This week on Start Podcast, host Margaux Miller speaks with Alicia Soulier, Founder and CEO of SalonScale Technology Inc. – a SaaS company that grew over 700% in their first year (2018) using bluetooth technology to allow hair salons to calculate hair color costs in real time. The SalonScale app tells you the exact cost of hair color being poured for every bowl mixed – filling a well-researched product market fit that Alicia identified first-hand as a salon owner.
SalonScale’s founder provides tips for moving quickly from idea to action, picking your business partners, and personal development as a leader. Alicia provides insightful advice on understanding when to cause action, the power of mentorship, and the importance of working on yourself.
If you want the inside scoop on “how she did it” – a candid conversation with one of Canada’s most impressive health and beauty industry tech start-ups – don’t miss this episode!
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In This Episode, You Will Learn: 2:06 to 6:19 The Story of SalonScale – Idea & Initial Investment 6:20 to 8:08 Tips for Picking Your Business Partners 8:09 to 9:40 Communication Skills 9:41 to 11:31 Being a “Non-Technical Founder” 11:32 to 13:00 Personal Development 13:01 to 16:30 How To Grow Once You Have Your Idea 16:31 to 18:33 The Power of Mentorship 18:34 to 22:33 Being a Female Founder in CoLabs, CoLead and CoLaunch Accelerators 22:34 to 26:53 Growth Through Product Market Fit and Leadership 27:00 to 29:16 Understanding When to Cause Action 29:17 to 31:15 SPEED ROUND 31:16 to 35:14 The Hard Truth About Entrepreneurial Life – A Story 35:15 to 36:28 Failure and the Importance of Self-Work 36:30 to 39:54 Raising Venture Capital & The Importance of Relationships with Investors 39:55 to 46:20 How SalonScale Grew During Covid-19 46:24 to 50:14 Starting a Business in the Canadian Prairies 50:15 to 53:00 What’s Next for SalonScale & Resources from Alicia
Follow SalonScale – And Let Them Know What You Learned From This Episode:
www.salonscale.com Facebook @SalonScale Instagram @SalonScale Pinterest @SalonScale
Follow Start Podcast – And Share What You Learned From This Episode:
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Find Your Start – Episode Resources:
- SK Accelerator: CoLabs
- Book: The Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster by Darren Hardy
- STSI tax credit
- the51.com – Investing in Women in Tech
- Personal development: Tony Robbins
- Katherine Regnier, founder of Coconut Software
- Neal Dempsey, Investor in Starbucks
- Michelle Zatlyn, Co-Founder and COO of Cloudflare