Iguchi Ayako will be appearing as the MC on ABC TV's program "Marudori ~Just Between Us~" (Kansai local), which began airing on February 7th. It's a late-night talk variety show where she, along with Yuichi Nakamaru and Dorian Lollobrigida, delves into the unknown anecdotes of the guests. Iguchi says, "It's been a while since I've been on a full-scale variety show." The reason behind this is her involvement in the management of her family business, Excel Beauty Salon. We spoke to her about the challenges she took on in this new field, which she began about two years ago.
◇ When running a beauty salon, "I'm behind the scenes"
Iguchi won the runner-up prize at the Miss Aoyama Contest while she was a university student, and has been active in the entertainment industry as a gravure model, giving the impression of having walked a glamorous front stage. However, when it comes to running a beauty salon, she says she sees herself as a behind-the-scenes worker, with only the hairdresser in the foreground.
"In the entertainment industry, I'm in the forefront as a talent, and my manager supports me from behind the scenes, but in the world of beauty salons, the hairdressers are the talent, and I feel like I'm their manager. As a talent, I spend time with my manager, and I understand from experience things like, 'I was happy that they did this for me,' or 'I wish they had done this more in this part,' so when I become a manager, I think there are parts where I can think, 'I wonder if they'd be happy if I did this,' and I find that rewarding. Also, because I've experienced the opposite position to that of a talent, I feel even more grateful to my managers as a talent. I feel that my work in the entertainment industry and running a beauty salon have a positive influence on each other."
To secure talent, or hairdressers, for a beauty salon, she sometimes travels as far north as Hokkaido and as far south as Okinawa. Of course, her work is diverse, including appealing to customers, developing products like shampoos and treatments, boosting sales on e-commerce sites, producing new stores, and preparing to open new stores in other regions. However, it seems that she has naturally learned and realized many things while being involved in management, even while doing such behind-the-scenes work.
"In my early 20s, I was young and could only see myself, and I think my perspective was very narrow. I've always had a tendency to compare myself to others, and when I compared myself to others, I would get anxious and feel inferior, so I had a lot of complexes. But after I joined the company and started supporting hairdressers, I realized the joy of working for others, and that became my happiness. I no longer thought of myself as just me, which I think was an awareness and a learning experience. Through my work in the entertainment industry, I have had the opportunity to hear from business leaders, and before I would think, 'That sounds like nicety,' and when they would say, 'People are important' or 'More than my own profits,' I would honestly think, 'Do they really mean that?' But now I can actually believe that, as in, 'The happiness of our staff comes first,' and other phrases that sound like nicety, and I think that's a sign of growth."
◇ "Standing still" was necessary for growth
She will turn 29 in March, and looking back on her 20s, which were filled with several turning points, including her debut in the entertainment industry and joining the management of a beauty salon, what are her thoughts now?
"It felt like a time of learning. To others it may have looked like everything was going smoothly, but for me, there were quite a few periods where I felt like I was at a standstill. I felt a sense of frustration, like things were going well but not going as well as I wanted, and I had a really strong sense of impatience for a while. There were times when I didn't know what to do to move forward, and I wanted to work hard but didn't know what to work hard at, and it was tough, but looking back now, I feel like those stands were necessary for me to grow from here."
She also told me about her goals for both her career as a talent and running a beauty salon.
"At the salon, I want to make the most of what's been great so far, in the sense that 'it's because I joined,' while still making the most of what's been great so far. I want to appeal to the younger generation, increase our online recognition, and breathe new life into areas that the company has struggled with. I want to make Excel a place where staff can think, 'At Excel, I can become the hairdresser I want to be,' and I also want to convey that being a hairdresser is a truly wonderful job. As a talent, I would like to broaden the scope of my work beyond the fields I've worked hard in until now, and I would be happy if I could get more and more work that targets women."
