Emmily Bowman is starting to figure this out.
Despite pandemic-related challenges, Braid Babes — a mobile hair-styling business — tripled its revenue in 2020 and is now bringing its model to new markets, where the startup can barely train its braiders fast enough to meet surging demand.
As the company opens up new regions – it launched Nashville in April – its leaders are honing a model that quickly becomes profitable after upfront investments in marketing and staff.
Braid Babes braiders who will do everything from individual appointments to private parties and public events. The parties especially took off during the Covid-19 pandemic – Bowman said they limited attendance and took safety precautions.
It works in Buffalo and Nashville. Bowman’s horizons are much broader.
“This is what I’ve wanted and pictured for Braid Babes since day one,” she said. “I want to take this national.”
The Starpoint High School graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University at Buffalo in 2015, then worked in tech roles at Independent Health and Willis Towers Watson. She took up a 30-day braiding challenge on Instagram in 2018 and dedicated herself full-time to the business in January 2019.
Braid Babes worked to formalize its training curriculum during the pandemic, taking potential employees through a bootcamp that turns them into professional braiders.
All of the company’s braiders are employees rather than contractors, a move that allows company leadership to control the Braid Babes experience. The startup, which has nearly 30 employees, has a growing operational staff as well — about five full-time employees are based in its North Buffalo office.
Braid Babes’ growth plan is reminiscent of the early days at ACV Auctions, which turned into Buffalo’s first software unicorn, with a region-by-region trajectory that focuses on putting the right team on the ground and introducing themselves to the market. Bowman said regions become profitable within a few months.
Braid Babes plans to launch in Rochester and Raleigh this summer, with plans to open in as many as 15 cities in 2022.
“This is the year that will show us what Braid Babes can do,” she said. “It worked in Nashville and if it works in Raleigh, then it becomes about hiring the right people to keep moving at that speed.”
Braid Babes has closed this year on $415,000 in pre-seed funding, with contributions from Launch NY, the Buffalo Angels and local angel investors.
