On May 23, ShearShare held its first Beauty & Barbering Community Night at Seneca One Tower in downtown Buffalo, New York. Local hair stylists, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, makeup artists, braiders, and massage therapists joined us for a night of education from celebrity master barber and ShearShare co-founder Dr. Tye Caldwell, to gain insight into ways to increase revenue in a post-pandemic economy, and to network with like-minded professionals.
Moment of Silence for Buffalo Massacre Victims
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Before kicking off the event, our co-founders, Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell took to the stage to welcome all of the professionals and thank them for showing up during such a difficult time in the city. “I’d like to start by taking a moment of silence for all of the victims of the mass shooting that happened recently at a local grocery store,” said Dr. Tye. As everyone in the auditorium fell silent, he said the names of each of the 10 Buffalo shooting victims. “It has shaken the city, but Buffalo will come back stronger than ever.”
The History of ShearShare
Following the moment of silence, Courtney took to the stage to give the audience background on Dr Tye’s 30+ year career in the beauty and barbering industry and into the history of ShearShare. “The origin story is so important,” she said as she walked across the stage. “Because that gives you guys insight into the heart and mind behind this company.” Dr. Tye Caldwell earned his doctorate in Professional Barbering & Cosmetology in 2016, wrote a best-selling book titled, Mentored by Failure, and is the first African-American male member-elect to the Professional Beauty Association Beauty Professional/NCA Council.
It All Started with a Chipotle Napkin…
What if we told you that ShearShare started on a Chipotle napkin? “We were eating a lot of rice and beans back in the day,” said Courtney as the audience laughed. “And Tye said, ‘Ok, if we’re serious about this, what would the app even look like?’ He pulled out a napkin and started to draw what we’re looking at right now,” Courtney said, pointing at a photo of the infamous napkin on the screen. Today, ShearShare is one of 18 apps you should know that are changing the world for the better, according to a May 2022 Fast Company article. “Everything we do is to help our fellow stylists, our fellow professionals, and our fellow salon and barbershop owners either make more money or keep more of your hard-earned money.”
ShearShare Empowers Industry Professionals
Dr. Tye followed Courtney for the education portion of the night and began by asking the audience which of the two do they consider a business – an independent contractor or a commission-based stylist? This was a trick question. “The one that touches the client is the one that controls the outcome of that transaction and relationship,” said Dr. Tye to the audience. According to him, whether you are a rookie, an all-star, or an OG professional – it is time to think “next level” when it comes to your future in the industry. Here are Dr. Tye’s five hacks to being successful as an industry pro:
- It takes time
- It takes sacrifice
- It takes discipline
- It takes consistency
- It takes being smart about money
ShearShare Offers Daily Liability Insurance
Next, the audience has a chance to ask our co-founders a question during the Q&A. One of the questions asked was if ShearShare offers insurance. “People think $150,000 in insurance will cover them as a professional in our industry, but they’re wrong,” said Dr. Tye. “If you cut somebody’s ear, all of that money will be gone in a second.” He continued, “The benefit for authorized ShearShare hosts–the salon and barbershop owners on our platform–is that they automatically get $1 million in general liability insurance for each ShearShare stay just for being a host, and licensed professionals can pay $5 a day and get up to $1 million as well. This is the first time professionals have been able to purchase insurance only for the days they work, and it’s exclusive to the ShearShare app.”
After the Q&A, attendees joined us for a networking happy hour in the Seneca One lobby. Each guest enjoyed complimentary hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and lively music by Buffalo’s own DJ Larry Loud. The night ended with a raffle of prizes worth over $9,500! The prizes awarded included invaluable 1-on-1 sessions with Dr. Tye, autographed copies of his best-selling book, promotional videos by a professional videographer, and more!
ShearShare ❤️’s Buffalo
We appreciate everyone that joined us at our first Beauty and Barbering Community Night. Our goal was to share how ShearShare can empower you to empower your business. “We have received so much love since moving to Buffalo, and we’re just trying our best to give that love right back,” said Courtney. We will continue to pray for Buffalo and look forward to more opportunities to gather the community in support of us all. We hope to see you at our next event!
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