HPS 15: Add Recurring Revenue to Survive ANY Pandemic - Interview with Ray Hornback

 On today’s episode of The Hairpreneur Show, host Ryan Weeden chats with Ray Hornback about how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed their approach to business, finding fulfillment in taking care of yourself, learning new skills through teaching, and more. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Ryan asks Ray how his business has changed during COVID, and Ray says there’s a lot less chatting among stylists on the floor and he’s able to take far fewer clients since reopening. However, they got reopened pretty quickly once Colorado allowed it. 
• Ryan is based in California, so reopening his salon has been slightly slower going. 
• Both Ray and Ryan are working fewer days per week and focusing on themselves and their families on their days off. 
• In building his salons, Ray had been working very hard, and the pandemic forced him to pivot his business and find a different source of revenue. 
• Ray wanted to start his online business for a long time, and he used the pandemic as an opportunity to get it going since he wasn’t able to go to the physical salon location. 
• Ray utilized search engine optimization and hired people to make his website stronger. 
• Both Ray and Ryan utilize the Kajabi platform for their online businesses. 
• Ray specializes in bob haircuts, and posted a master class for stylists who then posted photos of their work. He and another judge evaluated the photos and gave feedback. 
• Ray has learned a lot about marketing through expanding his business to online. 
• Ray and Ryan have also both found fulfillment through teaching other hair stylists online through Ryan’s business, Masters of Balayage. 
• Ray has been posting YouTube hair styling tutorials throughout the pandemic. 
• Opt-in value offers are a good way to bring in new customers. 
• Ryan recommends using Facebook ads to help generate sales and reach people who are far outside of your current circle. 
• Hair styling is a “relationship business,” so it is important to build a community of people who trust you. 
• Ray utilized his business analytics on Instagram to evaluate where his niche was and where his viewership was coming from. 
• Ray has found a niche in teaching bob hair cutting online. 
• Ryan has honed in on balayage as his niche. 
• Ray says if he could do anything differently, he would have gotten a better work-life balance sooner, and paid more attention to his social media sooner. 
• Ray has been helping stylists who are ready to go out on their own and be independent. 
• Ryan emphasizes the importance of finding a new source of recurring revenue during this time, and says that the skills you gain will be applicable to your business once things return to normal. 

3 Key Points:

1. The current situation with the pandemic can be an opportunity to take a step back from your career and spend time and energy on yourself and your family. 
2. Niche marketing is very important in building an online business. 
3. Creating a brand for yourself is a key benefit of being an independent artist. 

Tweetable Quotes:

• “You have to take those risks sometimes in order to see a reward.” - Ray Hornback 
•  “If you don’t put anything out there, you’re never going to know what to fix.” - Ryan Weeden
• “It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to fail, it’s okay to just try things out. Things don’t have to be perfect, just start something.” - Ray Hornback 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Weeden Instagram Twitter YouTube
• Ray Hornback Instagram YouTube
• Ray Voltage Beauty
• Masters of Balayage Facebook Instagram
• Kajabi