GAME CHANGERS
The industry wasn’t offering them what they needed, so these entrepreneurs decided to take their services to their customers’ doorstep.
Banking on convenience: these entrepreneurs are taking their services to their customers’ doorsteps
We all have genius ideas over drinks on a Friday after work, but does anything ever come of them? This time, yes! When Tové and Emma Gallo, co-founders of The FoxBox, lamented the hassle of getting their nails done, they both agreed: wouldn’t it be great if nail technicians could come to us? ‘Emma had just had a baby and didn’t want to take her child to the salon,’ Tové says. ‘She wanted to have her nails done in her pyjamas, something any mom of a newborn can identify with. I’d worked in a corporate environment and would get my nails done during my lunch break. It was a mission; it felt like a chore instead of a treat. We thought, “Why aren’t corporates doing this for their employees?”’
They started by focusing on getting corporates to bring beauty therapists into their offices. ‘I was going to Joburg for work anyway and I set up a meeting with the marketing department of a company. We put together a one-pager, leveraged off Women’s Day and said we’d been piloting it for the past year (not true). But we knew there was a demand and that it wasn’t too complicated to pull together. They liked the idea and decided to take it nationally.’
That meant putting together kits, therapists and everything else they needed for the launch in Joburg, in very little time. ‘We had the staff and the kits, but we realised it’s difficult to get into corporates. You’ve got to get there far in advance. At the time, a lot of
“I love that we’re a developing country; it means we’ve got this
edge, all the gaps.”
our friends were getting married out in the vineyards and were complaining that there was only one place in Cape Town where a group could get their nails done at the same time. We thought, “We’ve got kits, we’ve got girls – why don’t we send them to the vineyards?” Our pamper party division started from that. We do bachelorettes, kitchen teas, birthday parties and book clubs. That kept us afloat while we were building on corporates. Our plan was to also do home visits, and we launched that about a year later.’ When they collaborated with Woolworths for a
Top Billing insert about vacations at home, Tové chatted to the Woolies creative director on set. ‘I asked, “Why don’t you have a nail bar? Look at Selfridges and all those places overseas.” They said it was a great idea but couldn’t commit. So I phoned the head of beauty and pushed for a chance to pitch the idea. When they finally agreed to meet, they came into the meeting with the message that they weren’t interested. That night they phoned and said, “We want five stores in three weeks.” We were the first brand they’d brought in in under three months. We launched five stores between August and December! And we’re expanding to nail and blow-dry bars at Virgin Active Classic clubs later this year.’
For Tové, social responsibility is a priority, and FoxBox is developing a trust that sponsors training in communities where people wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to acquire skills or a tertiary education. ‘We all have a responsibility to leave a positive mark. The mobile sphere is rich with opportunity. The trend is about how convenient you can be.’
It’s not about reinventing the wheel, says Tové; it’s about trust and convenience. ‘There are hundreds of mobile therapists. But we’ve put a brand behind it to make it “safe”. There’s a number you can call, standards are upheld and there’s somewhere to report to.’
Tové advises aspiring entrepreneurs to choose partnerships wisely. ‘This can make or break you. Surround yourself with good people – but remember, everyone has an agenda. If you know what everyone is looking to gain, you can make better business decisions in terms of who you partner with and how.’
Flexibility and going with your gut are essential, she says. ‘A risk not taken is a loss. I love what Steve Jobs said: “People don’t know what they want – you’ve got to tell them.” The way to do that is by believing in it yourself. People will believe in it if you believe in it.’
It wasn’t easy finding therapists prepared to take that risk with them. ‘You’re asking people to work for little money and no guarantees, and to believe what you believe. We’ve been lucky to find women who were keen to take this journey with us.’
Funding has also been challenging. ‘For many companies, the problem is growth. We’ve had the opposite issue – we have to keep up with the growth and have to fund it. Our success rests on our therapists. You grow only as fast as you’re able to recruit and train.’
Having separate revenue streams for the mobile and retail divisions helps with the dips and spikes in demand, says Tové. ‘In winter there’s a dive. In August, Women’s Month, we’ll have seven or eight massive events, generating about R400 000.’
Tové is excited about being able to do it all in South Africa. ‘I love that we’re a developing country; it means we’ve got this edge, all these gaps. I love that I get to say I was part of something that was built in South Africa.’
The mobile trend is on the rise, and it’s important that entrepreneurs pioneer the most convenient options. Jonny Barber Joel, the innovator behind Scoot ’n Cut, a mobile hairdressing service, created a simple new way to improve his working arrangements so they suited both him and his customers. ‘The opportunity kind of presented itself to me. I really liked the salon I worked for but I didn’t have the opportunity to dive into anything else I was interested in, like surfing or travelling,’ Jonny says. ‘I quit, and gave myself a month to go surfing every day and decide what I was going to do. In that month I started getting a lot of requests for house calls – probably more than I got at the salon. A lot of young people are trying to push into their careers – they’re not just working nine to five, they’re working seven to nine. They don’t have the time to get to a salon. On Friday
nights they go out and on a Saturday they really don’t want to spend their precious downtime getting a haircut.
‘I realised I could make more money this way than working in a salon or renting a chair, or even styling on shoots. Plus, I could still do those things if I wanted to because I could decide when I would work.’
A friend did some branding for Jonny and took the initiative and set up a Facebook page. His start-up costs were minimal because he’d built up his kit over the years at the salon. ‘I just bought a backpack to carry everything, and I already had a scooter.’
Jonny had originally studied marketing at the University of Stellenbosch, then started a postgrad in clothing management through Unisa. After that he went to England – one of the last South Africans to get a two-year working visa. He came back to SA to do some practical work in his second year, but a week after arriving he learnt that his dad’s business partner had pulled a fast one on him. ‘I had come back with the expectation that my dad would pay my rent and that I would just get a side job as a waiter or something like that to get by. But suddenly that wasn’t a possibility. I had to quit Unisa and started waiting tables to cover rent for that month.’
A hairstylist in the same centre as the restaurant approached Jonny to be a hair model for a project. ‘I hated the restaurant job and the stylist said they were looking for apprentices, so I switched. I wanted to go to college to learn technical skills like colouring, so I asked my boss if she’d sponsor my fees. She made a deal with me that if I sold the most products of all the staff, she’d make a plan.’ Within three months, Jonny had made the most sales in the salon – no mean feat for an ‘appy’. ‘I did it because I wanted to get something that was important to me out of it, but I also felt bad pushing people to buy things they didn’t necessarily need. It’s one of the reasons I got out of that kind of work environment.’
Another thing he couldn’t make peace with was the vast price difference between ladies’ and gents’ cuts – at least R100, on average. ‘If I’m spending the same amount of time, there shouldn’t be a price difference. I charge R100 a cut for both men and women.’
Launching Scoot ’n Cut didn’t come without complications. ‘The challenge is to accommodate as many people as possible. I do 10 cuts a day on average and, with growing demand, I’m looking at ways to create a new web-based system that won’t cost too much. I try to charge very little for my cuts but I can do that only by keeping my expenses low – little things like getting a tiny handheld vacuum instead of a brush and pan to save time, and carrying chargers on me to keep my tools powered. There are lots of things that would make this a smoother process; I just have to figure out the best, most sustainable and affordable options.’
What about colour? ‘My current set-up is simple – just cuts and trims. A mobile basin is impractical on my scooter. I really enjoy colour, but I plan to optimise my options before I roll that out.’
His clients include the entire GetSmarter office (he goes in for a day and does several cuts), visual artist Laura Windvogel (aka Lady Skollie) and hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest. ‘I once got a message at 4am from Lady Skollie, saying that Cassper Nyovest needed me to cut some shapes for him for his music video. Luckily, I got there in time!’
And this is only the beginning. ‘I plan to create an agency of sorts. I think there are many other hairdressers who aren’t satisfied with the salon ethos and would benefit from the flexibility.’
Jonny’s advice to other entrepreneurs is clear and simple. ‘Pursue what makes you happy because that’s the only way you’ll achieve success. It’s also really important not to just do what’s always been done. We’ve got so much knowledge, so many great tools to help communicate; ask yourself how you can use them to your benefit in the industry you work in. There’s always a niche, and if you find that, go for it.’