After impressing sharks and audiences alike with his confident pitch, salon chain owner Deepak Sharma has officially opened his Haryana store, making it his eighth salon. The entrepreneur has made plans to open another 25 salons in North India in the next two years.
Be U Natural salon prides itself on catering to lower-middle class audiences with a clear focus on affordability and transparency in pricing. Comparing his services to that of conventional salons in India, Deepak stated that his smoothening treatment cost Rs. 2000 compared to the usual Rs. 8000 and up, and his keratin treatment cost Rs. 1000 compared to the usual Rs. 5000 and up. His current salons are open in the North Indian districts of Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Noida, instead of more upscale areas of South Delhi.
Alongside his salon treatments, Deepak has also launched his products, including a keratin treatment developed and manufactured in India. On the show, Deepak explained that his products were under development for years, going through rounds of testing based on his own experiences using the products. In his expansion plans, he includes his aspiration to sell his product to other salons, relying on customer reviews and word of mouth feedback for marketing.
Deepak’s unconventional background is in itself a matter of intrigue. He details studying hotel management in 2005 and starting his career as a waiter. His experiences coming from a lower middle-class background inspired him to quit his job to launch Be U Natural, owning and funding it himself. While his lack of conventional business knowledge was noted by the Sharks, Deepak was sure of his numbers and ambitious with his goals, impressing them with his business aptitude.
While none of the Sharks invested in Deepak’s business, that did not stop him from benefitting from being on air. Deepak gained public popularity and approval from his time on air, allowing him to launch his ambitious expansion plans and his goal to become the second-largest self-owned salon chain in India.
