Early in her entrepreneurial career, LZF aspired to match the services of hairdresser Richard Warwick and other high-end salons in deluxe hotels.
In 1987, she opened Piandré along Amorsolo Street, Makati, hoping to capture the Makati executives. Piandré was coined after the nicknames of her daughters Peachy (Maria Paz Zulueta-Maxwald), Aina (Anna Katrina Zulueta-Valencia) and Andrea (Andrea Claudia Zulueta-Lorenzana).
The reality of a startup business was daunting. Aside from investing money, time and effort, she had to deal with the challenges of creating public awareness of its existence; juggling business and family life and handling the employees. As the business stabilized, some stylists were pirated by a competitor in the same neighborhood.
In 1995, LZF bravely opened Piandré on 60 Timog Avenue despite cynics who assumed that there was either no market in Quezon City or that it would be eclipsed by the commercial establishments overcrowding the area. On the contrary, the salon thrived until their landlord sold the building where they stayed. When Piandré moved to a location in a quiet neighborhood, sales dipped. To make things worse, the top stylists established their own salon and brought their clients with them. LZF tried to lure Piandré’s former clients by sending chocolates to remind them that it was business as usual.