Q&A

Sharmadean Reid, founder of software company Beautystack, tells Amanda Pauley what needs to be done to get the beauty industry the respect it deserves and what the key to the sector’s recovery will be

What can we do to get the beauty industry more respect?

“The people who are in power have little understanding of how our industry operates, and this was an issue during the coronavirus pandemic. You’ve got to remember that the other industries that came back from lockdown before us have groups that are constantly banging on the doors of Government - our industry doesn’t have as much lobbying power. Therefore, it’s important for us to show the economic value of the industry and how we are going to be a legitimate way to pull people out of a recession.

“If I’m honest, I also think a big part of the problem is that the lack of understanding is completely cultural. Historically, there’s always been this derision about anyone who goes into beauty - they are viewed as someone who couldn’t get ‘the right’ qualifications or do a real job when, actually, the beauty industry is flexible, safe, social, creative and satisfying work. The education bodies need to showcase beauty as an alternative vocation with many different paths. The fact is, we’re entering a recession and that means there’s going to be a requirement for alternative methods of income that’s flexible and safe, and I think beauty is an incredible path for that.”

What can beauty pros do on a smaller, more local scale to help get this respect?

“The most powerful thing you can do as an individual right now is be successful in your business - to figure out how you’re going to recoup all your lost earnings and rebuild relationships with clients. It’s important to build up your economic independence and freedom, so that you can then go and do other things for the industry, but first you have to help yourself.

“Spend time rebuilding your business, because at the end of the day, nobody else is going to be there for you, given what we’ve seen from the Government. For example, there are many people in the beauty industry who are part of the three million excluded - those who have been in self-employment for less than three years, who haven’t got tax returns and are not an employee. Therefore, they get nothing from the Government. So, I just think focus on your business and the relationships with your clients first and foremost.”

What will be the key to the beauty sector’s economic recovery?

“Nobody is talking about the insurance companies and I’m like, why are they getting away with not paying out? Most policies have business-interruption clauses and the coronavirus lockdown was a huge business interruption. Yet, these companies are washing their hands of it. So many people in the industry with cover have been left out of pocket, so why have they been paying their premiums?

“This pay out for lost earnings should be something similar to the small business grants, where it’s an average of what your monthly earnings would be. Also, the Government needs to make more financial aid available as beauty was the last sector to go back. We need a pot where businesses can apply for grants, and I’m not talking about loans - I’m talking actual grants.

“The industry has basically got to work less now, so a loan would be no good - beauty pros would just be paddling, trying to keep their head above water the whole time; it’s pointless. As a business owner, you think, ‘why am I paying into insurance, council tax, business rates, VAT and all this other stuff, and getting no help?’.”

How can beauty pros futureproof their business against a second wave?

“Futureproofing your business is about being incredibly diligent about your client relationships. As a beauty professional, you only need to see five to eight clients per day to be profitable.

So, rather than focusing all your efforts on trying to get thousands of followers on social media, make a list of 200 clients from the past few years and text and telephone every single one. Now is the time to build a very direct and personal relationship with these clients to encourage loyalty, which is going to ensure that your book is always full. This is the most critical thing you can do.

“You also need to nail your virtual events - masterclasses, webinars, workshops - because these will guarantee you can still work if another lockdown comes. Think about what you can sell a ticket for so you can earn money. For example, a lash artist typically has a glass ceiling of earning, say £500 per day, doing lashes on clients, whereas they could host an online course and potentially earn £500 for a couple of hours’ work.

“At the moment, I’m building a beauty and wellness group booking feature for beauty pros, so they have the ability to host any kind of ticketed event, with tickets sold through my software company Beautystack.

“We’re excited to be building this tool because other online ticketing services take a huge fee and the reason people pay it is because they believe their event is going to get marketed to the right people, which isn’t always the case. We will get it in front of the right people.”

You have launched The Beautystack Podcast, can you tell us what it’s about?

“What the podcast does is help the public understand that beauty professionals are critical to allowing powerful women to do their jobs. We’re not interviewing people in the beauty industry, we’re interviewing chief executives, founders and influencers who tell us about the people who help them look how they look - the team who sort them out head-to-toe and keep them sane.

“The podcast is essentially promoting the beauty professional as an essential member of society.” PB