HE PUTS in ten-hour days, seven days a week, has not had a day off since Christmas and learned his work ethic from the Japanese.
Barber Reza Maidani opened his shop three years ago and, apart from being closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day, only ever takes two days holidays.
However, Iranian-born Reza, 44, insists he is happy with his lot and says he is never left feeling run-down, even fitting in time for five trips to the gym each week to "relax".
Reza, whose noisy cockatiel named Peter helps create an air of calm while amusing customers as they wait for their turn in the chair, said: "If customers are happy, I am happy.
"Hard work is the only way to build an economy."
Reza fled Tehran due to the restricting regime to start a new life in 1998 and, after a two-year spell in Japan, arrived in England, where he worked in London and Birmingham.
He arrived in Hull three years ago and opened his shop, Maidani's, in Beverley Road, Hull, and has been steadily increasing his customer base.
Reza, who cannot yet afford to take on an assistant, said: "If I close my shop, my customers will be unhappy. They might decide to go somewhere else.
"When I worked in Japan, I asked my boss why is the Japanese economy so successful.
"He told me it was because everyone works hand-in-hand with each other.
"People work hard and that builds the economy, he told me."
Reza watched his mother and father cut hair as a child and began working in their salon in the Iranian capital.
"I was 16 years old when I started," he said.
Working in a city where people had little money has taught him not to be greedy.
Reza charges only £5 for a hair cut – a fraction of the fee charged at upmarket salons.
"I get maybe eight customers a day during the week and 15 to 20 on a weekend," he said. "I have enough money to pay my bills so I am happy.
"I work hard, but I am never tired because I love what I do so much. I am a strong man."
Except for the Christmas period, Reza's last break was last summer when he visited London during the Olympics.
"I like to visit London," he said. "But I chose to come to Hull because a friend told me it is a very nice city and quiet.
"I like Hull and I like the people here."
Reza is a regular at Fit 24 gym in St Stephen's Shopping Centre in Ferensway.
He said: "I go five times a week to lift weights, then sit in the sauna, which helps me relax."
Customer Tong Chan, 73, said: "He doesn't even close the shop on a Sunday.
"Reza is a good barber. I have been coming here since he opened the shop.
"It is a very clean and tidy shop."
Councillor Steve Bayes, Hull City Council's portfolio holder for regeneration, said: "It's good to see Reza's dedication.
"I share his views – if you work hard, you can go home each day with a clear conscience and you can be happy.
"He deserves to be successful."
