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Many non-technical aspiring entrepreneurs are held back from launching tech companies for fear of not knowing how to code. Tye & Courtney Caldwell had big dreams matched by the drive to manifest their vision for keeping salon chairs filled and beauticians/barbers earning money. Strapped with expertise in the beauty salon industry, this dynamic duo made relationships the gasoline that powered their knack for getting answers to their most pressing questions at the right time. Founder Bio: Dr. Tye Caldwell: Dr. Tye Caldwell is the Cofounder & CEO of ShearShare, the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app. A 26-year industry veteran, master barber-stylist, and salon and barbershop owner, Dr. Tye is recognized as a tech visionary and industry pioneer. His mission is to help beauty and barbering professionals around the world maximize their earnings potential. Mrs. Courtney Caldwell: Courtney Caldwell is the Cofounder & COO of beauty-tech startup, ShearShare, the first mobile app that lets stylists quickly find affordable salon and barbershop space to lease near them. Named an Inc. magazine 2019 Female Founders 100 and the 2017 L'Oreal Women in Digital NEXT Generation Award winner, Courtney's mission is to empower industry professionals and help keep our small businesses open. Joint Bio: Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell are the cofounders of ShearShare, the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app. Recognized as tech visionaries and industry pioneers, the Caldwells' mission is to help fellow beauty and barbering professionals around the world maximize their earnings potential. ShearShare is the first Texas startup to win Google Demo Day, L'Oreal's Women in Digital NEXT Generation Award, and Tech. Co's Startup of the Year. The Caldwells' work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Fast Company, Forbes, Black Enterprise, Modern Salon, and Salon Today. They are alums of YC Fellowship and 500 Startups, two world-renowned programs for creating top-end entrepreneurs. The Caldwells live in McKinney, Texas, and are proud parents to son Trey, a second-year cadet and football player at the United States Air Force Academy. 1:56 Why don't more couples start companies together? 2:43 Making the entrepreneurial leap | The origin of ShearShare 5:50 Listen to your customers problems. They will give you product ideas 8:22 How services businesses can be a great precursor to a highly scalable tech company 11:28 Participating in the Google for Startups Accelerator for black founders 14:39 Preparing ShearShare for an AI future and creating hyper-personalization for barbers and stylists 19:42 Getting to an MVP | Building a tech platform/app as non-technical founders 22:59 Identifying and acquiring technical talent to build the first version of the application 24:49 “You're saying we should drain the what? The 401k”… Betting on yourself as a founder 27:20 Moving from contractors to full-time engineers 29:50 Learning lessons building a marketplace | Solving the chicken and egg problem 34:00 Establishing a pricing model 35:34 Building traction via word-of-mouth 38:24 The entrepreneurial mindset | Confidence, risk, generational wealth, betting on yourself 44:36 May 2021 – Exciting news coming from ShearShare
"Sometimes, when you think about yourself as a number two, you're really a number one." Often when it comes to change, there has to be someone willing to ask the question "Why are we doing things this way?" That was the case when Dr. Tye and Courtney Caldwell looked at the salon business, and rather than stop at asking that question, they did something about it. They are the cofounders of ShearShare, the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app. ShearShare is the first Texas startup to win Google Demo Day, L’Oreal’s Women in Digital NEXT Generation Award, and Tech. Co’s Startup of the Year. The Caldwells’ work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Fast Company, Forbes, Black Enterprise, Modern Salon, and Salon Today. They are alums of YC Fellowship and 500 Startups, two world-renowned programs for creating top-end entrepreneurs. But all the accolades couldn't have come without one big leap away from a comfortable lifestyle and putting it all on the line for an idea. You can learn more at shearshare.com Second Shot Sit-Downs is an in-depth look at the people who inspire us, from your friends at Second Shot! This interview series is meant to highlight the types of people we talk about on the show: the people who really embody that idea of taking a Second Shot at business, at relationships, at life.
Today in the guest chair is Courtney Caldwell. Courtney is the Cofounder & COO of beauty-tech startup, ShearShare, the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app. With ShearShare, licensed stylists can rent workspace by the day in cities all over the world, while salon and barbershop owners make money on unused space. Prior to co-founding ShearShare, Courtney managed an award-winning salon with her husband and co-founder, which was the genesis behind ShearShare. Before that, Courtney spent two decades building winning teams in tech marketing and ran a boutique consulting firm where she fast-tracked international sales and marketing success for brands such as Zendesk, Zenefits, and Qualtrics. ShearShare is a 2018 Google Demo Day winner, 2016 Tech.Co’s Startup of the Year, and a YC Fellowship and 500 Startups alum. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher This episode is brought to you by: Color Noir You have never seen a coloring book app like this—it celebrates black girl magic in all of its glory. To get it, open up your iOS app store app, search for “Color Noir” and enjoy! And make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE in the app so you can get all the amazing images and bonuses dropping each and every month. Trill MBA If you are looking for a show that’s going to help you THRIVE and navigate corporate America while you’re side hustling and come out on TOP, Trill MBA Show is for you. Search for “Trill MBA Show” in your podcast app. And make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss an episode. Skillshare Skillshare is offering Side Hustle Pro listeners 2 months of unlimited Skillshare classes for FREE. To sign up, go to Skillshare.com/sidehustlepro Links mentioned in this episode ShearShare Founder Forward Coaching by Robyn Ward From the Ground Up by Howard Schultz Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Social Media Info ShearShare - @ShearShare Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro
Spending time with the FABULOUS, GORGEOUS, and SMART Shearshare, Inc. founder and COO, Courtney Caldwell. Courtney, April, and Kim discuss the trials of launching a business while walking away from corporate America. They talk about lessons learned, parenting and running a business, navigating the waters of uncertainty and powering through to experience the launch of a successful business while managing to spare time for her family, her faith, and herself. Prior to cofounding ShearShare--Google Demo Day winner 2018, Tech. Co’s Startup of the Year, and a YC Fellowship and 500 Startups alum--Courtney managed an award-winning salon with her husband and cofounder, which was the genesis behind ShearShare. Before that, Courtney spent two decades building winning teams in technology marketing and ran a boutique consulting firm where she fast-tracked international sales and marketing success for brands such as Zendesk, Zenefits, and Qualtrics. Courtney was named a 2018 Dallas Business Journal Women in Tech, the 2017 L’Oreal Women in Digital Award winner, and a Direct Marketing News 40 Under 40. She serves on the Advisory Board for Ogle Cosmetology School and is a member of the UT-Dallas Entrepreneurship Council. Courtney lives in McKinney, Texas, with her husband Dr. Tye and their 17-year-old son, Trey.
Ali Kriegsman and Alana Branston are the founders of Bulletin.Bulletin is a platform that allows brands to share the cost of a physical store.They currently have two locations, one in SoHo and one in Williamsburg and there are more to come.Ali and Alana went through YC Fellowship and then the winter 2017 batch.The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon.