With over 30 years of experience as hair loss specialists, Total Image Wigs & Hair Restoration Center, located in Woodland Hills, strives to meet their clients’ needs in a professional and private environment. We sat down with Total Image’s owner Charlene Charthern to celebrate her business's new status as an EmployABILITY Champion and learn what that means to her.
How did you start your business?
I started out as a hairstylist. When more and more clients were coming to me with hair loss and asking for my help, I began offering hair replacement services. What really made me realize this was my calling was when I worked on a wig for a very young girl who had alopecia. She just lit up with happiness when she put her wig on, and it really gave me joy to know I had helped her feel more like herself. The business has really taken off, and now we offer hair replacement services for men, women, and children who have hair loss from a variety of issues, like alopecia, cancer treatments, or lupus. We not only handle the hair loss treatment, but we can also work with the client’s insurance company to help cover the cost when that’s available.
How do you plan to use EmployABILITY Business Grant funds to grow your business?
We can’t wait to get started! This grant is going to help us hire several employees with disabilities who are committed to learning the craft. We’ll be able to grow our business to help even more people. We’ll use grant funds to make improvements to the physical space to be ADA-compliant, buy adaptable equipment, and hire a consultant who will help with training, help us with disability etiquette, and make sure our new employees have everything they need to be successful, which will help the business be successful.
What is your mission as an organization?
We have an official mission statement on our website: “We strive to meet each client’s needs, restore their confidence, to help them feel like themselves — only better! Hair loss affects over 80 million people in the United States. It is our goal to help those afflicted by using the best techniques to treat hair loss and by supplying the best quality hair replacement products. It is our mission that each of our clients will be restored to feeling whole and beautiful once more.”
But when I give a summary, I say our mission is that we are committed to helping people experiencing hair loss and treating them with compassion. People coming to us feel vulnerable, and we want them to know we are here to help them find a solution that is the right one for them and is one that will give them back their confidence.
What does it mean to be an EmployABILITY Champion?
The EmployABILITY Business Grant is a new start to growing my business. We’ve been really struggling to find employees. And now, with these funds, we can hire employees with disabilities who will learn the craft and grow along with the business!
For more information on Total Image Wigs & Hair Restoration Center, visit http://www.totalimagehair.com/.
