Azgenda Salon
Salon, with a Twist
PUBLISHED: JUNE 2009

WHEN ZANDREX DELA Cruz – who used to work as a hairstylist in Vienna, Austria – had an opportunity to start a business back home, he opened Azgenda Salon with a start-up capital of approximately P400,000 (co-financed by a business partner) in 2004. “The chance to open up (my) own business came up – and I grabbed that chance,” he says.

Dela Cruz admits that “it was not easy in the beginning, but I realized that, in life, nothing really is ever easy.  You have to work hard to succeed, and my early experiences taught me exactly that,” he says. 

But after only a year, things started paying off – and not just with the return on their investments, but as Azgenda started offering franchises.  An Azgenda franchise costs from P400,000 to P1 million, depending on the venue/location where the franchise will be opened, support needed from the franchisor, et cetera. 

A most interest development happened with Azgenda, however, as it diversified to start offering spa services, making it a one-of-a-kind salon cum spa facility.  Dela Cruz believes the move makes Azgenda a one-stop venue to feel good.

Despite these changes, Dela Cruz is adamant in “always providing the training needed (to put into practice) what Azgenda is known for: quality personalized service,” he says.  This is because the industry is “flooded by salons, so that in almost every street corner in the Philippines, there are salons.  The way to set yourself apart – in our case at least – is to be true to offering personalized service.”

There are now four Azgenda outlets – two company-owned, and two franchises.  Two more are slated to be opened, one in Iloilo City, and another in Bacolod City.

For more information, contact Zandrex dela Cruz at Unit 120 Vito Cruz Towers, P. Ocampo St., Malate, Manila; or call 5241644 or 09206233269.