The Full Package

The owner of Snob Salon, Haneen Odeh, talks about launching days before lockdown, staying afloat, and thriving in the aftermath

Tell us about your business – what inspired the idea and when did you start it? 
I’ve always loved the beauty industry and was always my most fulfilled when I saw how good it made people feel about themselves. When the opportunity came to own a beauty salon that was a one-stop shop for everything women would need to pamper themselves and take a break from everything, I couldn’t pass it up!

What do you consider to be your greatest personal and professional achievements? 
Going from a solo player to managing a team of almost 20 people and a cash-positive business through a worldwide pandemic was my greatest professional achievement. My greatest personal one was staying sane throughout it. 

What were your biggest business challenges? How did you overcome them? 
Obviously COVID. I launched a few days before lockdown, so it was quite brutal. In addition to that, managing staff morale and their productivity when business is low. I always find it easier to work on my own and hated group projects when I was younger but in a business, you have to learn to manage other people and their needs. It’s not easy. 

What advice would you give to the younger generation that might want to follow in your footsteps?
Learn as much as you can about your industry. Start from somewhere and learn the ins and outs, it’s extremely important. Also, be creative! There are no limits to what you can come up with that will set you apart.

How do you cope with the daily stress of managing your business? 
Recently I’ve found that starting my day with a gym session helps give me the energy to go through it. I also like to take an hour before bed and do a brain dump of all my thoughts into notes, so I don’t overthink them while I fall asleep. Family is a huge anchor for me, so I prioritise spending time with them. 

How does social media make you feel in general? 
Business wise, social media is vital. You can’t have a successful business in this day and age and not have a social media presence. A lot of our new clients find out about us through social media. Personally, I’m becoming fatigued by the ideals that are being portrayed on social media, and the older I get the less energy I have to put into “polishing” my content up and making it fit into a certain mould. 

Do you feel that magazines, brands, and PR agencies lack diversity in this region? Do you feel you are included and represented? 
Absolutely not. It’s sad and quite unacceptable how poor the diversity is in this region. As an Arab woman I don’t see my skin colour, body type, or language represented at all, especially in international magazine titles. Even worse when fashion houses and PR agencies try to appeal to the region without doing proper research, it turns into a giant stereotype. 

What message would you like to give to women out there? 

Not to quote Bon Jovi, but it’s your life. Do what makes you happy. Decades from now you don’t want to look back and realise you lived according to other people’s standards of what’s okay and what’s not. Chase your dreams and let go of anything that drags you down, it’s not worth it. 

If you look back over your life and career, if you were given the opportunity to do anything differently would you? 
Nothing at all! If I had changed anything, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Maybe I would’ve paid more attention to my nutrition and gym earlier and probably bought some bitcoin when it was worth a few cents but that’s it! 

What is important to you? Have your priorities changed? 
I’m become more private and more about my personal life and my family life. They’ve been my rock and I’ve realised that they give me the most energy in life. My priorities have shifted more towards peace of mind! 

What is your pet peeve? 
People who listen to voice notes loudly in public. 

What makes you unique? 
I’m still figuring it out!