From survival to styling success: Equity Bank seminar Empowers salon entrepreneurs

Two years ago, Jessica Muteteri’s salon business was on life support. Rent arrears loomed, utility bills piled up like stormy clouds and staff wages tightened around her enterprise “like a chokehold,” she recalls. The glow of entrepreneurship had dimmed into a daily struggle for survival and living hand to mouth.

Then came a lifeline, through a friend, Muteteri secured a Shs5 million loan from Equity bank, repayable within twelve months. That single injection of capital, she says, “transformed my business and redefined my entrepreneurial journey.”

So, when a text message arrived inviting her to a seminar titled Grow Your Salon Business with Equity Bank, hesitation was not on the menu. Muteteri not only confirmed her attendance immediately but rallied fellow salon owners from Galilaya Arcade and neighbouring beauty businesses across Kampala to join her.

Equity bank positions itself as a catalyst for transforming lives and businesses. Judging by the energized conversations and eager note-taking, many participants left carrying more than brochures, calendars and T-shirts; they left with blueprints of managing successful businesses.

Central to the initiative was a partnership with the Federation of Uganda Salons and Beauty Professionals Association (FUSPRO), the umbrella body for salon operators nationwide. Officially recognized in 2016 by government authorities, FUSPRO now operates in 141 of Uganda’s 146 districts and represents approximately 120,000 registered salon owners and trainers.

“As a federation, one of the key things we lack is training on financial literacy, how to operate a business, having a collective voice, and professionalizing our craft,” said Kamanyire.

Bob Paul Lusembo, Head of Micro Business at Equity bank, translated theory into practical steps. He guided participants through daily savings habits, disciplined record-keeping, group lending models and specialized loan products such as Equi-Mama, designed for women entrepreneurs.

For Esther Namutebi, another attendee, the timing could not have been better. Power shortages had crippled her operations and the dream of purchasing a generator and additional equipment felt out of reach.

“My business has been struggling due to power shortages but now I know how to access financing and invest back into my salon,” she said.

Asked what she would carry back to her community in Nansana, she was emphatic, “In one day, we have learnt not just how to get loans, but how to use the money so that it transforms the business and we are able to pay it back.”

Beyond financing, the seminar stressed formalization. Kamanyire highlighted the importance of proper documentation such as business registration, obtaining a Tax Identification Number, and maintaining a dedicated business account. Compliance with institutions like the Uganda Registration Bureau of Standards, he noted, opens doors to credibility and growth.

For Muteteri, whose journey began with desperation, the transformation now feels tangible. Her Galicious Beauty Parlor, she says with a confident smile, is “ready to hang with the big boys.”

That sentiment echoed across the hall. The seminar was not merely a training session. It was a morale reboot for an industry powered largely by small, informal enterprises run by women and youth.

FUSPRO officials confirmed that similar seminars will soon roll out across Western, Eastern, and Northern Uganda, aiming to replicate the Kampala momentum nationwide.

If the energy in the room was any indication, Uganda’s salon sector may be on the verge of a makeover of its own, one powered not just by scissors and styling gel, but by knowledge, structure, and access to capital.