Now a partner in his family business, Leeds lifestyle hair and beauty salon, RMUK, Massi Moura secured his first job in a budget store at the age of seven. From 8:30am to 6pm on Saturdays and seven days a week during the holidays, seven year old Massi relentlessly stacked shelves and cleaned the shop.

Only when the shop owner begun to take advantage of Massi’s hard work and commitment, two years later, did Massi take up his father’s offer of a weekend and evening assistant position at the salon.

At the age of thirteen, massi began taking time off school to attend business courses for hairdressers in Slough. By the time he was fifteen he was a managerial salon assistant, outside school hours, and at sixteen Massi began managing his parent’s properties, setting up tenancy agreements, taking rent and taking care of tenants.

With dreams of becoming an inventor as a child, Massi sent his portfolio of designs to Leeds College of Art & Design when he was fifteen. Despite being so young, he was accepted. At sixteen Massi embarked on a foundation course and, by the time he was nineteen, he had a degree in Interior and Product Design.

Massi entered and won several competitions during college. He won a competition to design and make the trophy for Leeds United player of the year and produced a three meter high sculpture without using tape or glue to win the think Pink packaging company national student competition.

After college, after years of investment in time and effort, Massi chose to continue working in the family salon as business manager. His design talents weren’t wasted, however. When RMUK moved to new premises in 2001, Massi was responsible for the entire interior design scheme, and he continues to offer interior design advice for friends and contacts on a occasional basis.

At the age of twenty, not satisfied with being an employee, Massi bought into the business and was a key driving force in taking the salon to its new premises and the next level. Family or not, Massi means business and has always maintained a professional relationship with his parents when it comes to the salon. At 22 massi started working on his colour knowledge and became a colour specialist through loreal. The loreal colour specialist degree is one of the highest accolades you can have in the hairdressing industry as a technitian.

Facing the challenge together, Roberto, Laura and Massi Moura run this successful family business with each member of the dynamic team contributing a unique skill. Laura has developed the beauty treatment side of the business whilst Massi has added his talents and training in Interior Product design to create a concept that reflects the Leeds City Lifestyle. “We are confident we have discovered a winning formula” enthuses Roberto.