Hair care is more than just aesthetics – it is tending to our inner selves. Kendall Whitley understands this, and when it comes to her clients, she focuses on helping them express themselves through their hair. She is a nationally accredited Balayage Educator and GlossGenius Educator whose work has been featured on the cover of luxury lifestyle and fashion magazine BELLA.

“Being a hair stylist is mentally and physically demanding, so I’ve designed my business around being able to only work three or four days a week – work-life balance is so important.”

Kendall started her career while she was still in high school, working as a receptionist in her local salon. After she graduated, Kendall went to cosmetology school and became a hair stylist herself. With more than seven years’ experience in commission salons, she chose to go independent in May 2019 out of a booth rental in Pensacola, Florida. Kendall is able to work a three-day week thanks to GlossGenius, which is the smart software that saves her nearly five days a month in manual tasks she would need to do herself to run her business.

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“When I started as a salon receptionist, I didn’t realize that it would provide a career path,” says Kendall. “I fell in love with the front-end, customer service side of the industry before I even contemplated the creative end as a hair stylist, and that’s why I always try to create intentional connections with my clients. Balayage was the first service I ever had done to my hair and I have a real passion for it. Being a hair stylist is mentally and physically demanding, so I've designed my business around being able to only work three or four days a week – work-life balance is so important. Recently, I’ve also started to focus on education, which complements my behind the chair business and allows me to share my passions for balayage, customer service, and mindfulness.”

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Prioritizing Simplicity

When she went independent, Kendall wanted to offer her clients a beautiful, smooth booking experience. Her previous salon used an app that clients had to download and log into just to book an appointment, and they complained it was difficult to use. Kendall had also tried using Quickbooks for bookkeeping but found the software overwhelming – it was complex and she felt like her business data was scattered – so she wanted a solution that made the back-end experience easy, too. As part of her research, Kendall looked at what other hair stylists were using and came across GlossGenius Educator Kelsey Morris’ booking site, which she found to be beautiful, simplified, and exactly the solution she was looking for. Within a day of sharing her own GlossGenius booking site with her social media followers, Kendall was fully booked for over a month.

“I started with only a handful of contacts, but the first day I launched my GlossGenius I had my next month taken care of – it was such a deep realization that it was actually going to be possible to live the life I imagined and not be overwhelmed by running my own business.”

Kendall soon found that GlossGenius streamlined every aspect of running her business from appointment reminders, which are handled automatically by the app, to expenses, which she can capture in under a minute by snapping a photo of her receipts. When checking out clients, Kendall uses GlossGenius’ card on file feature or her GlossGenius card reader, which is especially handy when she's on location.

“I had a few months to prepare before I transitioned to booth renting and used this time to research a master list of salon software options,” says Kendall. “It was a whole world of systems that I had no previous experience with and I even considered sticking to pen and paper, because simplicity was my goal. Then I found Kelsey’s booking site and instantly messaged her to learn more about GlossGenius. She was so helpful and guided me through the whole process, and it was clear GlossGenius offered a straightforward client interface and simplified back-end bookkeeping, too. I started with only a handful of contacts, but the first day I launched my GlossGenius I had my next month taken care of – it was such a deep realization that it was actually going to be possible to live the life I imagined and not be overwhelmed by running my own business. Before GlossGenius, I was always apprehensive about checking out clients because I didn't want to take away from the magic of the service, so to speak. Having the flexibility to be able to check out clients on demand no matter where I am is very valuable – GlossGenius took away all of the discomfort and uneasiness and makes checkout so simple."

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Maintaining Client Relationships

Having been independent for a while now, Kendall has been more confident about setting client boundaries. With GlossGenius, clients and prospective clients can contact her directly through email via her booking site, which allows her to respond thoughtfully and intentionally. And when Kendall needs to reach out to her clientele en masse, she can do so via the app with GlossGenius' Email Marketing or Text Marketing features.

“I’m not naturally good at remembering details, especially weeks or months between appointments, and the automatic text prompts for client notes is what’s really just the cherry on top...”

Kendall also finds GlossGenius' client notes feature particularly useful in maintaining client relationships, as not only can she remember what she did and the formulas she used the last time a client was in, but she can also keep track of names and life's special moments.

"GlossGenius makes client communications via text or email so easy that anytime I have an announcement or I'm updating my policies, I can set up a campaign that goes out to everyone instantly," says Kendall. "I'm not naturally good at remembering details, especially weeks or months between appointments, and the automatic text prompts for client notes is what's really just the cherry on top because it doesn't matter if you have notes if you don't remember to write them down. In fact, client notes are so valuable I've had clients make referrals to their friends because they know I keep thorough notes.”

Thanks to GlossGenius, Kendall has been able to build a thriving independent business and offer a first-class client experience, as evidenced by dozens of stellar client reviews on her website. Overall, Kendall feels like she has found the smart way to run her business – freeing herself from hours of manual work and finding a company that allows her to grow as a beauty professional.

“It varies but GlossGenius saves me as much as 10 hours a week for sure – I mean, I have pretty much fully automated systems now so the business side of booking and client communications is really just kind of running itself at this point.”

“Capturing client reviews wasn't top of my list when I was looking for a salon software, and would definitely not have been something I would have been able to do without GlossGenius,” says Kendall. “But having that feedback is a major investment in my career and great to be able to show new clients who might land on my website. It varies but GlossGenius saves me as much as 10 hours a week for sure – I mean, I have pretty much fully automated systems now so the business side of booking and client communications is really just kind of running itself at this point. Everybody I've encountered at GlossGenius has just been so open, you can tell they're dedicated to giving the best product experience and I feel fully supported as an independent business owner."

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