How I Run the BLO/OUT Conglomerate from My iPhone

BLO/OUT Blow Dry Bar is growing fast! So fast that I have to be everywhere at once and need access to every piece of information at my fingertips in order to make the right decision at a moment's notice. Whether as simple as an email or as serious as an employment contract, last month's numbers, or how many stylists / clients are at any given location at the moment, when I need it, I need it instantly!

Over the past year we've managed to build an unbelievable team of stylists, administrative staff and management to operate our locations, manage our corporate needs and work around the clock to foster our growth. I've grown up believing that you must lead by example and I truly believe I'm doing that every minute of every day with BLO/OUT.

I spend my days between locations, at meetings with management, stylists, investors, partners, working our social media, working our public relations, working with our human relations team, our trainers, our construction managers and anything else that requires my attention. I jump into front desk shifts whenever I can to continuously have my fingers on the pulse of the business and while organizing various events and promotions.

At the same time I'm working on our franchise operation which is about to go live, our upcoming sites which are currently under construction, and our new manufacturing operations through which we will distribute our very own brand of BLO/OUT products and tools. Given that I can't do all of that from a stationary office, my iPhone is my savior!

(my forehead is not that big!)

Let's take a random day as an example.

The day starts with a group text message from our Rittenhouse location's morning front desk staff informing everyone that she is running a bit late. Being that I'm a punctuality freak, this does not go over well. Since we use a group text app that includes all the staff at each particular location (GroupMe), I'm sure many people who were not expecting to wake up at 6:45am had a rude awakening!

GroupMe allows an entire location's team to communicate and coordinate without the need for a middle man. Need additional staff to come in and cover a sudden influx of clients? No problem. Want to switch a shift? No problem. Have a public service announcement for all? No problem!

After a few phone calls I check my email. I split my email between the default "Mail" app on the iPhone and the Gmail app. Priority emails go to my Mail app which I constantly check, while emails of less importance go to my Gmail app which I check periodically, based on my schedule.

I will then proceed to check in on our social networking portals which include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...

I follow this up by taking a look at what's going on in our locations in real time through the use of my Samsung iPolis app through which I access our camera systems.

Once I'm comfortable with everything going on and have responded to all emails, social media notifications, and texts, I proceed to check in with my construction team via text for an update.

I receive an email requesting my review and approval of the graphic design for our new product line which I complete via email and save to my dropbox. I check in with our event coordinator and review the events calendar through the default Calendar app which I've synced with our BLO/OUT Events calendar. This allows me to stay on top of each and every wedding, group event, and on-location service which we've been booked to provide. 

I get a letter of intent from a realtor of ours for a new location I've been scouting. I review it, compare it with a recent LOI I've previously approved, save it in my Dropbox and confirm.

I access the app for BLO/OUT's booking and POS system and review the day's appointments, the previous day's financials, and our month-to-date operating results.

Another app which I often use is the Coin Flip app. Some decisions are just a coin flip away.

I open an email containing a franchise application from New Jersey, quickly review it and save it to the Google Drive folder we share with our franchise attorney for his review. 

Throughout the day I use the reminders app, the notes app and the Springpad app to prioritize through the digital memory tools which keep me focused on the tasks that need to be accomplished in the next few minutes or the next few months. 

And of course I always spend some time every few days to make sure that our proprietary BLO/OUT app is in good working order and is as user-friendly as possible. 

I've considered moving to an iPad but with my memory I'll just forget it somewhere. My phone is an extension of me and without it I'm naked! Just ask my fiance, she will tell you I can't go a minute without doing something on my iPhone!

So if you need me...

Yours,

Avi Shenkar

Being in the Blow Dry Bar Business is an Entrepreneur's Dream!

Years of starting and operating all sorts of businesses teaches you one thing, without you the business will fail. 

Or so I thought...

 

It's Saturday morning, my eyes naturally open up at around 8am and my first thought is "Oh shit! BLO/OUT opens in an hour, I need to get ready!" 

I look over to my right and smile seeing my girlfriend still sound asleep and Cash, my killer police trained Pomeranian sleeping on her head. Angelica (my girlfriend) has been waking up every morning this past week at around 6am and working all day into the late evening. Being that it's Saturday this was her first chance to sleep in and I did not want to disturb her. 

Then I realize; There is absolutely nothing for me to do at the shop today!
 

The front desk staff will open up and follow opening procedures, the BLO/litas will all come in on time and get ready for the crazy busy day we have, the coffee will be brewed, the music will be played, the clients will begin coming in and enjoying themselves, and the typical BLO/OUT banter will go on. 

So I lay in bed thinking about what else I need to do. The new BLO/OUT locations are well underway and there is nothing I can physically do on this beautiful Saturday to hurry it up or help in any way. I've spent the entire week playing negotiation ping pong, meeting with investors, working the financials, working on the new locations, talking to electricians, plumbers, construction guys, lawyers, accountants, landlords, realtors, etc...

What am I going to do today? 
 

So we plan on visiting the dog park with Cash but before that happens Angelica wants to get her nails done and take care of a few other errands she needs to get out of the way. So I'm left with about three hours worth of time to do nothing. I make myself some breakfast, drink some coffee, hang out with my father, go online and read the news. All that takes about 17 minutes and now I'm back to doing nothing!

OK, I have to at least show up at BLO/OUT! I mean it's Saturday, it's crazy busy, the girls must be running around like crazy, clients must be waiting, they probably don't have enough change in the cash drawer, maybe they're out of water for clients, products, etc...

I park my car and walk in to the shop. It's packed! Clients are getting BLO'n, the front desk is checking people in or out, the shampoo area is busy with clients getting massaged into a nap, music is playing, blow dryers are blowing, phones are ringing...

Everything is perfectly calm, collected and organized. Damn! 

The only thing I can do is take the trash out! Yes! I knew these girls couldn't handle it all! Looks like I couldn't handle that either, I got locked in the trash container area and had to climb the wall to get out. 
 

So trash is taken out, there is enough change in the cash drawer, clients are not waiting any more than 8 minutes, everything is stocked and the clients are all smiling and chatting away. I head back to my office (storage closet) and sit down at my computer and realize that I'm pretty useless here. 

So I begin writing this blog post.

I've realized that starting a business you know nothing about takes a lot of courage, motivation and ambition. It's also one of the only ways for you to be completely useless in your own business. I can't style hair, I can't even shampoo (they tried to teach me and it was an epic fail), I can work the front desk and sometimes do but I heard that clients prefer to be surrounded by women and not having me sit there. I know that if I was a hair stylist I would be in here all day working, I would run in if we were over booked or under staffed, I would take the clients that want a BLO/OUT prior to opening hours or after we close.

For the first time in my entrepreneurial life, I am not needed in my own business! It's kind of nice. 
 

The messed up part is that my mother had the complete opposite experience. She once owned a beautiful and large physical therapy practice and when a physical therapist shortage occurred in NJ she could not maintain the business because she herself was not a physical therapist. She had a problem I have never seen in business before. Tons of happy patients that did not want to go anywhere else but to her but a lack of service providers. Prior to that I "knew" that the hardest part of any business is getting the clients through the door, this was shocking to me. 

I do however have to say, if it wasn't for the team we have built here at BLO/OUT I would not be able to be so relaxed. I can't express how grateful I am to the BLO/OUT team! Every person I ever hired in any business I always wished they would care about the business and the clients as much as I do. That was never the case until BLO/OUT. 

Our team is not only the reason we are able to grow as quickly and efficiently as we are, they are also the main beneficiaries of our growth. When has anyone been promoted to Assistant Manager or Chief Stylist 4 months after starting their job?!?

Soon they will all move even further up the ladder here at BLO/OUT and everyone will realize that hard work, committment, sacrifice and caring for your co-workers and company pays off big time. 

So in closing,

being in a business you know nothing about and can't physically assist provides a freedom of sorts, the freedom to trust others and delegate.
 

Which I have never had. 

So here's to being self un-employed.

Cheers!

Avi.

This is How BLO/OUT Blow Dry Bar Can Make You a Business Owner!

Starting, owning and operating any business is not easy! Most are under the impression that being "self employed" means not being employed at all. It's the complete opposite! The "self employed" are the most "employed"! Our job doesn't end at 5pm. Not having an official boss or authority figure does not mean you're free to do whatever you want.

I have a boss. You are my boss. Every team member, client and critic is my authority figure and my boss. I work for you! You have the power to fire me or promote me, kill me off or make me a success, pay me or not. 

I've always believed the key characteristic of the self employed is fearlessness, it might some times be stupidity but hopefully not. Every business I've ever started followed the same routine, idea, excitement, execution, learning. I've always operated under the motto of Ready! Fire! Aim! Some have succeeded, some failed but all taught me a lesson. Not everyone can allow themselves the risks I've allowed myself, the time, the effort or the financial investments. 

"It's really a transition; the blowdry has become the 21st-century version of a wash and set. It's the new beauty ritual, and it's going to be around for a long time."
http://phillystylemag.com/style/articles/the-blowout-boom#dxKxUCsodFrGt9KH.99

Therefore, I have built a system that allows everyone to be a business owner without the investments of time and effort. There is still a bit of risk but what would be the fun without the risk? 

I built BLO/OUT Blow Dry Bar from the ground up and I can tell anyone who asks that this is absolutely my favorite business of all time! I love the industry, the people, the concept, the finances and most of all the clientele and their feedback. 

Running a blow dry bar is not easy. Dealing with the finances, operations, marketing, human resources, talent retention, client satisfaction, referral systems, organizational structure, government oversight, taxes, contracts, leases, partnerships, joint ventures, products, tools and a million other details. It is however lucrative, exciting, interesting, entertaining, and completely gratifying!

Given that this business is growing exponentially very quickly and has the potential to grow even faster I've developed a plan to allow anyone to be a part owner of any new BLO/OUT location. By selling shares of a specific BLO/OUT location I'm allowing individuals that would never venture on their own to build this type of business to be part owners of a growing organization with a strong structure, strong reputation and tremendous opportunity for further expansion. 

"Consumers are stretching out the time between haircuts and cutting back on higher-priced—and higher profit—services such as coloring and permanent straightening treatments, says Caitlin Moldvay, industry research analyst at market research firm IBISWorld"
The Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2011 

I've made it pretty simple and relatively cheap. Our investors are not asked to participate in any way other than spread the good word of BLO/OUT. We've built a successful prototype with our Huntingdon Valley location and now that we are venturing into the city of Philadelphia and other soon to be announced locations we are ready to give you a piece of us. 

BLO/OUT – Blow Dry Bar is offering per location ownership opportunities at a cost of $2,000.00 per share with a 5% minimum purchase. Each share equals 1.00% of the location specific corporation out of 100.00%. With 40.00% to be sold, the remaining 60.00% will be owned by Blo Out LLC the creator and driving force behind the concept and the operational partner responsible for 100% of the daily operations and the success of BLO/OUT. Investors are not required to participate in the creation, operation or management of BLO/OUT in any way. BLO/OUT will in no way require any contribution of time or effort of any investors. 

So obviously there is the financial aspect of owning a BLO/OUT Blow Dry Bar, we make money - you make money. We grow, you grow. We have a pretty modest goal here at BLO/OUT. We plan on establishing at least 5 locations before considering a franchise model or an exit. The popularity of our service along with its convenience can allow us to place a location every few blocks and still be successful. Our planned locations include Olde City, Center City (Liberty Place), Rittenhouse, University City, Main Line, Manayunk, Atlantic City NJ, Margate NJ, Sunny Isles FL, etc... 

We've had so much positive feedback and interest that we've wanted to open it up to the public and give every one of our fans a chance at ownership. Those of us in the beauty industry truly know the potential BLO/OUT has. 

"Drybar, the barely two-year-old "blow-dry-only" start-up, has closed a $16 million investment from Boston-based private equity fund Castanea Partners. Drybar broke even on sales of $1 million in its first 10 months, according to a 2011 Inc. profile"

So... The way I look at it is me giving you all my experience, my failures, my successes, my sleepless nights, my 18 hour days, my sweat, my tears, and my blood and letting it work for you. Does it get easier? 

We're obviously going to build these locations and grow one way or another but with this plan we're offering to take you with us! 

This is crowdfunding at its finest! Allowing anyone to own a share of you and your baby is scary, but then again I'm either fearless or stupid. Let's hope its not the latter. 

To setup a meeting or request a full prospectus email us at: IWantIn@BloOut.com

Yours,

Avi.
Founder 

10 Things I've Learned from the BLO/OUT Blow Dry Bar BLO/litas! It's Not Just Hair!

As we wrap up our fourth successful month in business I look back and realize that I've learned some awesome lessons from the BLO/OUT team. I'm sure we all think we know it all (at least in our own fields of expertise) but I've gotten the opportunity to learn from a team of remarkable individuals and some not so remarkable. 

Here is what I've picked up in the last 4 months of the Blow Dry Bar business:

1. Hair Technique

I'm probably the farthest thing away from a hair stylist or having any hair styling abilities. However, over the past 4 months I've learned what proper styling technique is. Although each stylist has their own methods, there are some basic foundations. Start from the front, that's a big one! Blow outs begin from the front and work backwards. That doesn't apply to all blow outs, but it is basic technique. 

Wet roots are a NO NO! If a client walks out of here with wet roots, the BLO/lita has failed! During auditions our chief stylist walks around and sticks her hand in the models hair to feel for dampness. 

Rough dry approximately 60%. Before grabbing a round brush the hair should be 60% dried. 

Don't be afraid of being rough with the hair! Although it looks painful to me, our clients love having their hair pulled and having someone who knows what they're doing work it. 

2. Team Work

Last week a client of ours went up to our chief BLO/lita and complimented her on the synergy at the shop and how everyone helps each other, works together and is super nice. 

You would think that in this industry stylists are typically selfish and afraid of losing clients to other stylists. AtBLO/OUT our team shows that it's bullshit. Our BLO/litas work together, with each other, each others clients and overall as a TEAM. With complete disregard for compensation, credit or client commitment our team treatsBLO/OUT as their own. I can't be any more proud of them than I already am! The team we built showed me that I'm not alone in caring for this business, it's quality and clientele. 

3. Self Control

I've never understood when people claimed to be anxious. "Chronic anxiety"? WTF? That was until I was manning the BLO/OUT "Hair Traffic Controller" position on a busy Saturday. I learned what anxiety is very quickly! When every chair is occupied, the couches are full of waiting clients and new clients continue to walk in, I learned. The girls noticed me visibly twitching, playing with my hands, tapping my foot, walking around, glaring at them with a desperate "hurry up!!" look. 

The BLO/litas taught me to control myself, to calm down, take a breath and realize that the world wont end. Nothing makes me more anxious than waiting clients and me not being able to do anything about it. The team sat me down and told me that my anxiety makes them nervous and it doesn't help them work faster. I took that to heart and realized that I need to control my reactions and that everything will be alright at the end. We even came up with a code word for "hurry up" but I then forgot the code word and was wondering why the girls are telling me that "someone's mother is calling!!", I was confused. 

4. Delegate Responsibility

Throughout all the businesses I've built, worked with or managed I've never been able to comfortably delegate responsibility. No one can do the work better than I can! That is until I realized I can't do what my co-workers can. BLO/OUT is the first example of me delegating responsibility in both title (promoted Meghan to Assistant Manager and Shannon to Chief BLO/lita) and in actual practice. Their titles are not just that, I can actually walk out of the shop and be comfortable that they are doing what is absolutely best for the business. 

This team has shown me that for once I can trust my co-workers and know that they care like I do! They work hard, make sacrifices and speak freely. 

5. Relax

When was the last time you woke up on a Saturday morning ready for a busy day at work only to find a text message from your co-workers saying "Don't come in today, go do something fun, we got this!". I'm getting emotional writing about this! It's unbelievable what these guys and girls have done to get me to chill and trust their abilities. When dealing with problems this team is first to tell me to relax, things will be ok and they are with me. 

They are also the first ones to notice when I'm having a crappy day, stressed out, angry or sad. They support each other and myself. This past week has been a relatively stressful one, the team noticed it and one by one they came by and would try to get me to crack a smile or to stop stressing even if just for a few minutes. 

6. Not Every Customer Can be Ecstatic

Although my main goal in any business is to provided a great product/service at a competitive price with great customer service, sometime you can give 100% and it's still not enough. When it comes to hair women are extremely particular and I've learned that you can't be on point every single time. The BLO/litas do their absolute best with each and every client, however you can't win them all. I think I'm slowly getting comfortable with the fact that as long as we give it 110% not every client will love everything about us as the next one would. It's difficult to accept that someone doesn't like you, it really is. 

7. Women

Although I always thought I knew women and how to read them due to having grown up with two sisters, I quickly realized that being surrounded by women all day long can teach you a thing or two. So supposedly women think that all guys that "know women and how to read them" are idiots and really don't know a thing. One day sitting in the shop I had to endure an hour long conversation about dick, no really, dick.

Women are emotional creatures, there have been days when some of the girls specifically asked me to not be an asshole to one of the girls because she was having a hard time dealing with outside issues. The girls take care of each other, they don't backstab, politic or disrespect each other, unless deserved. 

I'm pretty sure I've always had tighter relationships with women than men, maybe because my sisters and I have always been really close. Conversations with women are more interesting, have more depth and are more enlightening. Sitting around the shop with 5-6 girls has actually been a pleasure other than the occasional temperature or music selection change.

Don't get me wrong, my dream has always been to build a business where my boys can stop by, have a beer, shoot the shit and relax. I've done that now. 

8. Shampoo

Yes, the BLO/litas taught me how to shampoo women's women's hair. My first attempt was very similar to me shampooing my dog, rough and fast with the sole purpose of getting the hair clean. After numerous attempts and lessons I learned to be more gentle, more careful and ultimately better. My volunteers were less and less drenched with every attempt. 

9. Anger Management (still in progress)

I'm still learning to control my anger when I walk in to the shop and it feels like a sauna because one of the stylists set the thermostat to 85 degrees. Or when I'm in my office working and all I hear in the background is some sappy R&B music. I hate R&B music! My first response is to threaten with the breaking of fingers that touch the thermostat or the music choices. I'm learning to stay calm and explain the reason those things should not be happening rather than yell, curse and change them.

10. Trust

How can you trust a group of people you recently put together that take care of your baby? Well I was shown that it's pretty easy when you choose people like we chose. Most of the BLO/litas at BLO/OUT never knew each other before working together, now they are a tight knit group both inside and outside of the shop. They go out together, online date together, babysit each other's children, help each other out, car pool, and ultimately support each other unquestionably. That's crazy right? Well at least I thought it was. Over the past few weeks the stylists, assistant manager and chief stylists have made me pretty useless at the shop. I've had the great luxury of being able to take some time off and spend it with my amazing girlfriend. I have also learned to trust the BLO/litas to take care of my "baby", the business.

I'm writing this post from a balcony overlooking the ocean in Miami. I trust that things are going as they should, clients are being treated as they should be, schedules are being completed, and stylists are showing up to work. 

In summation, I have learned a lot from BLO/OUT Blow Dry Bar and its BLO/litas. These are some of the lessons that come to mind. I'm a lucky guy that works with a great team in a great industry with great clients! 

Yours,

Avi.

Hiring and Firing, It's Not as Tough as Everyone Thinks.

My hiring practices are pretty simple and logical. Given that I'm not a hair stylist nor have any styling experience I cannot judge styling technique. My judging ability is limited to what I feel is most important, the personality. I judge applicants personalities before they even pick up a blow dryer. I hire based on gut feelings, energy, and what I call a marketable personality. 

A marketable personality is a type of person that is easy to like, easy to talk to, and easy to be completely open with. Hair stylists provide a service, marketable people build relationships. I've sent home numerous applicants that although were great stylists, were not marketable. 

However, given that without a quality blow out it doesnt matter how personable someone is I wont make it in this business, I pay close attention to quality! I judge the length of time the blow out takes, the clients feedback, and the comparison of what the client thought they were going to look like to what they actually look like. I've begun to pick up some hints about what good hair stylists do. 

What I look for most in a quality hair stylist is confidence. I want every stylist at Blo/Out to be able to pick up a blow dryer and be 110% sure they are the best person to complete the job at that given time for that given client. Confidence can accomplish anything! When I was in the financial industry I tought my sales guys to always be confident. "Answer YES! I dont care if the correct answer is NO and you're not sure about it!". I never wanted to hear my sales people stuttering or pausing or referring to a manager. "Is this the best solution for me? YES!" It's much easier to come back later and say "Mr. Client, earlier when you asked about the solution I said yes, but after researching further I do believe the best answer would be No." 

Now it's pretty obvious that confidence wont make a subpar stylist into an expert but the lack of confidence really can make an excellent stylist into an unemployed one. In the short time Blo/Out has been in business I have seen criticism absolutely ruin skill. Shaking hands, being too meticulous, asking for confirmation over and over again, and taking too long are some of the results that criticism has had on some stylists that are no longer with Blo/Out. 

So hiring is one thing, what about my firing practices? Well, given that I'm super honest, blunt, and do not let personal feelings interfere with my business, being fired or let go at Blo/Out is not a drama filled event. I have very simple rules to employment:

• Never, ever be late! - Every Blo/Out team member knows that is my biggest pet peeve. Everyone gets one chance, the second time you're late you might as well turn around and go home. However, being late is not the same as calling me and letting me know that youre running behind. 

• No Bullshit! - I'm not a child and hopefully you're not either. Dont fuck with me. We're all adults. I'm not a fan of politics, rumors, or stupid decisions. If you think I'm not going to agree, you're probably right. 

• Give me 100% or go home! - I respect people that tell me "I'm having a shitty day, I would rather not be in there today than be there and not bring my "A" game". If you're a part of my team you better be the best you can be, otherwise I'll find someone who is. 

• Be ambitious! - Sounds simple enough, however people are typically too lazy to be ambitious. Give me a reason to promote you, pay you more, respect you more, trust you more! Being average is bullshit. 

My ultimate rule for letting go of someone is client complaints. I have a very narrow threshold of complaints that need to be met in order for you to be let go. It doesnt matter if you are the best stylist I have, something you're doing is wrong! 

I've managed to build the absolute best core team here at Blo/Out, they really are a part of the family, those that made the cut will grow and prosper with Blo/Out.

Yours,

Avi.