The holidays are the perfect time for giving and Booksy, the leader in booking and business technology for the beauty industry, is giving back to beauty pros this season with their special 12 Day Giveaway! For 12 days – starting on November 21^st – beauty pros can enter the 12 Day Giveaway contest and have a chance to win a prize from their favorite Booksy ambassador! From name brand hair clippers to high-quality nail products or Booksy swag bags, there are plenty of unique prizes to choose from. 

Check out the amazing products gifted from Booksy ambassadors that you could have a chance to win: 

1. Byrd Mena – Gold Magic clippers
2. Phillip Wolff – Zuka neck wraps 
3. Alfredo Lewis – Framar brush and mixing bowl 
4. Kim Kimble – Kimble Extension Care set 
5. Jenny Bui – Jenny Secret Crystal Bundle 
6. Chelly’s Nails – Valentino gel nail paint set 
7. Brandi LaShay – Booksy forever barber hoodie 
8. Keino Valley – Filled Booksy sling bag
9. Leroy Garret – Wahl Gold Magic trimmer
10. Naja Rickett – Cucchio nail products 
11. Joel Torres – IGK products 
12. Mr. Official – Booksy t-shirt and truck hat bundle 

Giveaways as unique as this don’t come around often and you don’t want to miss out! 

The 12 Day Giveaway starts on Monday, November 21^st and runs through Friday, December 2^nd. And the best part is that entering is so easy! To enter this contest, head over to the @booksybiz Instagram page or any of the 12 ambassadors’ pages to download Booksy and be entered into the giveaway! Winners will be announced on Booksy’s Instagram Live, as well as the respective ambassador’s Instagram page on December 9^th.   

Download the Booksy app now: 

• Search for “Booksy” the App Store or Google Play Store
• Download the Booksy app 
• Start your free trial to enter the 12 Day Giveaway 
• Create your profile to get discovered by new clients everyday

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

ABOUT BOOKSY:

Booksy is a cloud-based appointment booking solution for hairstylists, colorists, barbers, nail artists, estheticians, massage therapists, salons, barbershops, spas and more. It offers appointment scheduling, calendar management, online payments, and a suite of marketing management functionalities. Android and iPhone apps supported. Booksy features two mobile applications: Booksy Biz for businesses and Booksy Lite geared more for independent professional plus a Booksy app for clients.

The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) has urged the new Chancellor, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, to adopt a six-point plan to protect the hair & beauty sector.

The NHBF argues that that hair & beauty is experiencing a ‘cost of doing business’ crisis, with energy and business costs escalating, inflation at 10% and consumer confidence falling. This is paired with a sector skills crisis undermining the ability of businesses to recruit both entry level apprentices and experienced staff. Commercial rents are also rising and businesses could pay more through business rates after revaluation in spring 2023.

The six-point plan asks for:

1. Continued support on energy bills.

The Energy Bill Relief scheme is a vital lifeline for many sector businesses. The array of services offered by the sector are underpinned by energy usage; for 64% of businesses, energy represents their first or second largest outgoing. These costs have increased by over 40% for half of businesses, with some experiencing increases of 300-400% or more. There is a ticking time bomb for a third of businesses who will see their energy contract renewals coming up over the next 3-6 months and risk paying significantly higher prices.

Business need further support on energy bills beyond March 2023 and energy companies should be encouraged to offer a range of flexible payment plans so that businesses are supported to pay off bills over a longer period of time.

2. Continued support on business rates.

The NHBF has called for the 50% business rates discount continued into the 2023-24 financial year. If government finances allow, then 100% business rates relief as envisaged with Investment Zones would be invaluable and very welcome across the UK.

3. Nurturing the next generation of talent.

• Financial incentives for small and medium businesses to employ 16–18-year-old apprentices: The future of the sector depends on an influx of 16-18 apprentices. Funding could be channelled to fund apprenticeships to enable training providers to train and employers to take on apprentices, making the apprenticeship more viable and affordable for businesses through an incentive of £3,000 per apprentice.
• Financial incentives for SMEs who hire apprentices aged 19 or over: There has been a flood of older learners wanting to train in the sector, however the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or apprentices’ wage restriction have prevented this. Learners are unable to contribute to the business’s income until they are qualified and insured, so the increase in their costs after the first-year acts as a deterrent to employers. First year incentives would help support taking on apprentices aged 19+ by bridging the gap between the apprentice wage and the minimum wage. 

These incentives could be funded by restructuring the Apprenticeship Levy so that more small businesses could benefit from a redistribution of the fund

In the Careers at the Cutting Edge report, the NHBF estimated the cost of these initiatives, which would be a fraction of the £2 billion currently unspent.

4. Restraint on rises to National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.

The Government will soon be announcing its response to this year’s recommendations from the Low Pay Commission on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) rates. Given the severely challenging economic environment and looming recession, the NHBF asked for restraint and for any rises to take account of business survival and the ability of businesses to employ.

5. A fairer tax system.

The NHBF has called for a fairer approach to the tax system to create a more level playing field between businesses with employees and businesses using self-employed individuals.  This includes raising the VAT threshold so that more small and micro businesses benefit from relief, reducing the VAT rate to 5% or introducing tiered rates for the smallest businesses to remove the disincentive to grow and remain below the threshold.

6. Crackdown on tax evading businesses.

The NHBF also called on the Government to target resources for a crackdown on informal businesses operating on a cash basis in the margins, failing to declare earnings, not paying tax or VAT, which means they charge lower prices, undercutting and threatening the survival of responsible businesses and undermining minimum wage legislation.

Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive says, “Hair & beauty businesses are desperate for some economic stability so they can plan for and be confident in their future. The revolving door at the Department for Business has seen four different Personal Care ministers pass through it in the past four months. We still don’t know who in government will be looking after our sector-specific needs – just as the latest GDP figures show that hairdressing in particular is one of the industries hardest hit by the current financial situation.  The targeted investment we propose will, in the medium to long term, tgenerate more revenue in taxes, as well as increasing business growth and employment opportunities.”

@nhbfsocial

Booksy, the leader in booking and business technology for the beauty industry, is delighted to announce they have been featured as a top-rated product in Software Advice’s FrontRunner Report for Barbershop Software! Software Advice is the leading service for businesses navigating the software selection process and is designed to help small businesses evaluate which software products may be right for them. 

Software Advice FrontRunners are evaluated by verified end-user reviews and product data, positioning the top scoring products based on usability and customer satisfaction ratings. Booksy’s user-friendly app, convenient business managing software, and free online marketing tools helped propel them to the Software Advice FrontRunners Report!     

Booksy is proud to make this esteemed list as their goal is to support and promote hairstylists, barbers, and all other beauty professionals and business owners. Booksy’s innovative business managing software specifically for business owners, Booksy Biz, allows beauty providers to streamline and grow their business all conveniently on the mobile app. With Booksy Biz, managing appointments, showcasing skills, monitoring business, and getting paid has never been easier! 

FrontRunners for Barbershop Software is available at softwareadvice.com/barbershop/

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

ABOUT BOOKSY:

Booksy is a cloud-based appointment booking solution for hairstylists, colorists, barbers, nail artists, estheticians, massage therapists, salons, barbershops, spas and more. It offers appointment scheduling, calendar management, online payments, and a suite of marketing management functionalities. Android and iPhone apps supported. Booksy features two mobile applications: Booksy Biz for businesses and Booksy Lite geared more for independent professional plus a Booksy app for clients.

ABOUT SOFTWARE ADVICE: 

Software Advice® helps businesses navigate the software buying journey. Industry-specific advisors guide people through the selection process and provide personalized software recommendations. Founded in 2005, Software Advice has helped more than 750,000 businesses find the right software for their specific needs through 1-on-1 advice, objective research and actionable insights. Software Advice also features over 770,000 verified user reviews to ensure people feel confident in their technology decisions.

FrontRunners constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Software Advice or its affiliates.

On the 5th of January 2023, celebrity hairdresser Adee Phelan and record-breaking charity fundraiser Iain Ward will be travelling a total of 3,000 miles across eight states and through three time zones from New York to LA to raise funds for two charities. 

The journey on foot and by bike will be filmed by a camera crew for a future documentary, accompanying them on a tour bus, which they will eat and sleep on. Along their journey they will be joined by various celebrities that will either run part of the journey with them or make an appearance in support of their cause. Each day of their journey, they will wear a T-shirt featuring a different person to show support to someone who is fighting a battle or pay respects to someone who is no longer with us to reinforce the true meaning behind this challenge. 

Adee and Iain will be donating the funds they raise to two causes close to their hearts – the Marina Dalglish Cancer Foundation and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). Adee lost his father to cancer and has struggled with depression for over 30 years. CALM is a mental health charity that offers a free confidential and anonymous helpline, live web chats and support for anyone struggling with their mental health. Iain is living with a terminal brain tumor and was given an estimated five years left to live two years ago. the Marina Dalglish Cancer Foundation supports cancer research and treatment. 

Adee and Iain are looking for brands that can offer sponsorship in order to fund their journey and – once this has been completed – donate to the charity in order to help them raise the most amount of money possible. In return for sponsorship or product donation the pair are offering promotion through company branding of items such as the bikes, tour bus and clothing. 

They are also looking for brands with a large following and active social media status who can help to promote the journey to the general public and other influencers in order to achieve the maximum exposure and potential this journey can take. 

Adee says: “The film crew will be joining us throughout our entire journey and much of the key focus will be when I cut a person’s hair in every one of the 66 towns we will visit on our journey. The opportunities for sponsorship from a key brand from the hairdressing family is immense.”

If your brand is interested in providing sponsorship or product donation, or you have any futher questions, please contact: Izzy Branson Hammond | Isabella.branson@Miroma.com | 07710 676301

The hair & beauty sector is once again at the frontline of the impact of the current economic instability, with a drop in the proportion of businesses saying that they are confident of their survival at 49%, down from 64% in July, as reported in the results from the latest National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) State of the Industry survey. 

These businesses have battled through the last two years and seen two periods of initial recovery in September 2021 and July 2022, but this latest set of results shows the fragility of the recovery.

Escalating energy costs, business supplier and staff costs have brought growth to a screeching halt. Sector businesses find themselves once again dealing with a set of survival challenges. Declining consumer confidence has meant that a sense of uncertainty has replaced the signs of recovery that we saw in July.

While the proportion of businesses making a loss has not increased, fewer businesses are making a profit with 35%, down from 44% in July, and there has been a corresponding increase in those who are breaking even at 46%, up from 36% in July.

The general trend towards increasing prices continues. 51% of businesses raised their prices over the last three months (although this was down from 62% in July). A further 65% (up from 51% in July) will do so over the next three months.

Reliance on external support has increased again, with 74% of businesses either partially or completely reliant on Government support, which is up from 50% in July, although not quite as high as January’s 81%. Unsurprisingly in the current climate, 77% are paying more for energy than they were six months ago. For half of businesses, energy costs have increased by 40% or more.

Debt levels are rising again, with 54% of businesses in debt, back to levels last seen in January. 42% of businesses in debt report that the amount of debt they are carrying has increased. 58% believe it will take them more than two years to clear.

Richard Lambert, chief executive of the NHBF says, “Many hair & beauty businesses are teetering on the edge of survival. A range of indicators including business activity, rising prices, rising debt, reliance on government support, uncertainty around survival and a dip in growth aspirations all signal shift towards a more negative outlook over the summer.

Businesses have benefitted from an array of support from the UK and devolved governments over the last two years, most recently in the form of the Energy Price Guarantee. However, further support will be needed through the winter and beyond and we are talking to the Government about how best to address this.”

The economic impact is having an obvious knock-on effect on staffing, recruitment, and apprentices. Recruitment intentions have dipped slightly and are less optimistic for the future. In the next three months, only 12% of the survey respondents are definitely, or likely to take on new staff (down from 27% in July). Over the last three months, 25% have cut back on apprentices (up from 17% in July). In a slight dip, only 9% were definitely or likely to take on apprentices in the next three months.

nhbfsocial

NHBF

Supporting the local community is a continuous goal for Denman International. Earlier this month Denman partnered with Annandale Men’s Hockey Club in South Belfast to help launch expansion of their landmark Schools Outreach Programme. Denman Chairman, Dr John Rainey MBE has long had ties to the club from his hockey playing days and was delighted to donate £2000 to fund opportunities for children that might not otherwise be able to afford to play the sport. The donation is part of Denman’s consistent and purposeful CSR (corporate social responsibility) strategywhich seeks ways to do good for the community, the environment and the industry. 

Speaking at the launch, Club Chairman John Stephens said ‘This program is all about bringing the sport of hockey to schools who would not otherwise have the opportunity to play it. The programme has proven very popular in introducing hockey to children in a fun setting. We are indebted to Denman and Belfast City council without whose support this expansion would not be possible.’

Dr John F. Rainey MBE, Chairman of Denman and the Denroy Group added ‘Sport is a great way for children to exercise and the kids really enjoy it. The work that Annadale is doing with these schools is absolutely fabulous and long may we continue to support this.”

Image: Teachers and pupils from Knockbreda Primary School, Dr John Rainey MBE Denman Chairman and Annandale Hockey Club Chairman John Stephens. 

Booksy, the leader in booking and business technology for the beauty industry, is honored to be the recipient of five awards by The Startup Weekly! This year’s awards attracted a record number of applications across different categories in the United States, and the winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of top executives, founders, investors, and industry experts.

The five The Startup Weekly awards Booksy is a proud recipient of are: 2022 Customer’s Choice, 2022 Software Companies to Watch, 2022 Diverse & Inclusive Employer, 2022 Exceptional Workplace, and 2022 Founder’s to Watch.     

Booksy was awarded The Startup Weekly’s 2022 Customer’s Choice award, which is awarded to companies that have demonstrated a commitment to customer satisfaction. Booksy’s user-friendly mobile app allows their over 15 million users across the globe to book anytime, anywhere with beauty professionals in their area.  

As Booksy’s software continues to advance, they were very proud to be recognized as one of the 2022 Software Companies to Watch! The companies in this category were evaluated based on growth, strength of the technology product or service, impact on the industry, and commitment to customer success.

Booksy is committed to their users, but they are also committed to creating an exceptional and diverse employee culture are proud to be awarded with The Startup Weekly’s 2022 Diverse & Inclusive Employer award and the 2022 Exceptional Workplace award! The companies in this category were evaluated based on a combination of employee survey results, proprietary fact sheets, online and offline reviews, and industry recognition.

Finally, The Startup Weekly presented Booksy with the 2022 Founder’s to Watch award! Recipients demonstrated distinct entrepreneurial excellence in building and growing businesses throughout the year. The final awards list was based on personal achievements, professional success, and contributions to the business community at large. 

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

ABOUT BOOKSY:

Booksy is a cloud-based appointment booking solution for hairstylists, colorists, barbers, nail artists, estheticians, massage therapists, salons, barbershops, spas and more. It offers appointment scheduling, calendar management, online payments, and a suite of marketing management functionalities. Android and iPhone apps supported. Booksy features two mobile applications: Booksy Biz for businesses and Booksy Lite geared more for independent professional plus a Booksy app for clients.

ABOUT THE STARTUP WEEKLY: 

The Startup Weekly is a leading independent source of news, insights, interviews, and awards for business builders across all sectors of the economy. The company’s media contributors include founders, business executives, investors, and other thought leaders. The Startup Weekly is committed to establishing a community for those pursuing entrepreneurial excellence. For more information, visit: http://www.thestartupweekly.com

Back by popular demand, the Hair and Beauty Charity Pub Quiz is returning for a second round, taking place simultaneously in Brighton, Edinburgh, Leeds and London, on Wednesday 19th October.

Hosted by the Hair and Beauty Charity, the pub quiz puts a new spin on testing your hair and beauty mastery. For one night only, put down your baffling colour correction formulas and brush up on your knowledge of the most iconic moments in hair and beauty.

Categories will include: a hairy music video photo round; a delve into your hair and beauty general knowledge; name that iconic movie makeover; celebrity hair and beauty; and who said that – a brain-teasing round of famous quotes. The lucky winners on the night will receive a round of drinks for their team – and the glory of knowing they’re the ultimate hair and beauty champs.

The bid to become the ultimate hair and beauty knowledge champions isn’t just for hair and beauty professionals either; press, PRs and non-industry contacts, friends and family are all very welcome to come and battle it out. All you need to enter is a team of no more than six – larger groups are asked to split into smaller teams. 

Tickets are priced at £15 per person, with every penny going directly to the Hair and Beauty Charity, who are dedicated to helping the lives of those in our industries who have fallen on hard times. Between the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the shocking rise in reports of domestic abuse, the charity needs your help now more than ever.

Tickets are available to buy from hbpubquiz.eventbrite.co.uk

Follow @HBCharityUK on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

Brighton:

The Walrus, 10 Ship St, Brighton BN1 1AD

Edinburgh:

The Voodoo Rooms, 19a W Register St, Edinburgh EH2 2AA

Leeds:

The Adelphi, 1-3 Hunslet Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1JQ

London:

The Bowler, 28-32 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0BJ

Calling all curly, coily, wavy and tight textures! Keratin Complex, the professional salon industry leader in professional smoothing treatments, hair color, haircare, and styling ranges, has just launched their new leave-in conditioner specifically designed for all kinds of curl patterns. Did you know that keratin does not necessarily equal straighter, smoother hair? Signature Keratin strengthens hair and delivers healthy, beautiful results to all hair types and textures. Keratin Complex is proving this through their newest addition to the KCTEXTUREcollection.     

Introducing KCTEXTURE^® Leave-in Conditioner! The Keratin Complex KCTEXTURE is all about supporting beautiful, healthy curls every day with products designed to deliver amped up hydration and definition! 

Stylists and clients will love KCTEXTURE^® Leave-in Conditioner as this lightweight, ultra-hydrating leave-in conditioner restores curls and locks in moisture while adding curl definition, softness, and shine. Featuring a proprietary blend of Signature Keratin, coconut and watermelon seed oils, and soy and barley proteins, this hydrating leave-in strengthens and moisturizes, and while it’s designed specifically for curls, it can also be used on all hair fabrics. 

Give hair the ultimate boost of hydration with this best-in-class curl care. Prevent dry or frizzy curls with this all-new, versatile leave-in designed to seal in moisture to every curl while also helping to soften, detangle and protect the hair. It also helps deliver soft curl pattern definition.

Curly hair can be more prone to frizz, but this hair revitalizer reduces frizz and flyaways while improving elasticity. Use it on dry or damp hair to prep for protective or natural styling by spraying and distributing throughout hair, focusing on mid-shafts and ends, then style as desired. Or use it for finishing or refreshing a style by applying a small amount to hairline or throughout style to tame and control unruly dry hair. 

KCTEXTURE^® Leave-in Conditioner is an esssential part of the aftercare of KCTEXTURE^®Curl Enhancing Keratin System—the first-ever keratin treatment created for all curl levels that requires NO HEAT! It enhances and defines curly, coily and tight textures while restoring essential moisture to the hair. This treatment preserves all curl patterns, adds softness and shine and lasts up to 3 months!

KCTEXTURE^® Leave-in Conditioner is designed to maintain the results of the KCTEXTURE^®.  treatment and is the perfect addition to every curly hair regimen!

Keratin Complex products can be found at your local professional beauty distributor, SalonCentric or online at www.keratincomplex.com

ABOUT KERATIN COMPLEX

Keratin Complex, a leading full-service professional beauty manufacturer, was founded in 2007 and quickly gained national and international recognition thanks to its revolutionary keratin smoothing treatments. Keratin Complex realized that the key to creating an innovative treatment that was both gentle and effective lay in harnessing the power of keratin, an essential hair protein that delivers incredible benefits, all without breaking the bonds of the hair. Since its launch, Keratin Complex has introduced a number of ground-breaking products, including KCMAX – the company’s strongest, straightest smoothing treatment yet.

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