Maurice Pierôt: "He passed on to me the love and passion for the craft...

Maurice Pierôt is the owner of Pierôt Coiffures. He grew up on the beach as well as in his father's hair salon. Always looking for aesthetic innovation, boundaries and the latest trends. Now, forty years and three salons later, with several prestigious (business) awards in his pocket and in possession of a successful portfolio, Maurice looks back on his career... He was always cut out for this profession, but who handed him the scissors? Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Hans Petersen

What was your very first job?

"I grew up in Wijk aan Zee. I could often be found on the beach and worked as a bedside worker alongside my high school. This side job brought in a lot of money, so I was extra driven. I liked having money at a young age. I got satisfaction from that! My father is a hairdresser and my mother was also in that same industry. From a young age, I saw all the different facets of hairdressing. In fact, I grew up on the beach and in the barber's chair. It used to be common to live above the store. It was no different with us. It was always pleasant downstairs: regular customers came for their hair, of course, but also for the chat and the coffee. My mother jumped in where needed, and if it wasn't too busy, my mother and I stayed upstairs."

How did you end up in your current job?

"My career was not so much a choice as a logical consequence. When I got out of school, I helped. If I had nothing to do for a while, I helped. As family members, we just worked in the salon. It was very natural. At eighteen, I chose to stop working with my father. I spread my wings to gain experience with others. I worked both internationally and nationally.

After several years, I ended up back at my father's salon. Why? Because my father said, "If you want to take over my business, you have to make sure you become better than me. Don't you become this? Then I'll sell the business to someone else.' At the age of 24, I set up my first business in Heemstede. Not my father's salon, but with his help. So did the second business. He was a good rock.

My wife Daniëlla did the makeup and I focused on the hair. We did fashion shows, television jobs and photo shoots together. At age 30, together with Daniëlla, I opened the Pierôt store in Amsterdam and, in 2007, the salon in Haarlem."

How did your father get the name Pierôt?

"This name originated in Paris in the early 1960s. My father, Jean Pierre, was affectionately called Pierôt by his French clientele out of appreciation. Upon his return in 1964, he opened his salon under the name Jean Pierôt Haute Coiffure."

Who was your wheelbarrow?

"I always had a dire need to prove myself to my father. He asked for this too, you know. This fact was not something that was in my nature. It came about. My father was a huge drive for me. He taught me the ropes and passed on to me the love and passion for the craft. He turns 80 this year and is still a barber."

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

"The salon is my home. I don't experience it as work. I get joy from creating, making people happy and the fun I experience in the salon, at the photo shoots and at the fashion shows. For the most part, I know my clientele inside out. Over the years I have built a tremendous rapport with clients. I received the Global Salon Business Awards and no less than three times the Coiffure Award. These awards were cherries on the cake for the team and me. My passion was rewarded."

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

"The corona period was a tipping point. You were forced to let go of everything you had built up and think about who you are and who you want to be. It was a forced moment of reflection and rediscovering yourself as an entrepreneur. It was a period of throwing ballast overboard, surrounding myself with positive people and thinking creatively."

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

"Stay close to yourself, your passion and do what makes you happy. My daughter is seventeen now and is also going into hairdressing. I give her the same advice. You can also earn good money in this profession. As long as you work really hard, make an effort and keep immersing yourself."

Have you been a wheelbarrow for anyone?

"Over the years, we have trained many people in the salons. I love seeing that many of these (former) employees have grown tremendously. It's nice to be a part of that."