and which guarantee the high quality of their products. These are the same factories that produce components for the products of all transnational companies that produce cosmetics. When choosing a supplier company, attention is paid to the fame of the company, its position in the market is checked, attention is paid to the presence of new products from the company: if they exist, it means that money is being invested in the business.
Preference is given to companies with history and continuity, because they are very careful and scrupulous about their business. For example, one of the companies supplying ESTEL perfumes is over 100 years old; it is a family business with established traditions. Cooperation with such companies is especially valuable in the production of exclusive series of ESTEL products.
The beauty industry has very strict requirements for cosmetic raw materials in general. There are a huge number of different committees and commissions that check the quality of materials. When a company offers a package of documents, say for a vitamin complex, in the form of a 60-page dossier, this inspires respect and trust. But... this does not cancel INTERNAL CONTROL at ESTEL of all incoming raw materials and materials.
Interesting fact: Representatives of raw materials companies are very fond of visiting ESTEL production not only for the friendly welcome, but also because during communication with employees of the laboratory and production processes they discover new topics for their development. There are examples when, after such meetings and interest in a specific component, products that were previously sold only in America or Japan or were generally in the portfolio of a given company entered the European market.
Thorough testing of products by the future buyer BEFORE the mass production stage
The development of new products takes place in close cooperation and with the direct participation of practicing hairdressers.
At the development stage, when the scientific team, having reviewed various combinations of substances, is satisfied with its result, the stage of testing the product in the laboratory begins, where its adaptation occurs. Volunteers are trained to evaluate color, how it feels on wet and dry hair, ease of application, quality of rinsing, aroma and other components. And the important thing is that at this moment the developer can quickly intervene to improve certain parameters.
If positive results are received, the product is sent for mass testing to the ESTEL Academy of Hairdressing, where the so-called “product dossier” is collected, that is, customer reviews. And only after this the product is put into production.
The time frame for product development and testing can be very different. For example, in 1999, it took chemists a year to develop and test the very first line of ESTEL dye, during which 2000 recipes were prepared for 15 shades. It took the company three years to develop 101 shades of the masterpiece dye HAUTE COUTURE ESTEL (thousands (!) of models were painted before the mass production stage).
Adaptation of products for the Russian consumer and for Russian conditions of use, or NO to ready-made foreign formulas!
All ESTEL recipes are unique developments from our own scientific laboratory. The company views proposals from raw material producers to purchase “ready-made formulas” (and they are not uncommon) critically. This is due to the fact that the latter are often completely unadapted to the Russian market, to our region, and are not adapted, for example, to water.
Thorough compliance with technological production processes and quality control department (technical control department)
For the success of the brand, it is very important that all processes, from the development of the formulation, its implementation in production, packaging of the finished product to its storage in the warehouse and shipment to the consumer, guarantee the high quality of the drugs. Therefore, the company has developed procedures for each stage of the research, production and even sales process, which spell out step by step who should do what at a certain moment, what to control. All departments and specialists of different categories are involved in these processes (from a candidate of chemical sciences to a packer). Everything happens according to a clear pattern, all processes are verified and subject to the international ISO quality standard.
Particular attention is paid to strict adherence to the percentage input of components in the production of drugs. Thus, ESTEL guarantees that the client receives the effect of the properties stated on the packaging and in the product description.
The technical control department (QCD) monitors production. And not only at the stage of supplying raw materials and production itself. ESTEL guarantees the quality of its products on the basis that they subject them to total control for three years from the date of release, that is, the entire shelf life! First, three months after release, and then every year, all released batches are tested for physical and chemical indicators and for color assessment. By the way, in two years the company will start operating its own microbiological laboratory, but for now these tests are carried out on a contractual basis by other accredited laboratories in Moscow and St. Petersburg. ESTEL rightly considers research on clinical and toxicological standards very important, because recently the number of people prone to allergic diseases has increased.
Constant expansion and modernization of production facilities and equipment
ESTEL production since 2010 is not one, but two factories in St. Petersburg: on Piskarevsky Prospekt and new production facilities in Kolpino with an area of 30 thousand square meters. m (where not only workshops are located, but also a warehouse for finished products). Both plants are well equipped and use high-quality domestic (for example, reactors) and imported (packing) equipment.
Most of the production is automated, and only in some cases human assistance is required. For example, cooking machines require automated supply of raw materials and subsequent supply of the finished product, but they require the control of technologists. Help is also required in preparing raw materials. Packaging involves automation, but at the final stages (for example, packing paint tubes into boxes) manual work is used.
It was the expansion of production areas and capacities and their maximum automation that allowed ESTEL to increase production to 10,000,000 units per month and take the position of one of the largest producers of professional hair dyes in Europe.
There are people who know how to give interviews professionally. Question and answer, everything exactly, not a single unnecessary interjection. General Director of Estel Professional Lev Okhotin not only answers openly, but also asks with passion. What to do, he’s a passionate interlocutor, and he has something to say. One day of communication with him - and your horizons suspiciously expand, and in your head, facts and analytical calculations from the fields of economics, marketing, management, general history, football, professional hairdressing service and chemistry surprisingly fit into a coherent system. In short, Lev Okhotin doesn’t know how to give interviews, and I hope he never learns.
Tour of the Estel plant and business in general with Estel Professional General Director Lev Okhotin
I know that in the Estel office there is a fine of 1000 rubles for contacting the general director “Lev Evgenievich”. I won’t push myself, I’ll switch to “you” and by name, especially since we’ve known each other for a long time))). So, Lev, the most interesting thing is the plant. What is happening in the hairdressing world is more or less visible even to the naked eye: salons, collections, trends, the whole fashion history. But production is a completely different story, right?
I will try to explain everything not from the point of view of glamor, but from the point of view of production processes. So, all hair cosmetics are divided into 3 main components: dye, care and styling. Obviously, the most complex product is the dye. The manufacturer who succeeds in the production of professional dye will succeed in everything else, because the dye is a locomotive. The more powerful the locomotive, the more trailers you can attach to it. The success of a manufacturer is measured not in money, but in hecalitres, linear meters, in our case - in tubes. And in order to understand how much product should be produced in principle, you need to correctly assess the market capacity, the competitive environment and compare all this with your capabilities.
Yes, it’s not easy to figure this out.
Nothing complicated. Let's consider roughly 100 women who dye their hair: someone buys dye in the supermarket and dyes it at home, and someone goes to the salon. Question: in what proportion do you think this happens?
I think 30 to 70%, in favor of home coloring.
Close to that. Alas, the average statistical answer from the Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazakh audiences is 50/50. This is bullshit! The salon business is not a business of goods, but a business of services.
And money is spent on services when everything is good with income. Something tells me that the average income of a Russian is less than the average income of a Western European. So, for reference: in the vast majority of countries in prosperous Western Europe, ... retail has an advantage in sales. And only in Germany and France the ratio is approximately 50/50. However, the point here is not only the wealth of citizens, but also the professionalism of hairdressers. Our company conducted a small survey among women in St. Petersburg. And it turned out that most of them are subconsciously afraid to go to the hairdresser: they are afraid that their hair will be ruined, because they had a negative experience before. Young people, of course, are much braver: they have not yet had time to get burned. Somehow I came across a study by a large marketing company on the topic “The Russian Hair Dye Market in the First Half of 2010.” According to their calculations, the situation is as follows: in Moscow, 24% dye their hair in a salon and 76% at home, and in St. Petersburg - 21% to 79%. And on average in Russia this ratio is approximately 15% to 85%.
And what do these numbers tell us?
So far these numbers don't tell us much. The main thing is to know the market capacity, that is, in our case, the number of colorings per year and the share that you occupy in the market. Statistics and simple arithmetic ultimately give us a figure of approximately 250 million colorings per year. Of these, 15% are professional paints. So, in terms of sales in the professional segment, Estel became the leader in the Russian market back in 2007.
And they say that Estel was helped by the crisis...
Hmm... Of course it helped! They just forget to say that before the crisis, Estel was 2 times ahead of its closest competitor in physical terms of professional dyes, that is, in my favorite product units - tubes. There are about 40 brands on the Russian professional market. There are 6 main ones. They occupy 2/3 of the market. The rest are content with 1/3 of the market. The story is the same in Germany: 80% of the market belongs to the largest manufacturers. The rest is shared by an insane number of other brands.
In Russia, the crisis has had a greater impact on small brands that do not have representative offices in Russia, but work through importers. What happened in the first six? Sales of the top five brands fell by an average of 20%. And Estel in 2010 began to sell more than all of them combined, I mean again - in tubes of paint. Experts say that the crisis in the real sector of the economy began only in 2009, and continued in 2010-2011 and will reach the bottom only in 2012. But we continue to grow. Therefore, I personally don’t want to talk about “the crisis helped.” Estel began to gain momentum much earlier.
And now what - Estel has defeated everyone in tubes and will rest on its laurels?
What kind of laurels can there be? If you believe the statements of our government, then by the cherished date of 2020, Russia’s GDP should go beyond all conceivable and inconceivable limits. In this case, the capacity of the professional cosmetics market should increase by 2-2.5 times! This means: the annual number of professional coloring sessions should approach 100 million. What options does Estel have? Today we occupy more than 33% of the market, that is, we sell almost 20 million tubes. Option one: we will maintain our market share, and this is, conditionally, 33 million tubes. Option two: the brand will collapse with terrible force, as much as 2 times - and this turns out to be 16%, 16 million tubes. I don't like this option at all. Naturally, neither the first nor the second options are considered in the plans, but the third option is being considered, also known as the Maximum Task - 65%. This is what we will strive for.
I wonder how? Other companies are also not standing still and are unlikely to want to give you their market share.
Agree! But the lion's share of the success of any professional brand is not economics at all, but the awareness and professionalism of the craftsmen. And Estel is very tense in this regard. We have not yet created my dream - a total technological service, as in total football, the brainchild of the great USSR football coach Valery Lobanovsky, when every second of the match on every square meter of the field you take the soul out of your opponent, when all 11 players run like mad for 90 minutes. But we are confidently moving towards this.
What would this mean in relation to professional service?
Totally means MAX-SI-MAL-BUT in every sense of the word! This must be a continuous, meticulous, impeccable, rhythmic training of masters. Figuratively speaking, the Estel technologist should not leave the salon at all. If you like, be his mistress. Understand it as you wish!
OK, let's get back to the economic component. All these millions of tubes need to be produced somewhere, somehow. Before we get to the workshops, please tell us how it all started?
A brief historical background is tritely simple: I am a graduate of Tekhnolozhka - the Department of Chemical Technology of Organic Dyes and Phototropic Compounds of the St. Petersburg State Technological Institute. They taught us fine organic synthesis. And dyes are the pinnacle of fine organic synthesis.
So, why did you get into cosmetics? You can make a lot more money in the pharmaceutical industry, no?
Every person is driven by some motive. Since childhood, I have had one motive: to prove something to someone - my mother, my teacher, my former employer. And the money... I came to my first job in March 1995 for a fantastic salary for me at that time - 150 US dollars. Another question is why after 2 months I had 300, after a year 1000, after a year and a half - 1500, and at the end of 1996 my employer offered me to sign a contract for 3 years worth 100 thousand dollars, that is, 3000 per month. I am in some way a fan of Russia and, having calculated the scheme in which money remained in offshore accounts of other countries, I decided that I was no longer involved in this. I left with a decent salary and an unsigned contract for $3,000 - again for $300. And I ended up in a group of managers with a large entrepreneur who invested money, buying out a variety of enterprises - such as the owner of factories, newspapers, and ships. And so, we are sitting at a meeting - and they announce to us: guys, there are 2 new acquisitions - a paint and varnish factory and a perfume and cosmetics factory. Both are in complete ruin and need to be raised. Naturally, everyone wants paintwork - tanks, carriages, what kind of perfume is there against this background? Well, what to do, we toss a coin - which group will do what. I dreamed of a paint and varnish factory, but ended up in a perfume factory.
That is, if the coin had fallen differently, now Lev Okhotin would have won Tikkurila? Would there be nothing left of Tikkurila?!
(Smiles). So, I get to the cosmetics factory, and there - ahtung! People have not received their salaries for 3-4 months, the accounts receivable are such that it is almost impossible to return them, there are no raw materials - well, a complete disaster! A year later, we have zero debts to the state, the enterprise is functioning, people receive salaries, workshops are being repaired, etc. And at this moment a “conflict of interest” occurs. I am 25 years old, I am young and bouncing, I dream of creating a global Russian brand, of making outright transnational enterprises. But the bosses are doing well: their appetites were limited exclusively to financial well-being. Of course, I became an irritant to their peace. But everything resolved itself. February 1999. My friends and I are sitting in a bar and watching some hockey match. And so, when we reached a state in which the heroes of “The Irony of Fate” were trying to remember who was flying to Leningrad, they rashly shook hands and firmly decided that we would start building our own factory. And when the moment of sobering up came - wow, where to start? We had nothing but immeasurable desire and professional knowledge. But you still need to have some start-up capital. With great difficulty we scraped together 102 thousand 700 dollars, went into full debt, but did not give up on our dream. I left again with a salary of $1,500, and while Unicosmetics was being created, throughout 1999 and 2000 I could not afford to pay myself more than $350. And then there was already a family and a child appeared. Thanks to my wife! She endured this: diapers were canceled and gauze was used. As you can see, the material motive was not in the first place for me.
What's on first?
Production of high-quality domestic hair dye. Naturally, we started with retail. The first series - only 15 shades. True, in order to bring them to fruition, more than 2,000 recipes were prepared. Each one must be synthesized and cooked. Titanic work. But one way or another, only 11 months passed from the idea to its actual implementation: we released the first products in January 2000. And it was cool. There were 5 of us: Lidia Pavlovna Kovzhina, my teacher from the department and the greatest specialist in organic dyes in the USSR, Andrei Shiltsov, the future chief engineer of Estel, Vadim Borisovich Panteleimonov, the future technical director, Olga Chistyakova, the permanent head of our laboratory, chemist a pharmacist by training, and me. I remember they couldn’t even hire a cleaner; there was a cleaning schedule in the office. My day was Thursday. Naturally, I didn’t even think about competition with transnational companies. “Rocolor” Moscow for us at that time was not just clouds, but generally a stratosphere, which was impossible to reach! How did we taxi? I don’t know, maybe the energy is indefatigable. Then we worked and developed at a simply mega-pace.
How did you come to professional cosmetics?
To my deepest regret, the idea is not mine. May 2003, St. Petersburg exhibition Nice, I was sitting at the stand, frankly bored, suddenly a man appeared next to me and began a long conversation with me on the topic of how Russia needs a domestic brand of professional cosmetics. I nod politely for an hour, nod for a second... at the fourth hour, only to make him fall behind, I promise that the Estel laboratory will certainly begin research and development. This “meticulous” person turned out to be Dmitry Ershov, president of the Nevskie Berega festival. He turned out to be another leech: a week later he reminded about himself, then another week later, then he introduced him to Nikolai Ivanovich Kharkovsky... And whoever knew Nikolai Ivanovich personally understands: if you can “get away” from Ershov somehow, then from Kharkovsky - it’s impossible. It is impossible to convey how grateful I am to him. It was Nikolai Ivanovich who opened the hairdressing world for me in all its guises.
Lev, explain how hairdressers can help industrial chemists?
In fact, we chemists can do anything you want. The main thing you tell me is what?
And Nikolai Ivanovich in this regard is one of those hairdressers who could clearly set goals and very systematically test products, giving us clear and reasoned recommendations as a result, what is good, what is not, what needs to be changed. He considered the laboratory staff almost gods. If he entered my office, opening the door with his foot, then in the holy of holies - the laboratory, he delicately knocked and entered with the words: “Excuse me, but can I disturb you?”
Lev, why did you resist when Ershov started talking about a professional?
I openly believed that a domestic brand in the professional market was doomed to failure due to prejudice. I admit I was wrong - the numbers speak for themselves. But we developed the professional product for a long time and meticulously and started with a tiny assortment: no styling, no care, just 67 shades of paint, a set of oxides and technical shampoos and conditioners... That's it!
In my opinion, this is a lot.
What are you talking about? How much now? In Essex - 112, in DeLuxe - 134, in DeLuxe Silver - 43, in Sense - 68. Show who in the world has 43 special shades for gray hair and 7 of them are at the 9th level of tone depth. Thanks for this to our laboratory, as well as to the St. Petersburg and Moscow studios. Special thanks to Kharkovsky for “pressing” us. Because the reality of hairdressing is this: the hairdresser needs it to be comfortable, simple, varied. You still have to mix shades, but we are talking about professionals, and if you are a professional, then you learn to paint, damn it, to be different from retail and home coloring, only then will your clients be happy. I give Wella chemists a standing ovation for their Inspire. This is a very complex product from a chemical point of view, requiring serious knowledge from craftsmen and at the same time excluding its use by clients at home. Only 7 colored granules: mix and create! Limitless possibilities for creativity.
And where is Inspire now? Clearly not in the holiday zone. Why? Yes, because in order to work with Inspire, you need to constantly think!
What is the Apple phenomenon? There is no need to think, slap-slap, you don’t even need to turn the picture over - it turns over on its own.
OK, welding paint, as I understand it, is more difficult than looking at photos on an iPad.
Cosmetics production is divided into 2 stages. The first one needs to be “cooked”, the second one needs to be packaged. The packaging process is faster than the “cooking” process. Roughly speaking, it takes from 10 to 14 hours to “cook” a paint reactor, and 8 hours to package this reactor. Therefore, the “cooking” shop works 24 hours a day, and the packaging shop – 16 hours. There are currently 3 workshops and 27 conveyors.
How many people work in production?
If we talk about packaging - 140 people, chemist technologists - 20 people, plus in the research laboratory 15 people, of which 3 are candidates of science. In total, Unicosmetics has more than 500 employees.
Lev, when did the production capacities appear?
When we started, everything was in rented space. Per 1000 sq. m there was a production facility, a warehouse for raw materials, a warehouse for finished products, and an office with a laboratory. Being on rented premises for a manufacturing enterprise is, to put it mildly, a big risk. A distributor or editorial office, sorry, can change its location in a matter of days, but moving production is a task of a completely different order. We started looking, and in May 2003, the building we are in now was purchased. In Soviet times, there was a research institute for quartz glass. New production was launched in 2004. At that time we were selling 1 million units of products per month. And I thought: “Lord, what happiness! In these areas we will be able to expand production to 2 million pieces!” This seemed to me to be fantastic volumes... Today we produce 6 million pieces a month here. This only became possible thanks to innovative production management. But all ideas sooner or later hit the ceiling. And now we are already at the limit of our production capabilities. Oh, I remember clearly: 2009. It’s one in the morning, I return home, wait for the elevator and persuade myself: “Lev, think, think, think how to reduce demand!” Are the general director having normal thoughts?!! Therefore, of course, I called out: new production capacities are needed. Imagine, found after 2 weeks)))! The complex is ideal in all respects: space, gas, water, electricity, transport logistics. You won’t believe it, even the color of the buildings is our signature, Estel’s! Now we are carrying out design work, I hope that we will launch production in the fourth quarter of 2012, and will finally master it by 2015. This will truly be one of the largest production facilities for professional hair dyes in Europe, and even in the world.
What's there now?
For now there is only a warehouse for finished products. Recently I organized a tour there for our colleagues from the Estel-Germany representative office. Thank God, I am devoid of prejudices and I don’t have any great open secrets, I have nothing to hide. To be honest, I don’t know who had culture shock - them or me. I was speechless when I saw the scale of what was happening - I couldn’t believe that it was all Estel. Because it’s one thing to look at the reported numbers, and another thing to see it with your own eyes. When you are actually standing in the center of a city block, only the “streets” are rows of racks, and each rack is as high as a five-story building, and everything is filled with pallets with boxes. This is despite the fact that loading into trucks and shipping does not stop at all.
By the end of 2012, will you be dreaming about how to reduce demand?
And don't dream! We have another know-how in stock to optimize all production processes. We would, as they say, stand the night and hold out the day! But Estel has another “problem”: Europe is “tearing” us apart. After much persuasion, we began sales in Germany through our official representative office Estel-Europe, which is designed to solve two problems: to work effectively with German showrooms and to function as a European logistics center. Sales have also begun in Poland; Holland, Spain, Portugal, and the UK are on the waiting list.
Why does everyone love Estel so much? For quality?
Talking about quality in professional cosmetics is wasting air. If you work with professionals, then quality is a priori. After all, the hairdresser is responsible to the client with his wallet, and right now. The professional market reacts instantly - within 48 hours from Kaliningrad to Nakhodka, everyone knows if something is wrong with the product. Quality is a necessary condition, but not sufficient to achieve success. The main thing in promoting professional cosmetics is the knowledge and skills of hairdressers, which are transmitted through professional service. Well, and marginality, that is, the profitability of all links in the commodity chain: manufacturer, distributor, salon. In this sense, Estel has something to be proud of.
Your economy is in perfect order, but Lev Okhotin remains a chemist?
Not anymore. The Estel laboratory “fired” me. The last time I synthesized something in a flask was in 2001, and until 2003 I remained a chief colorist in the quality control department. And I was “fired” when the laboratory sent me 2 samples, between which I could not see the difference. No, I basically see colors well, but not well enough for the Estel color laboratory.
Lev, who are the suppliers of the ingredients?
To my deep regret, there are no Russian raw materials for the production of any perfumery and cosmetic products. Estel uses Russian raw materials for its most important component, the molecular formula of which is H2O. But the quality of drinking water does not meet Estel standards, so the water undergoes complex purification through mechanical, carbon and anion-cation filters. The final stage of purification is called “reverse osmosis”. After these procedures, the quality of the water is distilled. We use it to the fullest. But the “water” turns out to be very expensive, because the efficiency of the purification system is about 30%, that is, from 100 tons of water only 30 tons of chemically pure water are obtained. Speaking of ingredients... Even something as simple as “Russian herbal extracts” surprisingly comes from Austria and Holland.
But we don’t supply hay there. We have learned how to make extracts, but there is such a thing as “convenience of introduction into the formulation.” Europeans will throw a couple of ingredients into our extracts for ease of administration, multiply the price by 3 - and there you go. Therefore, alas, there are no truly Russian components in our business. Although the main thing is not so much the ingredients as the unique recipes of brilliant Russian chemists. How to mix everything correctly so that it doesn’t turn out like my French friend, who wanted to cook good Russian cabbage soup, but ended up with an unsuccessful Italian minestrone.
What about machines, conveyors, equipment?
The same story…. We launch satellites into space, but we don’t want to do anything like an elementary reactor (in professional slang, “saucepan”). Although I am sure that Russia will close this segment too.
So you say that the production of hair dye is the highest aerobatics in cosmetics from a chemical point of view. And why? Is it really, for example, easier to synthesize perfume?
Any perfume and cosmetic product - powder, soap, shampoo, perfume - is the final finished product. No chemical reactions occur during its use. And dye is a “semi-finished product”, because the final product is the color on the hair. In the process of coloring, a subtle organic synthesis of new substances that have color occurs, and chemists must ensure that this synthesis goes in the right direction. The longer I studied chemistry, the more I understood that chemistry is not an exact science, but a very empirical one. There is such a “scientific poking method”: you point your finger at the sky and you hit (or don’t hit) a star. This is just about chemistry. Here, first, an insane number of experiments are done, on the basis of which any result is obtained, and already on the basis of numerous data, scientists create a theoretical basis. But not the other way around! The trick of our company is that hairdressers can implement their ideas through the laboratory and production. How many ideas Nikolai Ivanovich Kharkovsky brought to life through the Estel laboratory! Or here’s another striking example - the Anti-Yellow Effect product first appeared as an idea from one of our partners (he is a hairdresser, and a distributor, and the head of a training center, and a born marketer), then 3 studios tested it, and eventually agreed on one recipe.
Leo, how do you manage to choose a team so as not to control and constantly be surprised in a good way?
The main thing is to infect people. And be competent in what you do in order to select these people rationally. I went through all the specialties at the company. I worked in packaging, I worked in a laboratory, I worked in production, I worked as a loader, I worked as a cleaner, in the engineering service... well, really, from there they quickly asked me with the wording “we don’t need a crippled director.”
It turns out that he just didn’t cut his hair.
But he painted! And I paint regularly. And I passed qualifying exams for technologists in the studio.
And I argued a lot with the teaching staff about the methodology of the educational process. I don’t need a sign language interpreter: we speak the same language with the laboratory and production. It seems to me that I am a very democratic leader; I prefer not to include administrative resources. I can give you an idea, but in such a way that people themselves develop it.
Was it star fever?
There was such a thing. But, thank God, I began to realize in time that I bear responsibility to employees and their families, to distributors, to salons, hairdressers and their clients. The degree of responsibility was constantly increasing. It pressed with terrible force. Then I told myself: I need to work better - and with responsibility everything will be fine, you won’t let anyone down. Because any success or failure of Estel is an indicator of responsibility to people. And in order to work normally, the mood must be good and the attitude must be positive, and thoughts materialize.
Leo, at what stage did star fever appear?
In 2004. We had a very successful year in retail, and then it really hit. I didn’t turn to friends, comrades or psychologists, but I needed 2-3 months of auto-training. So this stage has already been passed. Another issue is continuity. Of course, we are trying to rejuvenate the company. We started when we were on average 27 years old. Let's add 12 years... And what will happen in another 10? And progress, as we know, is made by the young. I've been thinking about a successor for 3-4 years now.
Don't you have an heir in mind now?
No way. Children have their own path. The youngest doesn’t know what he wants yet, but he is still 6 years old.
And the eldest wants to be an architect - and thank God! He draws well, everything is fine with mathematics, let him dare. In business, I don’t need an heir, but a continuer of ideas. Don’t think that I’m already planning to retire)))! Can't wait!..
And what is your main idea? Idefix?
About 2-3 years ago I had a dream: I was walking along Nevsky, everything was like in reality. Gostiny Dvor - Estel salon, Passage - Estel salon, Alexandria Academic Theater - Estel salon, Anichkov Bridge - Estel salon, Yusupov Palace - Estel salon, Nevsky Palace - Estel salon, Vosstaniya Square, Moskovsky Station - stop, what is salon L doing here? Oreal??? Then I began to compare the facts. France, a strong national manufacturer - L "Oreal, 70% of the national market. Germany - Wella, USA - Matrix. Question: Russia, a strong national producer... Should we continue further? The next rhetorical question: “Oh, Estel has achieved such success, it’s probably about to be sold to multinationals?” I hope I was convincing that no.