Twenty-seven-year old Tayla Shreeve opened her first Beauty Collective Co studio in Melbourne just five years ago and now owns three salons – and is planning to open another soon.
We found a short break in Tayla’s busy schedule to ask a few questions and discover some of the secrets behind her rapid success.
When and why did you open the Beauty Collective Co?
I started my first studio in 2014. It was literally a private room attached to my parents’ house in one of Melbourne’s outer Bayside suburbs, Sandringham, that I designed myself. It started out small, but in this industry word of mouth is everything — and that’s the one thing you can rely on in tight-knit communities where everybody knows somebody they can refer. My little studio gained traction pretty quickly, and before I knew it, I had a full client list and was struggling to fit people in. That’s when I decided to open another location that was bigger, with more specialised services, and easily accessible by public transport so I opened a salon in Richmond. I then opened a pop-up salon in Sorrento this summer but due to its success am still renting it.
What were the biggest hurdles you faced when starting out?
Starting a business is never easy it takes time and growth to see the value of what you have created. It’s those hurdles that you go through that you learn from and make those little changes that have a powerful impact on your business. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs and I’m sure I’ll have many more. I found time management was the main obstacle to working out the main fundamentals of the business.
What product ranges do you use/stock in the salons?
After being in the industry for 13 years I have tried many products but my clients and I can’t go past the beautiful botanical skincare Uspa. I also sell Eyenvy which is a magical product that grows your lashes. I also love Lou Lou Lips.
What technology do you use to run the salons?
If there is one thing that everyone is short on these days it’s time, so my priority has always been ensuring that my clients can find us, book an appointment and pay without fuss — and without too much work on the back end for my team. I use my social media channels to promote salon opening hours, deals and services, and our website uses Acuity Scheduling, which is great for our clients because they can just jump online any time that suits to book an appointment. We also use Square, which Acuity integrates with, so all my bookings, cancellations, reminders and payments are automated. Square is mobile, which means we can also take it wherever we go and check clients out on the spot. It’s helpful for managing multiple locations because I can see transactions in real time, so I know exactly how busy we are in each salon at any given time.
What do you think have been the ‘secrets’ to your success so far?
Although being able to give a beautiful treatment is important, the real secret lies in the ability to communicate with your client and make them feel as comfortable as they can. I’m very confident in what I do, I have to feel as happy as the client when they leave. It’s very important to listen to your clients needs and deliver to what they desire.
What’s next for Beauty Collective Co?
This year I already have a few projects in the pipeline, including adding another salon to cater to more clients between Sandringham and Richmond. One of my new specialist services, Tayla Shreeve Brows Microblading, has seen huge growth over the past year, so in 2019 I’ll be looking to take it down a new path and get involved in helping post-chemotherapy patients rebuild their brows. Upskilling is a big priority for us at Beauty Collective Co., so advancing skills to learn cosmetic tattooing in the medical field will be a big priority going forward. This is something that I’m really passionate about and am excited to see where it could take the business in the near future.