Inside the playbook behind one of India’s most loved salon chains
October 21, 2025
In an industry where franchising dominates and customer loyalty is fleeting, Vikram Bhatt’s journey of building Enrich Salons into a 115+ location powerhouse challenges conventional wisdom. What started as a favor to help a friend has transformed into one of India’s largest company-owned salon chains, serving 1.4 million customers annually. But the real story isn’t just in the numbers. It’s in how a corporate finance executive revolutionized the Indian beauty industry through an unexpected combination of systematic processes and emotional intelligence.
In this episode of Growth Diaries, Vikram joins host Sudheer Koneru to share the full journey, including how he pioneered subscription-based memberships, built a deep culture of stylist retention, and scaled smart by focusing on depth before breadth. He opens up about business discipline, emotional marketing, performance transparency, and the power of resilience, even during crises like COVID-19.
In an industry where franchising dominates and customer loyalty is fleeting, Vikram Bhatt’s journey of building Enrich Salons into a 115+ location powerhouse challenges conventional wisdom. What started as a favor to help a friend has transformed into one of India’s largest company-owned salon chains, serving 1.4 million customers annually. But the real story isn’t just in the numbers. It’s in how a corporate finance executive revolutionized the Indian beauty industry through an unexpected combination of systematic processes and emotional intelligence.
In this episode of Growth Diaries, Vikram joins host Sudheer Koneru to share the full journey, including how he pioneered subscription-based memberships, built a deep culture of stylist retention, and scaled smart by focusing on depth before breadth. He opens up about business discipline, emotional marketing, performance transparency, and the power of resilience, even during crises like COVID-19.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to build a successful membership program that drives 80% of revenue through emotional connection
- Why transparent performance metrics and career paths are crucial for staff retention in the beauty industry
- How to structure salon operations to maintain consistent service quality across multiple locations
- The "Love Begins with You" framework for creating emotional connections with beauty consumers
- Why focusing on catchment areas and ground-floor visibility can increase foot traffic by 40-50%
Vikram Bhatt is the Founder of Enrich Salons, one of India's largest and most successful salon chains with over 115 company-owned locations. With a background in corporate finance and an MBA, Vikram transformed from an "accidental entrepreneur" helping a friend into a visionary who revolutionized the Indian salon industry. Under his leadership, Enrich has grown to serve 1.4 million customers annually through 2200 team members, while maintaining a corporate-owned model that ensures consistent service quality.
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Previous guests include: Matt Maroone of Silver Mirror Facial Bar, Shabana Karim of House of Enspa, Marilyne Gagne of Dermapure, Smita Vallurupalli & Shashank Kancharla of Bubbles Hair & Beauty and Old School Rituals, Rob Peetoom of Rob Peetoom Salon.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
- Building a glamorous beauty brand that feels like home
- How Rob Peetoom built a global salon legacy
- The power couple behind India’s Bubbles and Old School Rituals