She wants you to get threaded

ANJU TREOHAN, who's in her 30s and lives in Spring Garden, owns Anjuthreads, a threading salon on Walnut Street near 11th in Center City. Treohan, a former IT consultant for Accenture, started Anjuthreads in August 2008.

Q: Where did you get financing?

A: I put aside $200,000 from personal savings. We started in a smaller space on 10th between Spruce and Locust, and moved to the present location in 2010.

Q: What does Anjuthreads do?

A: Threading is a Southeast Asian way of removing [facial] hair from the root. We use cotton thread, and we run it over the hair and it winds the hair and gently removes it. We don't use chemicals or heat, and it's organic, all-natural hair removal.

Q: What's most popular?

A: Most clients come for eyebrows, because we do an excellent shape that complements your face.

Q: Who's a typical client?

A: A woman between 25 and 37 who's conscious of her health and skin. I would say 90 percent of our clients are women.

Q: How much do services cost?

A: Eyebrows are $13, upper lip is $8 and chin is $6.

Q: Why threading?

A: Tweezing takes time, and pulling out hairs one by one leads to regrowth that doesn't look natural because it grows back in different directions.

Q: What's been the biggest challenge growing the business?

A: Getting the word out. We try to keep costs as low as possible. Marketing is a big challenge.

Q: So how do you do that?

A: We've tried to harness the power of social media. There's lots of bells and whistles, and figuring out how to use them is key. On Facebook, we like to ask our clients questions. On Twitter, we created a hashtag, #getthreaded, which clients share in their tweets. We want to use Foursquare and Pinterest more.

Q: Have you quantified the impact of social media on the biz?

A: It's hard to translate actions to actual sales and revenues. The more eyes that see your brand, the more people talk about you, that's obviously a step toward a client walking in the door.

Q: How big a business is this?

A: Our annual revenue is between $200,000 and $500,000.

Q: How many customers?

A: On a given day, 30 percent are walk-ins, and 70 percent regulars. On a busy day, we might see upwards of 100 clients.

Q: How many employees?

A: We have six, but all work about three days a week, on separate schedules, so none would be considered full time.

Q: Where do you see the business in five years?

A: I usually look only a year in advance. I would hope Anjuthreads is at the top of the threading scene in Philadelphia, and I would like to see a few more locations and a public recognition that we are the place to go for women's facial-hair removal.

Online: ph.ly/YourBusiness