Kamal Gulati of GK Studio on Building a Transparent, Affordable, and Trust-Led Women’s Salon Brand in India

StartupTalky presents Recap'25, a series of exclusive interviews where we connect with founders and industry leaders to reflect on their journey in 2025 and discuss their vision for the future.

In this edition of Recap’25, StartupTalky speaks with Kamal Gulati, Founder of GK Studio, a women-focused salon brand built on the principles of affordability, transparency, and consistency in an industry often marked by unclear pricing and uneven service standards. Gulati reflects on identifying a critical gap in the salon ecosystem—where customers frequently felt uncertain about costs and hesitant to question billing—and turning that insight into a scalable, trust-driven brand.

He shares how GK Studio differentiated itself through upfront, length-based pricing, in-house trained staff, and standardized service delivery across outlets. The conversation also explores how evolving customer awareness, digital discovery, and automation have reshaped the salon business, GK Studio’s focus on repeat customers over heavy discounting, and its disciplined approach to expansion while maintaining operational stability, staff development, and long-term credibility in India’s growing organised beauty services market.

StartupTalky: What service does GK Studio provide? What was the motivation/vision with which you started?

Kamal Gulati: GK Studio is a women-focused salon brand offering hair, beauty, skin, nail, and grooming services with a strong emphasis on affordability, transparency, and consistency.

The vision behind starting GK Studio was very clear: every woman deserves to look good and feel confident, irrespective of her income level. During my earlier experience in the salon ecosystem, I noticed a major gap—pricing was unclear, service expectations were often mismatched, and customers felt uncomfortable questioning final bills.

GK Studio was created to address this gap by building a salon brand where pricing is upfront, communication is honest, and services are delivered exactly as promised.

StartupTalky: What new services have been added in the past year? What is/are the USP(s) of your service?

Kamal Gulati: Over the past year, we have expanded our offerings across advanced hair treatments such as keratin, smoothening, botox, and nanoplastia, along with nail extensions, eyelash extensions, and skin services.

One of our strongest differentiators is that GK Studio was among the first salon brands to introduce a transparent hair length–based pricing chart, especially for chemical services. This brought clarity to an industry where pricing was often subjective and unclear, helping customers understand costs before the service begins.

Our key USPs include:

• Transparent, length-based pricing shared upfront
• Affordable yet premium-quality services
• Trained in-house staff (no freelancers)
• Consistent service standards across outlets

StartupTalky: How has the industry you are in changed in recent years and how has your company adapted to these changes?

Kamal Gulati: The salon industry has become more competitive and customer-aware. Today’s customers research prices, reviews, and service quality before making decisions.

We adapted by focusing on:

• Clear communication of services and pricing
• Using chatbots and automation for faster customer responses
• Maintaining consistency instead of relying on heavy discounting
• Building trust through transparency rather than marketing gimmicks

This approach helped us attract informed customers and improve repeat visits.

StartupTalky: What key metrics do you track to check the company’s growth and performance?

Kamal Gulati: We track multiple operational and customer-focused metrics, including:

• Monthly revenue per outlet
• Repeat customer percentage
• Staff retention and internal promotions
• Customer reviews and feedback

Customer reviews are a critical metric for us. Our Sector 46 outlet alone has over 4,300 customer reviews, which we believe is among the highest for any single salon outlet in Gurgaon. Achieving this level of trust within approximately four years of building the brand reflects our focus on consistency and customer experience.

In terms of physical scale, our Sector 7 (Old Gurgaon) outlet spans around 5,000 square feet, allowing us to serve a high volume of customers comfortably—something that very few neighbourhood salons operate at.

StartupTalky: What were the most significant challenges your company faced in the past year and how did you overcome them?

Kamal Gulati: The biggest challenges included maintaining service consistency across outlets, hiring and training skilled staff, and managing operations at scale.

We addressed these challenges by standardising processes, investing in internal training, promoting from within the team, and growing at a pace that allowed operational stability at every stage.

StartupTalky: What are the different strategies you use for marketing? Tell us about any growth hack that you pulled off.

Kamal Gulati: Our primary marketing channel has been Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram) with hyper-local targeting around each salon location. We focus on simple creatives, clear offers, and transparent communication.

Beyond paid ads, word-of-mouth and repeat customers have been our strongest growth drivers. Instead of relying on short-term hacks, we focused on delivering consistent experiences, which organically converted customers into advocates.

StartupTalky: What are the important tools and software you use to run your business smoothly?

Kamal Gulati: To manage multi-outlet operations efficiently, we use:

• Chatbots for customer queries and service information
• WhatsApp-based CRM for customer communication
• Internal stock management software
• Staff attendance and tracking systems
• IVR-based call management system
• Google Workspace for internal coordination

These tools help us scale while maintaining control and consistency.

StartupTalky: What opportunities do you see for future growth in your industry in India and globally?

Kamal Gulati: India has strong potential for organised, affordable salon chains, especially outside luxury-only positioning. Customers increasingly prefer brands that offer clarity, value, and reliability.

Globally, salon businesses are more standardised. Over time, we see Indian consumers moving in the same direction—choosing trusted brands over standalone operators.

StartupTalky: How are you using AI, whether in service delivery, internal processes, or customer experience, and what impact has it created?

Kamal Gulati: We use AI primarily through chatbots and automation tools to manage customer interactions, answer queries, and share service details.

This has helped us reduce response times, improve customer experience, and handle higher volumes without increasing operational pressure on the team.

StartupTalky: How do you plan to expand the customer base, service offerings, and team in the future?

Kamal Gulati: Our expansion strategy is vision-led and demand-backed. We plan to open new outlets only after ensuring operational stability at existing locations. Alongside geographic expansion, we aim to deepen service offerings and continue investing in staff training and leadership development.

StartupTalky: One tip that you would like to share with another service company founder.

Kamal Gulati: In service businesses, trust is the biggest asset. Focus on transparency, stay consistent, respect your team, and grow patiently. Sustainable success comes from credibility, not shortcuts.

Explore more Recap'25 interviews here.