How a company helped small businesses and female entrepreneurs at the same time
WINTER PARK, FL, UNITED STATES, November 16, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — Many small businesses are retrenching and shedding staff as COVID-19 continues to roil local economies across the country. One company, though, is looking to help small retailers stimulate new traffic while giving entrepreneurial women a “shimmering” opportunity to build their own businesses.
Fairy Shimmerhair is a new spin on the “fairy hair” extensions available in several areas around the country. Joann Marks, founder and CEO of Fairy Shimmerhair, ran across the fairy hair product in 2018 and was instantly hooked. “Everywhere I went – all over Europe, in New York and here in Florida, women would corner me to find out what was in my hair and how they could get it done.”
After assessing partnering opportunities, Marks decided to bootstrap her own fairy hair network via CosPro Marketing, the beauty retail marketing firm she founded in 1990. The company’s assets include a nation-wide network of more than 8,000 makeup artists and beauty consultants who have supported cosmetics and beauty demo programs at Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, and other major chains over the years.
“With most in store demo work suspended because of COVID, these folks are eager to branch out into new skills,” said Marks. “Then we hit on the idea of hosting Shimmerhair events in small boutiques – like J Jill or Lilly Pulitzer type shops. This gives our local fairies a perfect way to build their own business base, and at the same time it’s pulling much-needed foot traffic into the shops.”
“When COVID broke out, we knew we needed some kind of pivot to offset the impacts to our core cosmetic promotions business,” said Marks. “What we’re doing now is a sort of triple pivot, so to speak, since we’re providing replacement work for some core staff, creating new revenue streams for our consultant network, and helping small local retailers stimulate Covid-safe foot traffic.”
New users are instantly addicted to Shimmerhair. The extensions are delicate, silky, shimmering strands that tie onto individual strands of hair, and last until the individual hair falls out naturally. You can wash them, brush them, comb them, color them, curl them, straighten them, blow them dry, and even get a haircut. The fabric closely mimics actual hair. While some companies market the material as “Thai Silk,” testing by the University of Florida showed it’s actually a silky polyester that withstands heat up to 350 degrees.
Shimmerhair operations started in October with launches in Atlanta and Jacksonville. Tulsa will ramp up next. “We have agreements with several small chains, so we’re launching in areas where those chains are and where we have the most agency people,” said Marks. “From there, we expect most of our growth to be driven organically as new fairies establish their own locales,” she added. The fairies have complete flexibility to organize their own events, such as fairy hair parties for small groups or local corporate promotions. The economics are excellent, with fairies working up to 12 hours a week able to generate $50,000 a year in income.
The appeal of fairy hair is tremendous. “Some people get it for a party, others wear it constantly. Cheerleaders love it, college students get their school colors done. At Halloween you can wear orange and purple. During Mardi Gras, purple, green and gold. And of course, at Christmas you can do red and green or silver and gold,” said Marks. It can be super subtle – I like using colors very close to my natural color that just sparkle in the light. Or you can go all-out with Mean Girls Pink or Pure Sapphire. The Rainbow pattern is one all the younger gals love.”
The hair extensions are inexpensive, too, at just $2 per fusion. “Our sessions are booked in implements of 10 strands,” said Marks. “For every 10 strands you buy, you get to choose a color. Most people get 20 to 30 strands in two colors.”
For more information about Fairy Shimmerhair, find us on social media at:
www.fairyshimmerhair.com
https://www.facebook.com/fairyshimmerhair
https://www.instagram.com/fairyshimmerhair/
Joann Marks
CosPro Marketing
joann@cpi59.com
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