If you feel overwhelmed at times by serving clients AND running your business, this episode is a must-listen. Elizabeth has a magical chat with the wonderful CEO of Schedulicity, Jerry Nettuno, about what it means to be a leader, how tools and automation can revolutionize your business, and how their team is giving away monthly $5,000 business grants to hairdressers.
1:17 – A match made in Hair Love heaven
Elizabeth and Jerry talk about how they met at in Los Angeles at Modern Salon Summit, Elizabeth’s experience visiting Schedulicity’s headquarters in Montana, and how beautiful it can be when you find another brand that aligns with your mission and values.
The duo chats about how excited they both are for the retreat and the Hair Love Radio podcast tour.
Elizabeth’s coaching program Workshop In A Box AND Hair Love are all about building a business that will bring you more money, more peace and more joy. It’s a beautiful feeling when you discover an amazing tool that can actually help you get there!
4:10 – Where it all began
Jerry says that even in his wildest dreams, he and his team have accomplished things he didn’t even know possible.
Jerry says that Schedulicity was born from the idea that busy people often have a hard time scheduling appointments like haircuts or massages. Not too long ago, people did not have smartphones and it was a totally different world. Jerry said he was watching what was going on in the tech world, and felt like he needed to provide a solution for this particular pain point.
At the time, he was confused and frustrated that he could book a hotel or make a dinner reservation online, but it would often take days of back and forth with his hairdresser to schedule a haircut. He would often only remember he needed to book a massage or get a trim after business hours. He remembers thinking, “There HAS to be an easier way to do this.”
This customer pain point planted a seed in Jerry’s brain to create a tool that would help make the booking process easier for consumers AND service providers.
10:16 – The epiphany that changed it all
When Jerry began leaning into this idea he had, he and his small (at the time) team spent hours trying to understand how hairstylists, barbers, and estheticians think.
And then came the epiphany – although people like Jerry go through the headache of booking appointments maybe every couple weeks pales in comparison to the struggle hairstylists go through trying to manage client scheduling.
Jerry remembers thinking of his hairstylist. Although scheduling was hard for him, this poor lady was probably trying to do the same thing for 300 other people in a week. Most stylists at the time were likely spending 8-10 hours behind the chair and then going home to try to manage re-scheduling customer, booking clients, and finding new people to serve.
After that point, Jerry realized that what he wanted to create could completely change peoples’ lives. It could help give service providers their lives back. Jerry started focusing on how he could help service providers manage and automate the hard parts of business (like scheduling) so they can focus on their craft.
The source of inspiration for developing this tool transferred from the consumer to people like Jerry’s hairdresser, because that is who this tool could impact the greatest.
Now, 25 million people use Schedulicity to schedule their appointments and classes.
12:56 – Lifting up the artist
Jerry finds a big part of his inspiration and why behind Schedulicity because he is a creative too. He actually was a songwriter and musician and traveled all over the world to perform. He says he has always been drawn to artists and creatives. When him and his team started getting an idea of why their app would be important, this was the common thread that helped tie everything together.
When Schedulicity started getting involved with the hair industry, Jerry realized that he had found his people! People in the hair industry are ARTISTS.
At that point, Jerry started asking himself:
“How can we take these incredibly talented artists and teach them how to be great entrepreneurs?”
This idea helped Jerry and his team drive their vision forward. To give creatives hours of their day back and handle the crappy parts of being in business to you don’t have to.
14:55 – More than just a scheduling app
There is more to Schedulicity than just a scheduling tool. It also comes with marketing tools to build relationships with your clients and find new ones. In the near future, Jerry and his team plan to seriously innovate the way people pay for services like hair appointments.
16:00 – And… it might save your relationship too.
Jerry says one of the best parts of his job is hearing the feedback and stories from service providers about the app. He says to many people have come up to him saying their lives are so different and less stressful now than before Schedulicity. A guy in Portland even told Jerry that Schedulicity saved his marriage!
Elizabeth says she remembers when she used to get back from the salon, trying to juggle being a new mom, interacting with her now ex-husband, getting the dishes done, and trying to get appointments scheduled so she could pay the bills.
The gentleman from Portland is not the only person who Jerry has talked to about the app saving marriages. He spoke with a lady who said she and her husband hadn’t had a real date in ten years because she spent all of her “free” time on her phone talking with and booking clients.
17:13 – Facts you need to know
If you are a service provider and aren’t using an automated scheduling tool, that needs to change if you want your business to grow.
On the Schedulicity app, over 100,000 appointments scheduled every 24 hours, 70% of which are booked after business hours. If you don’t have this technology, imagine the income you are missing out on.
20:00 – Jerry is all about the Hair Love
Jerry says once he had the realization that hairstylists are creatives, just like him, he built the entire company around the hair industry. He says that so many fascinating, extremely talented hair artists are out there, and although they are excellent at their craft and infinitely creative, often it is hard to be just as naturally talented at running a business.
He doesn’t believe that enough hairstylists spend enough time working on the entrepreneurial side, which leads to them not reaching their full potential – and he is right!
Learn more about Schedulicity here.
21:30 – So you can do what you do BEST
Elizabeth says that although it takes a little time and money to set up automation in your service-based business, the rewards that come out of it are incredible. Not only do you get to enjoy more free time, but you can also focus more on refining your craft, connecting in an authentic (totally not stressed out) way with your clients, and ultimately have more peace in your business and freedom to reach higher.
22:40 – How Schedulicity stands apart
Jerry says that Schedulicity was actually the first scheduling technology on the market, which has given him and his team the leg up on really understanding the people they serve. This emotional connection to their customers is the driving force behind who they do what they do so well.
Elizabeth said that she got to see first-hand how incredible the company is at their headquarters. She says that the customer support team is by far one of the friendliest and helpful group of rockstars she has come across.
Understanding, empathizing with, and serving hairstylists is one thing that the entire Schedulicity team embodies from the C Suite to the customer support team. Jerry says that he is extremely proud of the team at Schedulicity. It is almost immediately clear upon interacting with their team that they have something special.
27:40 – How to cultivate a thriving culture
It’s no secret that the Schedulicity team is amazing and that the company’s culture is #goals.
A long time ago, Jerry worked for a Wall Street firm in New York City. He says that his boss at the time would walk in in the morning and walk around to everyone in the office and talk to them, regardless of their position. He remembers watching in awe as his old boss made everyone feel special.
Elizabeth says that the Schedulicity office also lets team members bring their dogs to work, so that also definitely helps their company culture.
Jerry says that when it all comes down to it, creating anything – whether it is a company culture, a movement, a community – it STARTS WITH YOU.
Elizabeth completely vouches for the magic happening at Schedulicity and the magic they are spreading.
33:40 – Get Happy, Get Snappy
What if you had $5,000 to help grow your business?
Starting this month, Schedulicity is launching a program called Schedulicity Cares, to help edify the people connected to their brand.
If you are a Schedulicity customer, all you have to do is post a video to Instagram saying what you would do with $5,000 to help grow your business, and hashtag #SchedulicityCares and tag @schedulicity. Schedulicity will be giving two $5,000 grants to hairstylists and barbers every month!
Jerry says he doesn’t care how many followers you have, how long you’ve been in business. The goal is to give back to people who need it to grow their business.
