This month we sat down with John Reynolds, founder and CEO of Jon Renau to ask him a few questions about his background in the alternative hair industry and what inspired him to start Jon Renau.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

In 1962 I began my career as a pharmacist. My wife Stella and I first entered the wig business in 1969. Back then wigs became the new fashion. Women who worked for us in 1971-1976 traveled around South Africa selling wigs door-to-door and offered wig parties where women could try a lot of different styles. In 1976 business dropped by 50% because the fashion for wigs had disappeared. So when the need for fashion wigs had gone, we began offering our products to people that needed hair for medical reasons. That’s when the full transition happened. We went from having a pharmacy where we gave people medicine, to wigs, which took an almost medicinal value.

What inspired you to start Jon Renau?

Starting Jon Renau goes down to one specific moment. In 1977 we owned a hair boutique. One day I was called in by my hair stylist. She had a lady in the chair who was experiencing hair loss and was feeling very down on herself. When we put a wig on her, her eyes started to smile! I remember the look in her eyes when she saw herself in the mirror and discovered that she felt whole again. We had one woman to come in and another one to leave. We changed her completely!

What is your proudest moment at Jon Renau?

I have always been proud of the company, but I wouldn’t say we’ve reached some sort of pinnacle. We continue to grow every day. What I feel on a day-to-day basis is gratitude from our customers. Whenever I watch a video on YouTube or read a letter from a customer I get continual rewards from doing what we do.

What do you like most about the company?

I really like the people I work with. I enjoy chatting with employees and I enjoy what I do on a day-to-day basis, be it speaking with wig makers or working with our accountants.

If Jon Renau were a person, who would it be?

Oprah Winfrey! She is caring and sincere; she wants the best for people. She is fair-minded and opinionated, but she works for the better good of people. I respect those who always want to help others and I hope that we could measure up to someone like that.

What is your favorite wig or hair piece?

When a wig is being worn really well by someone, where I cannot tell they are wearing hair, but rather think ‘they have beautiful hair’, that is always my favorite.

What are some exciting projects Jon Renau is working on?

Currently we are embarking on a new area, which is hair toppers. Toppers are already opening a new dimension to the wig business. Not many people know about them and we believe they are going to solve a lot of hair challenges without necessarily going straight to wigs.

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