The world’s #1 booking platform launches its new partner referral initiative

Fresha continues to lead innovation by introducing advanced software features for hair, beauty, barbering and wellness businesses – with no subscription fee. In the latest of a series of new releases, Fresha has launched a referral program to reward existing Fresha businesses when they invite another business to their all-in-one platform.

The beauty and wellness industry is built on personal relationships, with recommendations between business owners being the most trusted way to share and discover leading products, platforms and trends. Loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendations have played a large part to Fresha’s success as the most trusted platform in the industry and now businesses can earn Fresha credits when they recommend a friend to the platform.

Unlike other software, with Fresha there’s no contract and no subscription fee. Fresha manages bookings, scheduling and point-of- sale, all within one platform, for free.

Their optional paid features can be turned on and off at any time. These include low-cost payment processing, marketing features, and attracting new clients from the online marketplace.

Fresha has helped over 80,000 business owners elevate their salons, spas and barbershops to the next level. Word of mouth recommendations between business owners have been essential to shaping Fresha’s growth.

“Our partners are at the centre of everything we do at Fresha. We love to hear how much they enjoy using the software, and appreciate their recommendations as our strongest form of marketing.” says Leith Matthews, Head of Partnerships. “With our latest update, we are able to recognise and reward our partner’s endorsements and referrals of Fresha” 

The referral program rewards Fresha credits to both the new business being referred and the business making the introduction.

In keeping with Fresha’s reputation for simple and intuitive features, this new initiative is easy to implement – simply send an invite link and Fresha does the rest!

“The Fresha platform takes care of it all for you: from bookings, to payments and product orders, to promotions and client engagement, all in the smoothest way possible. We’re really excited to now be able to reward our partners when they share their positive experience with friends and other business owners.” says Leith Matthews, Head of Partnerships.

For more information about this new feature announcement, read our latest blog here https://blog.fresha.com/get-rewarded-for-recommending-fresha

To join Fresha free, visit https://www.fresha.com/for-business 

Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s Project Men had the amazing opportunity to visit the HQ of Captain Fawcett and spend the day with the team.

Captain Fawcett is one of the Project’s Brand Partners, with a heritage that harks back to 1905. Richie Finney, Captain Fawcett’s founder started the day, with an introduction about the brand. The team then had a tour of the Emporium to see all the barbering memorabilia on display. Then the team were taken through the various ranges of Captain Fawcett’s products, with by a demonstration from in internationally renowned barber Sid Sottung. The team were talked through the latest cutting techniques and product know-how to take back to their own businesses. Matakki Scissors, who are also a Brand Partner alongside Wahl and Barber Connect, was also present throughout the day. 

Matakki Scissors Director, Emma Curd said: “I absolutely loved the day with the team at Captain Fawcett.  I think this was one of my favourite Project Men days so far. The museum was so fascinating.”

Project Men member Alex Burt added: “Such impeccable hospitality and a fascinating tour of the headquarters. I was totally blown away by it all and can’t wait to try out the products.”

PROJECT: MEN TEAM LEADER: Simon Shaw

PROJECT: MEN TEAM MEMBERS:

Alex Burt – Teddy Edwards Cutting Rooms  

Emma Simmons – Salon 54

Sophie Fedoriw – Safy B’s

George Smith – Toni&Guy

Tammy Reynolds – Tammy Reynolds for Hair

Leanne Jones – Leanne Jones Hair Studio

Janene Hawkins Bush – Sir & Co Barbers

Blayre Turnbull – Urban Hair & Beauty

Scott Musgrove – Scott Musgrove Hair

Ian Young – Pompadour

Roisin Murphy – Hairven Salon Group

Lucy Melvin – Diamond Appearance

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For more information:

Instagram: @fellowshiphair

Call: 01295 724579  

Visit: www.fellowshiphair.com

Note: The Fellowship for British Hairdressing was founded in 1946 as the Fellowship of Hair Artists of Great Britain and over the years has grown in stature and now covers many areas of the professional hairdressing industry. The independent, non-political organisation is run by our members, focusing on promoting artistic and creative quality, and providing support for future hairdressing talent keen to make their own mark in the industry. All the projects are designed to nurture sills and provide a career pathway – ClubStar, PROJECT: X, PROJECT: Colour and PROJECT: Men and the coveted F.A.M.E. Team.  

As inflation across the U.K. remains at record highs, with reports earlier this year revealing prices rising at the fastest pace in 40 years, Vagaro seeks to lessen the burden of maintaining business operations and financial woes on small business owners during this time. 

Vagaro, the leading comprehensive business management platform for the beauty, fitness, and wellness industries, is offering generous service options to small businesses in the U.K.

Realizing many owners are currently facing unavoidable cost increases in expenses such as wages, electricity, and supplies, the software company is providing relief for businesses by offering its most popular add-on features such as Xero integration, online store, and website builder, at no additional cost to the base price.  

These tools all have a proven history of increasing sales and revenue for users, which can greatly benefit businesses especially during these trying times.  

Additionally, Vagaro aims to help business owners find more breathing room by offering a low payment processing fee of just 1.29% + £0.20.  VP of Marketing, Charity Hudnall, says, “Cultivating strong relationships with our customers by truly putting them first is the strongest pillar in our company’s culture.  

Listening to their needs, especially during trying times, and responding not only with a solution, but a helping hand along the way, is ingrained in the way our entire team operates.  

When our customers succeed, we succeed, and our relationships are strengthened.”  

This is not the first time Vagaro has implemented relief for small businesses during uncertain economic circumstances. In 2020, the company previously offered its services to users completely free of charge due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  

Small business owners not currently on Vagaro who are looking to try a new software to help manage and automate their tasks can also currently sign up for an extended, 30-day free trial.   

About Vagaro 

Vagaro, Inc. is the leading business management and payment processing platform, and online marketplace for the beauty, fitness, and wellness industries. Service professionals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia use Vagaro to manage, market and grow their business. Consumers choose Vagaro to search for and book wellness services on any device. To learn more, visit https://sales.vagaro.co.uk/ or https://vagaro.com.  

New, cooler blades paired with a powerful motor provide dazzling performance while the new gold finish dazzles the eye. 

Wahl Professional continues to upgrade the performance and look of their 5 Star product line with the release of the Gold Cordless Detailer® Li trimmer. 

The NEW 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li takes everything that barbers and stylists love about the 5 Star Cordless Detailer® Li and makes it even better. Wahl’s latest tool improves upon their world-renowned, extremely close-cutting, adjustable T-Wide blade made from high-carbon steel by upgrading the blade to add NEW titanium and DLC coatings. These stronger blades stay cooler, resist corrosion and are perfect for detailing and fine-line trimming. The 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li also comes with a powerful, full-size clipper motor that creates crisp, clean lines with one hit precision. Every 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li includes a premium weighted charge stand designed for small workspaces.

“The new 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li is flashy, but in terms of performance it’s absolute fire,” says Wahl Professional Educator Garland “G-Whiz” Fox (@thisisgwhizwahlclippers). “When I see those gold and black tools at my station, I know I’m ready to cut some clean lines.”

Cool Look, Cool Blades

Wahl knows the artists who upgrade to the new Gold line of 5 Star products appreciate the flashy appearance but care even more about performance. Now professionals can match the power and polish of the 5 Star Gold Cordless Magic Clip® with the new 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li.

The adjustable T-wide blades are made of high carbon steel with titanium and DLC coatings. This allows for corrosion and heat resistant blades that stay cooler – even when close to the scalp. Blades can adjust to zero-gap for extremely close trimming, detailing and clean, crisp lines on hair of any texture or thickness. A pro-set tool that easily and accurately sets the blades to zero-gap is included with the purchase of the Gold Cordless Detailer® Li.

Professionals will also enjoy the powerful motor of a full-sized clipper with the convenience of a cordless detailer, designed to work for 100 minutes before its Lithium Ion (Li) battery needs to be charged. They can plug it in and keep cutting or use the included premium, weighted charging stand. 

Now that he’s been impressed by the new 5 Star Gold Cordless Magic Clip®, “G-Whiz” Fox knows it’s time to upgrade to the 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li as well. “I’m sold on the black and gold,” he says. “My tools have to look as good as my cuts.”

Full Package

The Wahl 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li comes with:

• Adjustable T-wide blade with titanium and DLC coatings
• 3 guide combs (1/16”- 3/16”)
• Long-lasting, lithium-ion battery
• Matching gold and black premium, weighted charging stand
• Pro-set tool to easily, accurately zero-gap blades
• Pre-shave brush, oil, cleaning brush, and red blade guard
• Power cord, which can be used for both detailer and charging stand

Barbers and stylists can purchase the 5 Star Gold Cordless Detailer® Li beginning in October for $189 atwahlpro.com or by visiting their local Wahl Professional distributor.

Booksy, the leader in booking and business technology for the beauty industry, is honored to be the recipient of the 2022 Exceptional Workplace Award by The Startup Weekly! The Startup Weekly presents the Exceptional Workplace Award to companies that have demonstrated a high level of commitment to employee satisfaction and engagement. 

This year’s Exceptional Workplace Award attracted a record number of applications across company stages in the United States. The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of top executives, founders, investors, and industry experts. The companies were evaluated based on a combination of employee survey results, online and offline reviews, and industry recognition.   

“This year’s award recipients have gone above and beyond to drive workplace satisfaction and excellence. The judging panel was thoroughly impressed with all the awardees,” said Peter Justin, Managing Editor of The Startup Weekly.

“We are delighted and proud to have been given this award by The Startup Weekly and we thank them for this recognition. This truly underscores our core values as a company to provide an outstanding workplace for our talented team members who are the lifeblood of the organization,” commented Dee Hadley, Head of Marketing, Booksy US.

Booksy is a cloud-based app that connects over 15 million customers to thousands of beauty industry service providers around the globe. Booksy users enjoy the ability to easily book their own appointments with beauty providers in their area, and Booksy Biz allows beauty professionals to better manage all aspects of their business in one place, while also taking advantage of online marketing tools to promote their business and track growth. While Booksy partners with all their users, they also take pride in creating an exceptional workplace culture for their employees.  

Download the Booksy app to book appointments anytime, from anywhere. For business owners, consider Booksy Biz your personal assistant available via mobile, tablet, or web. Learn more at Booksy.com/biz. 

The latest issue of BarberEVO North America is OUT NOW.

Get your copy here! 

The latest issue of BarberEVO North America is OUT NOW! This beautifully presented, 104-page issue is headed up by the STMNT founders, Miguel Gutierrez, Sofie Pok and Julius Cvesar who grace our front cover as they are featured to talk about what is next for the STMNT brand. 

And we follow that by announcing the brand’s latest ambassadors as they each explain why STMNT was the brand they want to align with. 

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

BaByliss is known for its cutting-edge technology and as the new BaByliss Snap FX hits the shelves, we are delighted to have a closer look at the latest advance in clipper and trimmer tech.

Also disturbing the industry is the team at American Crew with their latest collection called London Calling lands, created by the latest All Star Challenge winners, bringing influences from across the globe, and we are thrilled to share with you a behind the scenes exclusive.

And while we are getting behind the scenes… we also get the low down on the Floyd’s 99 and Reuzel recent collab and hear how this illustrious collaboration came about. 

BEARD AND MUSTACHE CARE

The facial fuzz is here to stay, and who better to kick off our beardcare special than the hirsute hero that is Matty Conrad of Victory Barber as he talks about his beardcare product line. 

Following him with beardcare techniques and advice is Johnathan Valdez of Johnny B Haircare, as well as James Zap Dapper Den who talks about growing your shop’s services to embrace the beard.

Building badass beards is the domain of Beard Octane  and owner Joe Miller shares why working directly with barbers is what his brand is all about. Also discussed is the benefit of taking the barbershop experience into a higher realm of male grooming and the latest facial hair trends… and so much more. 

TECHNOLOGY

There are digital tools for everything now and the barbershop is no different. In our tech feature, we are finding out what appointment software options are available, and that is just scratching the surface. 

We look into the best way of being tipped virtually, how to deal with no shows, client communication, point of sale options, what systems are essential and how you manage them and also the option of having your own app built to suit every aspect of your own brand. 

As franchise models expand, we look at which booking systems make life easier across multiple locations. It’s a huge subject and there’s so much to learn, we hope you find some answers to your tech problems.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here. 

By Ollie Foster, OSMO Ambassador and owner of Number 47 Barbers in Chester

Assess your shop space costs

Are there areas within your shop that you can look to shave costs?  Lighting for example, you can change your bulbs to low energy where you don’t need the brightness as much (think staff rooms, toilets etc), can you also change your lights to movement sensor ones too in areas?  With your backwash, can you look to swap to a water pressure system like ECOHEADS that helps to increase the water pressure without using more water?  Also, have you looked at comparison on washing your towels in the shop versus an outside company?  You may be surprised! 

Take a good look at your colour stock

Size and space matters!  For those barber shops who’ve expanded their services into colour, have you taken time to really understand what’s needed or not in you colour stock room?  Buying lots of colours when you can just invest in a colour range that enables you to create permanent or semi shades from one tube, is a great cost saving option.  OSMO IKON is a demi colour range, so you just adjust the mix and timings to achieve your desired effect.  Plus, all the shades are intermixable, so you get an endless colour palette, too.  Also, think about how much you’re getting in your colour tube – often it’s only 50/60ml tubes, whereas brands like OSMO are 100ml tubes, so not only will you probably be paying less per tube, but you’re also getting a bigger size too.  So, make sure you’re looking at your colour stock and consider sensible changes to your core colours, as you can definitely be making savings on your colour services.  

Ensure your backwash is earning for you

We’re good at offering added services like shaves and maybe facial waxing, but are there treatments we can up-selling at the backwash area too?  Products like the new OSMO Scalp Therapy Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt is a great pre-cut experience to help remove product build up and get the scalp healthy too.  You can then finish this with the new OSMO Scalp Therapy Mask to elevate your hair cutting experience.  Work the backwash costs into your hair cut, so it’s not seen as an add-on but more of a luxury service.  Even if you don’t offer colour services, have you considered offering colour conditioning treatments at the backwash instead?  Products like the OSMO Colour Revive Conditioning Treatment is a low investment option to give your customers a refresh of their natural hair or help mask early greys – plus may stop them heading to those dreaded Just For Men box dyes!  The backwash is your shop window for retail too, so ensure you’re talking up the products you’re using, how they can be beneficial ie scalp cleansing, thickening, moisturising etc.  You’ve got a captive audience in that chair, and they want to hear what you have to say to ensure their cut lasts.

Be the expert you are when it comes to retailing advice

Selling retail products, doesn’t come naturally to many of us but we need to believe in our expertise and products we use!  Customers are investing their time and money to have a professional service, so ensuring they have the best products and advise to use at home, is a no-brainer.   Plus, once you get your customer onto that product, he becomes a fan of it for life usually!  Also, make sure you’re picking up on selling tales – is your customer concerned about his thinning hair?  Then recommend them subtle volumising products like the OSMO Power Powder, it’s easy to use and gets results instantly.  Retail should be second nature to us experts. 

Make sure you’re encouraging regular re-visits to your shop

As barbers, we get a mix of those bi-weekly customers versus those once every few months walking in.  It’s up to us to get our customers booking in more regularly.  Can you look at your current booking system – does it have a text/email reminder that can be sent out?  Target your social media posts to your  customers so they’re aware of your availability (and any cancellations).  Listen out to chats in the chair about upcoming Birthdays/Job interviews etc and encourage them to book in the day before with you.  If you can, the best way is to get them booking before they leave the shop – when you have them in the chair, this is the ideal time to be talking through the haircut, home styling tips and then cutting maintenance over the coming few months.  Get them into a routine of trims and reshapes. 

To order OSMO for your salon visit www.osmo.uk.com for your nearest wholesaler

Booksy, the leader in booking and business technology for the beauty industry, celebrates the one-year anniversary and partnership with Booksy ambassador, barber A-ROD! Also known as @arod23pr to his two million Instagram followers, A-ROD’s enormous popularity, thanks to his vast library of videos and content, is regularly viewed all over the world and proves that he is barber industry royalty in a profession that’s loved and respected across the globe. This proud Puerto Rican with modest beginnings regularly works with A-list celebrities, top-level online influencers, and fellow industry juggernauts who respect his brand. 

His long list of accolades includes being the co-founder and CMO of L3VEL3. A-ROD last year earned top-tier partnerships with major brands including Wahl and Booksy. Despite his demanding schedule, A-ROD regularly gives back to the barbering and grooming community by sharing online video and image content. 

A-ROD creates and shares educational content and industry tips on creating fresh cuts, thriving during COVID-19, and developing an online following to stop viewers in their searches. In general A-ROD creates content that is relatable as he shares his own experience and challenges with being a busy barber, and how Booksy can help with the day-to day challenges.

Since becoming an ambassador, A-ROD has worked with Booksy on the Get Discovered Campaign, where he speaks to his audience about the importance of having a good Booksyprofile to attract the correct clientele, and the Get Discovered Backstage Contest, where he represented Booksy backstage at the music festival, Riot Fest. He has also worked with Booksy on the Make the Switch Campaign and has represented Booksy at events like Orlando Premiere 2021 and 2022, ABS 2022, and ISSE 2022.             

“We are delighted to have someone the caliber and talent of A-ROD be part of our Ambassador community and our Booksy family. He is an inspiration to so many barbers and we look forward to partnering with him in 2023 and beyond. Congratulations to him on his anniversary,” commented Dee Hadley, Head of Marketing Booksy U.S. 

Download the Booksy Biz mobile app for free or visit Booksy.com/biz to learn more.

Fresha continues to lead software innovation and introduce advanced features for hair, beauty, barbering and wellness businesses. 

With partners involved in shaping their software experience with Fresha, by requesting the tools and features they need to run their businesses even more efficiently, Fresha has listened and responded by introducing six new automated text notifications. From rescheduled and cancelled appointments to thank you messages, salons can now keep their clients informed like never before. 

Making sure clients receive up-to-date information about their appointment while avoiding no-shows and late cancellations is important to keep clients happy, and protect businesses from potential loss. In addition to Fresha’s existing appointment reminder text message, these six new text notifications are now available to Fresha partners.

Appointment confirmation 

Send clients an appointment confirmation once they’ve made a booking online or in-store. This important step lets clients know all the important details about the appointment they’ve just made, such as the date, time and address.

Appointment reminders

Enabling reminders for upcoming appointments ensures clients remember their appointment, which also helps to reduce no-shows and cancellations! Salons simply decide what time the reminder goes out, whether it’s one or two hours, or one or two days before. 

Rescheduled appointments

If an appointment needs to be rescheduled, partners can send an automated text message to confirm this. Salons will also be able to include any updated information regarding their appointment. 

Cancelled appointments

Appointment cancellations are less than ideal, but they do happen. Whether the salon or the client needs to cancel their appointment, a text message can now be sent to confirm the cancellation. If the client cancels, they will also receive information about any late cancellation fees that may apply. 

No-shows

What’s worse than a cancellation? A no-show. If a client misses an appointment, businesses can now automate a text message to let them know, along with information about the fees they’ve incurred for not arriving at their appointment.

Say thank you! 

As well as helping partners to manage issues, Fresha’s improved text message feature gives salons the option to send a ‘Thank you for visiting’ message once the client has completed their treatment and checked out. At this stage they’ll be prompted to rate and review the salon, and they’ll be given the option to leave a tip. If they do add a tip, businesses can also set up an automated text to thank them for that too.

For more information about this new feature announcement, read the latest blog here    

To join Fresha free, visit https://www.fresha.com/for-business   

On Wednesday 21^st September, the Business Secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg announced a scheme called the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, to help with energy bills for businesses, voluntary sector organisations, such as charities and public sector organisations such as schools, hospitals and care homes. This includes hair & beauty salons and barbershops in the UK who are:

·         on existing fixed price contracts that were agreed on or after 1 April 2022

·         signing new fixed price contracts

·         on deemed / out of contract or variable tariffs

·         on flexible purchase or similar contracts

Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive, said: “The energy support announced today is a lifeline for many businesses in the hair & beauty sector that have battled through the last two years. The Government has listened, and we will be providing further evidence to make the case for hair & beauty as a ‘vulnerable industry’ needing support after the initial six-month period has ended.”

How does it work?

The Government will compare what you are estimated to pay to your energy supplier against an amount they have set. The Government amount is called a baseline and is priced at less than what it is expected suppliers will pay for wholesale energy this winter.

The Government supported price has been set at:

• £211 per megawatt-hour (MWh) for electricity
• £75 per MWh for gas

(A comparable rate will be set shortly for Northern Ireland.)

This is less than the expected price from energy suppliers which is:

• £600 per MWh for electricity
• £180 per MWh for gas

However, the reduction only applies to the wholesale price of your energy not your final cost. This is to keep it in line with the Energy Price Guarantee for domestic customers ie your home energy bills. Your final per unit price could include network charges and operating costs, plus the impact of competition between suppliers. It will also change for different contracts and tariffs.

Fixed Contracts

The discount will be based on the difference between the government-supported price and the wholesale price for the day that the fixed contract started. The Government will publish the wholesale prices and will use for calculating this for each day from 1 April 2022.

Variable, deemed, and all other contracts including those due to renew

The discount will reflect the difference between the Government supported price and relevant wholesale price but will be subject to a ‘maximum discount’ that will be determined at the beginning of the scheme.

If you are on a variable or flexible contract, you will need to choose if you want to move to a fixed contract. This is likely to suit you if you don’t want your price to keep changing each month. Your supplier should be in touch to discuss this.

When will I receive my benefit?

This will be applied automatically, and you will see the discount from your October bill – which you usually receive in November. You will continue to receive this benefit until 31^st March 2023. The energy situation will then be reviewed.

PLEASE NOTE: If you get a message asking for your bank details, this could be a scam. You can report messages you think are suspicious

What do I need to do? 

Business owners do not need to do anything as the Government expects suppliers to contact them over the coming weeks to explain what will happen. The discount on wholesale energy is same for every supplier. However, we advise contacting your supplier to ensure that you will get the most benefit from this new scheme.

Energy brokers have no influence over the reductions that will be applied to wholesale energy costs under this scheme. You do not have to take out a new contract or change your contract for appropriate reductions to apply to your bills automatically.

Case Example

A small retail shop uses around 1 MWh of electricity and 2 MWh of gas each month.

They are on a variable contract, giving them a current monthly energy bill of around £1,400 per month. As they are on a variable contract, they can receive support up to the Maximum Discount (currently estimated to be £405/MWh for electricity and £115/MWh for gas).

Applying the Maximum Discount rates means that their monthly energy bill reduces by around 45%, leaving them with a bill of around £800 per month.

For more advice and information about the Energy Bill Relief Scheme please visit the UK Government website.