From waste management to warming bodies. Let it be said Doug Mass's business interest has changed 180 degrees -- and we're not talking temperature.
Mass, 48, is former co-owner with his dad, Gene, of Maple Leaf Disposal Ltd. and still remains on as president of the Langley-based rubbish-removal company.
In November, he added a far flashier new business -- True Colours Hair and Tan Studio in Port Coquitlam -- to his private ownership portfolio.
"It's quite a different venture, all right," chuckled Mass, who has been in the waste disposal business for more than 25 years and has bought and sold various companies in it.
Mass said he watched his trash business blossom over the years from one truck and 70 bins to 40 trucks and literally thousands of trash containers, dealing with customers varying from large construction-site developers to everyday homeowners looking to rip apart their old sun deck, or such. Recycling and its wildfire growth have added greatly to his work demands during that span, Mass said.
Now, his business passion has turned more to beauty than the at-times beastly load associated with the waste management industry.
Mass and wife, Angela, joined another couple, Karen Bengivenni and Peter Webb, to open the Ottawa Street salon, where Mass concedes it's going to take some time to gain a solid reputation and consistent clientele.
"I thought it would be a lot easier to get women to switch where they get their hair done and it's not," Mass said. "Some, I'm finding, are driving as far as Mission to False Creek and from Vancouver out this way to follow their hair dressers around. I think what happens is their stylist becomes more of a friend than just a professional that does their hair, so that's a bit of a tough one [for us newcomers]. But once they get through the door and they see what we do, that's the better part."
Angela and the Mass's 22-year-old daughter, Amber, arrange and operate the tanning portion of the business, while Karen and another stylist, Faye, tend to the hair. The men are more active in the business outside the actual studio, Mass said.
"Peter and I contact people and, together, we know a lot of people. That's our contribution," he said. "Once they get through the door, it's Angela's and Karen's deal to keep them here and keep them coming back."
Mass admitted business at the studio was a tad slower over the holidays than he expected but he realizes patience -- first and foremost -- is key when starting a new capitalistic venture.
It all comes down to drawing people in to experience first hand what True Colours offers and Mass also knows taking a good look at the more-established competition never hurts, as well.
"I'm keenly interested in other salons," Mass said. "If I'm at a strip mall, for example, I stop and go have a look at another salon and see how they've got it set up, what kind of lighting they have, how their displays are...you know there's always something they do really well."
The bottom line, Mass believes, is making clients feel welcome, comfortable and appreciated.
"We want to get a real, nice warm atmosphere here," he said.
And the warmth can prove literal during these frigid winter days, when human snowbirds tend to flock south to get away from the chill and into the sun but, firstly and wisely, the tanning bed. Or they simply want to step into the studio to add a bit of bronze to their pale skin in preparation for the coming summer.
"That's something we find a lot of people are doing," Mass said. "We especially noticed a bigger difference when it started to get cold. They started coming in just to warm their bones and feel good."
And that's what True Colours is truly aiming for, to leave people feeling good.
No garbage.
True Colours Hair and Tan Studio is located at 104 - 2310 Ottawa St., Port Coquitlam. For more information or to book an appointment, call 604-552-5855.
