Beauty Store Business

JUL 2016

For beauty business news, beauty store owners turn to Beauty Store Business. Beauty business trends, beauty business profiles and more!

Issue link: http://beautystorebusiness.epubxp.com/i/687990

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 37 of 115

36 July 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com "The focus for me is teamwork, education and philanthropy: a hairdresser's line of product created by us." Raychel Harrison made her mark in the haircare indus- try as an elite stylist and successful salon owner long before she launched Nuuvo Haircare. However, it was her bulletproof background in professional hairdressing that afforded her the foundation to successfully launch a new product line in what can only be described as a saturated, tough market. Before she even launched her widely successful Salon Nuuvo, Harrison completed training at the Vidal Sassoon Academy, and was mentored by industry icon Robert Cromeans, (global artistic director for John Paul Mitchell Systems), among others. After 20 years of professional hairdressing, Harrison had solidified her reputation as a top stylist and colorist in the industry. It was then that she decided to solve a need she'd long observed in the market. "Nuuvo Haircare was born on the salon floor in 2015. As a salon owner and hairdresser, my team of master stylists and I felt a need in the market for a lightweight moisturizing line that [could] be used every- day to nourish, transform and style hair," Harrison says. That's not to say the perfect formula came easily. "Creating the line had its challenges. The right formula with clean, natural ingredients and performance were key factors," she says. To lock in a formula that would gain the stamp of approval from both consumers and stylists, Harrison tested her products right in the salon. "We used customer and stylist feedback to help shape and create the formula of each bottle," Harrison says. "We had mystery bottles and labeled them 1, 2 and 3. We gave our guests questionnaires about smell and performance." While Harrison makes launching a haircare line in a saturated market look easy, half the challenge, she says, was building a brand while simultaneously run- ning her own salon. "Creating the haircare line and maintaining the salon's growth are my biggest achievements thus far. Most product companies are able to focus solely on the line. I felt it was necessary to have the salon as our foundation and heart of the product line—truly creating a culture around the lifestyle of the brand. The focus for me is teamwork, education and philanthropy: a hairdresser's line of product created by us." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . QUALITY FIRST Needless to say, as an expert stylist, Raychel Harrison wouldn't be satisfied with less than excellence when it came to product quality. "It's easy to get wrapped up in the design of the bottle, lids and all the extras, but we had to stay on budget and not compromise the quality of the product. We put our budget toward what was in the bottle, not on the bottle itself," she says. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "While we celebrate our wins, we get back to work because we know there's always someone working to take it all away." Michael Dubin CEO/Founder, Dollar Shave Club Age: 37 dollarshaveclub.com IG/ Twitter: @DollarShaveClub Kelley Dawn Baker Founder/Owner, Kelley Baker Brows Age: 37 kelleybakerbrows.com IG: @KelleyBakerBrows He started with the goal of creating solutions. But today, Dollar Shave Club leader Michael Dubin says his mission is to create a lifestyle. "I started Dollar Shave Club out of my Venice Beach apartment. I wanted to solve the frustrations of pur- chasing razors: You have to go to the drugstore, find someone to unlock the razor fortress, then shell out $20 for a four-pack," Dubin says. "After the company launched, I didn't want to stop at solving problems in the razor aisle. [I] set Dollar Shave Club's goal of owning the men's bathroom and becoming the easiest place for guys to buy the grooming and skincare products they use every day." The simple, yet novel idea was to take a mundane and often frustrating in-store task, and turn it into a seamless, tailored online experience that delivers quality shaving products directly to the customer's door. "I kept thinking there had to be a better way. So I created one." In less than four years, Dollar Shave Club has grown to 3 million members and has become the No. 2 seller of men's razors—right behind the long-standing shaving brand Gillette. Despite the company's meteoric rise, Dubin's main strategy is to keep his eyes firmly on the next goal. "We are focused on the next goal, and continuing to create a memorable and engaging experience, as well as more great products." The next goal, he says, is to aid his customers in more than just grooming. "I want to create the Starbucks equivalent of a grooming and lifestyle company. Starbucks is more than a cup of coffee; it's a lifestyle. My goal is to continue evolving the lifestyle and emotional connection our members have with Dollar Shave Club." Even today, Dubin's success comes from continuing to solve problems—and that means listening to his core customer, he says. "Keeping the member at the forefront of everything we do ensures that our premium grooming products will be something that solves a problem." But more than solving men's immediate grooming concerns, Dubin wishes to influence the way men discuss grooming in general. "Men are now openly talking to their friends about their grooming routines and what products they use; whereas before, they'd keep that behind closed doors. We like to think that we're contributing to these changes in behavior by the authentic way we talk to our members about the things they do in private." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE Having experienced so much success at an early age, Michael Dubin never stops pushing forward and even makes it a point not to linger too long on his victories. "It's important to not take too much time to pat yourself on the back. I set a precedent early on that a 'big launch day' is just another day in the office. While we celebrate our wins, we get back to work because we know there's always someone working to take it all away." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Beauty Store Business - JUL 2016