Chicago-based freelance hairstylist Erica Franklin-Richmond began receiving an influx of client inquiries during the pandemic when people felt unsafe going to in-person salon appointments.
She uses a booking app, but some prospect customers text, Instagram DM and call her for questions related to things clearly explained in her profile. Because of this, she says she’s been overwhelmed.
“Being a traveling freelancer can get a little funky at times because clients can get extremely comfortable with me,” she tells Forbes. “Communication is not always seamless. I prefer clients to reach out within the times outlined in my business details but that doesn’t always happen. I send mass texts through my booking site about availability updates and other policy changes, but some client opt-out.”
These issues precisely what Chidi Ashley has worked tirelessly for more than two years to fix.
Ashley is the founder of ReadyHubb, a new booking software platform and mobile app that is aiming to solve communication bottlenecks between independent beauty professionals, freelancers and their clients.
Ideated during the height of the pandemic, Chidi says the inspiration for the platform came after watching a YouTube video of a sharing her negative experience booking a hairstylist, and unprofessional the entire experience felt.
“She said she was required to direct message the stylist on social media to book,” Ashley explained. “And even with other booking sites, they sometimes don’t have streamlined messaging options, and stylists’ policies can be a bit difficult to find. So, as a client you have to send the Hey Boo text the day before to see if they’re even still are going to show up,” she said. An avid traveler, Ashley said no matter where she went or who she spoke with, avid beauty service enthusiasts almost always had the same experience, particularly if they were Black.
After discussing the issue with her business partner who she works alongside to run her other company, Lux Tribe, a luxury-focused travel agency, she decided ReadyHubb would be their next venture. Ashley used the funds from her real estate investments (which includes a luxury villa in Bali) and the Dubai-based agency’s earnings for startup costs. Although she’s focusing on targeting a consumer market in Atlanta (a city densely populated with Black beauty professionals) to start, she says she’s comfortable keeping operations in the UAE.
“Dubai is completely personal income tax-free, she shares. “As a founder who is completely self-funded, that has amazing benefits. And then of course in terms of talent, you get really amazing world class and diverse people here, but for half the cost that you would get, to hire people in, let’s say, the US. So, if I was to hire a US-based developer, I would be paying anything upwards of $150,000 a year, while in Dubai, it’s half the cost.”
The app is not only poised to be lucrative, as beauty tech is a billion-dollar industry, it is culturally necessary.
“It’s definitely interesting because one of the things that we’ve explored over time is the growing rift between the Black beauty professional community and clients,” Ashley tells Forbes. “And you see that really clearly—I see it a lot on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. There are also growing concerns with how Black beauty professionals charge versus the standard of service that is received. You don’t see that as much in the community with White beauty professionals. Most of them are using apps like Vagaro or they work from salons primarily versus with Black beauty professionals. While we do work for salons, a lot of Black beauty professionals are independent, so they don’t have the infrastructure that a typical salon would have that provides payment support, customer service and all the great things that a normal small business might have.”
She says one of the main focuses when building out the platform baking in a system that can be truly used as a resource for beauty pros.
ReadyHubb officially launched in the spring and is already the home for 2000 professionals, Ashley says the tremendous response all happened with no marketing.
“I think the news has spread by word of mouth because it’s so needed,” she tells Forbes.
Unlike similar booking platforms like Acuity, Booksy or StyleSeat which typically charge monthly subscription fees plus extras to add staff to accounts, ReadyHubb is free to join.
“Customers are not being charged at the onset,” Ashley explains. “What we want to do is create a completely free experience for the client to sign up.”
She goes on to point out that for access to professional features the app offer, a monthly $26 fee is incurred.
She says one of Ready Hubb’s primary goals is to be the trusted ally for service providers facing the challenges of managing a business in a fast-paced environment.
“We want to help talk beauty pros level up in the beauty industry, provide better service, grow their business and actually think of your business as a business, and not just an extension of yourself.”
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
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