July/August 2025 HAWAII PARENT 113 "You gotta go to work," says this tanned and toned Hawaiian surfer with a grin, meaning you must pay attention to the business you're building and managing. It's not going to build itself. Life's not all about play. Your business may seem all consuming at first but choose something you like and do what it takes to grow it, adding that "your employees make you who you are." He says he's surrounded himself with 13 great stylists. Other business excellence tips: "Watch your money," he says (your company expenditures), treat all employees with equality and fairness, and provide employees with important job and product education. And what a brand. So many Hawaii people have sworn by Noe's hair designs over the years and would allow nobody else to touch their hair. Celebrities, politicians, pageant beauties, influential military and business people are some who have entrusted their public persona to the capable, creative hands of Noe and his other creative hair stylists at Taki's. Noe has built the salon's reputation on what he believes makes a good, high performing person. Be real, be authentic, be genuine, and work hard at being the best you can be. Taki's has owned and managed four hair styling salons in Honolulu over the years. Niu Valley was the first, Pearlridge was the second, Keeaumoku Street, the third, and one on Kapiolani Boulevard was the fourth. But only the very stylish Taki's in Pearlridge remains. It's enough for one man to manage, he says. His father and then he signed as a tenant with Pearlridge when the center first broke ground for the shopping complex in 1972, and Taki's has been a tenant ever since--53 years in the same location. Noe has two grown girls he's very proud of; neither chose to carry on the Taki's hair dynasty. He's fine with that and thinks that his adult children and all people should always follow their own passions in life. To do less means you're always going to do less, give less, he says. And that's not who he is. Besides being highly respected by his loyal clientele who have frequented his salon for years, industry nods and accolades came to him over the years in the form of being asked to become the Hawaii State educator for Rusk training and a Paul Mitchell Products designated salon representative for their exclusive color line. For Mr. High Performance Noe Takemoto, "the cut" is everything-- whether it be in a person's walk, talk, performance, or how they treat others. High performance in business, high performance on the waves, high performance in life, that's Noe Takemoto's philosophy and he's living it.
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