Latest / Not just a Hairdresser | Presented by Ally from The Beauty Grail / 7. $600 and a Suitcase: How Leticia Prado Built a Multi Million Dollar Haircare Brand Sold in 56 Countries

Transcript

7. $600 and a Suitcase: How Leticia Prado Built a Multi Million Dollar Haircare Brand Sold in 56 Countries · Not just a Hairdresser | Presented by Ally from The Beauty Grail

0:00
SPEAKER_03: I had my home salon.
0:02
SPEAKER_03: I had to hire my two best friends and teach them how to straighten hair because I was getting booking every single day and we got to a point that we were doing eight clients per day on smoothony for set seven days a week.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever had someone in your career call you just a hairdresser?
0:19
SPEAKER_00: Or sometimes you might struggle with your own internal dialogue.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Beauty Grail Podcast, the place where the industry's most curious, ambitious, and creative artists come to learn, grow, and stay inspired.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm Ali, founder of the Beauty Grail, and in each episode we sit down with the artists, educators, and innovators shaping the future of the hair and beauty industry.
0:40
SPEAKER_00: From behind the chair to behind the brand, these are the stories, tools, and conversations designed to elevate you and your career.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: Because we all know you're not just a hairdresser.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: You're a business owner, a creative, an educator, a therapist, a content creator, and a chemist.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: The name of this podcast was inspired by our friend Natalie Ann.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: Some of you may remember she kicked off a social media series in 2025 called Not Just a Hairdresser.
1:06
SPEAKER_00: One of the biggest drivers behind creating the Beauty Grail was recognizing that the industry has world-level talent, but not everyone has equal access to learning from them.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: What excites me is giving every hairdresser from regional towns to big cities access to the kind of education and mentorship that changes careers.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Joining me today is Letitia Prado, founder of BKT, a beauty keeps transforming.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: Letitia has her BKT salon in Surrey Hills and has her products sold in over 56 countries.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: Letitia has grown her business from her apartment in Sydney where she was washing clients' hair in her bathtub to a multi-million dollar international business.
1:48
SPEAKER_00: Welcome Letitia to Not Just a Hairdresser.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: How are you?
1:51
SPEAKER_00: Hello, I'm very good.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: Of course.
1:55
SPEAKER_00: That intro is really good.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: You like that?
1:58
SPEAKER_00: That's me.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: Um to be honest, planning for the podcast, writing the intro is actually one of my favorite things because it's a moment to reflect.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: And I do this, you know, I do a little bit of research around all of our guests and their key achievements.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: So that's one of my favorite parts.
2:21
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I love hearing that.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: It's so beautiful.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: Now we need to know for anyone that doesn't know you or your story, can you please tell us how you got started in industry?
2:33
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
2:34
SPEAKER_03: Um, so I come from Brazil.
2:36
SPEAKER_03: I've been in Australia for nine years.
2:39
SPEAKER_03: My journey started when I was very young, a very young age.
2:42
SPEAKER_03: I always had issues with my hair, not feeling confident.
2:46
SPEAKER_03: My hair naturally is extremely, extremely curly.
2:50
SPEAKER_03: And I think also, so my mom is very white and my dad is African, but I grew up with my mom's family and all my cousins, they have straight, beautiful, blonde-ish hair.
3:01
SPEAKER_03: So growing up, they would ask me all the time, why is your hair curly or why you have brown skin?
3:08
SPEAKER_03: So I think that made me in a very age, very early stage of my life to pay more attention about my hair.
3:16
SPEAKER_03: And when I was five years old, my mom would buy me hair creams so I could sleek back.
3:22
SPEAKER_03: And I was obsessed with my hair since five years old.
3:25
SPEAKER_03: So, and I remember asking my mom if I could straighten my hair, and she would say, No.
3:32
SPEAKER_03: But one day she said, Yes, when you turn 15 years old.
3:36
SPEAKER_03: And I couldn't wait for that day.
3:39
SPEAKER_03: And she took me on my birthday day to straighten my hair, and she took me, um, and the hairdresser was using this chemical straightening.
3:48
SPEAKER_03: The smell was awful, but I was the happiest girl ever.
3:52
SPEAKER_03: So that moment I realized that I wanted to work with straightening, and I started doing all my cousins, all my mom's, um, all my aunties, all my friends.
4:04
SPEAKER_03: Even though I was just turned 15 years old, that's when I first had my my passion experience with high straightening.
4:12
SPEAKER_03: So you were doing like keratin on them or just I was doing keratin too.
4:16
SPEAKER_03: At 15.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: At 15.
4:18
SPEAKER_00: Like a home, like a consumer product.
4:21
SPEAKER_03: Oh, I would buy, because in Brazil it was so easy for us just to go to uh the cosmetic shop and buy this one-liter bottles of Brazilian keratin.
4:29
SPEAKER_03: And I'm talking about the ones with Fromoldehyde, like this strong smell, and you cry, and then you need a tower just to put on your face.
4:38
SPEAKER_03: So those ones um without realizing how damaging that was back in the time.
4:44
SPEAKER_03: That was 15 years ago as well.
4:46
SPEAKER_03: So that's how I kind of started.
4:49
SPEAKER_03: And but also I come from a family, I come from a quite humble family.
4:54
SPEAKER_03: And my mom raised me as a single mom.
4:57
SPEAKER_03: So she would have to work 12 hours a day.
5:00
SPEAKER_03: And every time she'd come home so tired, I would think about why she didn't have enough time to do the things that she wanted.
5:07
SPEAKER_03: And all I could think about was how could I help my mom?
5:12
SPEAKER_03: Right?
5:12
SPEAKER_03: So when I was 18 years old, I told her, Mom, I want to live another country, I want to work and have a better life for us, so I can help you.
5:21
SPEAKER_03: So my mom looked at me and she she said, You're too young, you need to do accounting, you need to do some degree, because in Brazil it's so popular, you need to go to the university.
5:32
SPEAKER_03: So it's a must.
5:33
SPEAKER_03: So I did accounting, as as and as soon as I finished, I said, Mom, okay, now I need to go.
5:39
SPEAKER_03: And I came to Australia.
5:41
SPEAKER_03: So my mom had to get a loan at the bank to send me to study English in Australia for six years.
5:48
SPEAKER_03: And I remember thinking, there's no way I'm gonna go back to Brazil.
5:53
SPEAKER_03: So when as soon as I arrived, my mom told me, Look, I have no money to send you.
6:00
SPEAKER_03: This is the last$600 that I have.
6:02
SPEAKER_03: You better find a job as soon as you arrive.
6:05
SPEAKER_03: So I packed my suitcase full of keratin treatments, and I got stopped by immigration.
6:12
SPEAKER_03: They wanted to know what yes, because I had 56 kilos in a suitcase.
6:17
SPEAKER_03: So immigration.
6:19
SPEAKER_03: I mean, like, yeah, with all my clothes, but it was in a whole suitcase.
6:23
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
6:23
SPEAKER_03: So as soon as I landed immigration, they tagged me and they stopped and they wanted to open my whole suitcase.
6:30
SPEAKER_03: And go through the products, they go, they went through everything, had to remove everything out of the suitcase because they wanted to see.
6:36
SPEAKER_03: I don't know if there was drugs around because it was 56 kilos in one suitcase.
6:41
SPEAKER_04: Um, but I said like a lot of like bottles, right?
6:46
SPEAKER_04: A lot of bottles.
6:47
SPEAKER_03: Oh, I think there was at least like 20 bottles, so 20 kilos of Vermont High, 20 kilos of curating tremendous.
6:54
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
6:55
SPEAKER_03: So as soon as I arrived, I posted in the Brazilian community, say, hey girls, I can straighten hair.
7:02
SPEAKER_03: Yes, Brazilian community.
7:04
SPEAKER_03: Sorry, as soon as I arrived, as soon as I landed, I look it up.
7:08
SPEAKER_03: There was a Facebook group with Brazilian girls, and I said I could straighten their hair for$100, and I was offering mobile service.
7:16
SPEAKER_03: In less than 24 hours, I had my first client and I went to her apartment.
7:21
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
7:22
SPEAKER_03: Um, so that's kind of how I started my journey.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Natalie Ann Haircare.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: When you spent years perfecting your craft and educating the industry, you don't just put your name on any product, you create something that reflects everything you stand for.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what Natalie Ann has done: a professional hair care range built on real expertise, designed for stylists who demand results and clients who expect the best.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: And her latest launch, the sleek and smooth range, a smoothing balm and styling brush made for the flawless slick back styles.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: No flyaways, no crunch, just polished perfection.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: Discover the full NA range at Natalieanne.com.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: That's crazy to think that the journey.
8:10
SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's so many different ways you could articulate where the journey started.
8:14
SPEAKER_00: But it started in a presumably Facebook group in Sydney.
8:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I think my obsession with hair has it's what made me start in first place, always being obsessed because I remember first time I straightened my hair, the feeling of, oh my god, I feel so confident, I don't need to worry about my hair to go to school, you know.
8:36
SPEAKER_03: So I think that gaining that time, even at a very young age, I just wanted females to feel the empowerment that I felt by having my hair straight.
8:47
SPEAKER_03: So I was obsessed with that feeling, and I want everyone to feel the same.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: And I didn't know about your mom taking out the loan to send you to Australia.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: Was that sorry, to travel and for classes or English classes?
9:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
9:03
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, she she she could pay six for six months.
9:05
SPEAKER_03: So she paid six months of English school.
9:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
9:08
SPEAKER_03: And then she told me this is all I can do.
9:10
SPEAKER_03: My accommodation was paid for one week.
9:13
SPEAKER_03: And she said, as soon as you arrive there, you need to find a job.
9:16
SPEAKER_03: Like I can't afford to send you any more money.
9:18
SPEAKER_03: Let is yeah.
9:19
SPEAKER_03: So I think that's also what was my drive to the survival mode in such a young age.
9:25
SPEAKER_03: I was 21 and posting on the Brazilian community, so I could, you know, start somewhere with my skills.
9:34
SPEAKER_00: So mobile, that's interesting to be, you know, like it's not an exaggeration to say that you're washing clients' hair and bathtubs up for Keraton Street.
9:44
SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
9:45
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
9:46
SPEAKER_03: And after a while, within 12 months, my agenda was booked out that I had to start getting clients into my apartment.
9:54
SPEAKER_03: But because I was living in an apartment with five other girls, I had the biggest room, an in-suite, and had a bathtub.
10:01
SPEAKER_03: And that's what I used to, you know, first starting was my basin and washing clients' hair.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
10:07
SPEAKER_00: I made it work.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: I I absolutely love that story.
10:11
SPEAKER_00: And the hustle that happens in Facebook groups, you know, around the world for entrepreneurs is so interesting.
10:17
SPEAKER_00: I love that story.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: What do you think shaped you in those early days when you're getting started?
10:25
SPEAKER_00: Oh, there's so many things.
10:27
SPEAKER_03: I think I think what shaped me was seeing my mom working so hard as a single mom and and seeing you know, there was never really a time off for her.
10:40
SPEAKER_03: And I would think about why should I not have a time off if I need to pay my mom back, for example, and pay back the loan and you know help her to gain her financial stability there too.
10:51
SPEAKER_03: So I think that was shape what shaped my work ethics.
10:56
SPEAKER_03: Um does that answer your question?
10:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's um, I mean, your mom just sounds like such a sweetheart as well.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: She must be so proud of you.
11:08
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, she is.
11:09
SPEAKER_03: I hope she is.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: She's coming out here soon, isn't she?
11:11
SPEAKER_03: She's coming here soon.
11:12
SPEAKER_03: Yes, I can't wait.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: That's not her first time to Australia though, is it?
11:16
SPEAKER_03: No, she came a few times, and um, my mom and I we have completely different personalities.
11:21
SPEAKER_03: She's way more like loud, and she'd say whatever she wants.
11:25
SPEAKER_03: I'm like, mom, like calm, calm, don't don't say that.
11:28
SPEAKER_03: I don't think that's appropriate.
11:30
SPEAKER_03: Let's do it.
11:31
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
11:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
11:33
SPEAKER_03: Um, so when was the last time she was in Australia?
11:36
SPEAKER_03: She was in Australia, I would say probably three years ago.
11:40
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: So lots happened in that time for you, the business, your personal brand.
11:45
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I feel like I'm a different person from six months ago.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, yeah, amazing.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: So if we go back again to some of those early influences, was there a moment, and there might have been multiple, but you know, a moment of realization or reflection where you were like, wow, I'm like, I'm really onto something here.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: Like hair is my thing.
12:11
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, there's been so many steps in your journey.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: But can you talk us through some of those moments where you're like, wow, like I've got a successful salon product career and this is really going somewhere?
12:21
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there was a few actually.
12:24
SPEAKER_03: I think the first moment was realizing that I had a hair salon only doing hair straightening, which six years ago in Australia was not a thing.
12:36
SPEAKER_03: So when I had my home salon, I had to hire my two best friends and teach them how to straighten hair because I was getting booking every single day, and we got to a point that we were doing eight clients per day on Smithany for set seven days a week.
12:54
SPEAKER_03: So that was one of the moments that I realized that wow, like it's I'm up to something here.
12:59
SPEAKER_03: Our agenda was actually booked out three months in advance.
13:03
SPEAKER_03: How many teams did you have?
13:06
SPEAKER_00: Two.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so the three of us, yeah.
13:08
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
13:09
SPEAKER_03: Doing eight class per month.
13:10
SPEAKER_03: Is that in Surrey Hills where you are now?
13:12
SPEAKER_03: It was in Kensington in my previous apartment.
13:14
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh, sorry, yeah, you're still at home then.
13:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
13:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I was still working at home.
13:17
SPEAKER_03: It was just in the first uh lockdown.
13:21
SPEAKER_03: So we were booked out for three months in advance when my neighbor reported us from working from home.
13:28
SPEAKER_03: And I remember I cried, I was so upset, I didn't know what to do.
13:33
SPEAKER_03: And then I was looking up on Facebook and I found a hair salon in Surrey Hills that went out of business because of COVID.
13:41
SPEAKER_03: And I remember thinking, oh, the lease is so expensive, can I do it?
13:45
SPEAKER_03: Should I do it?
13:46
SPEAKER_03: And then I just decided to take the lease and start it.
13:51
SPEAKER_03: So I found, you know, you never know, you need to trust the process because if it wasn't for my neighbor reporting me, I would have stayed as a home salon probably for a longer time.
14:04
SPEAKER_03: That was one of the moments.
14:06
SPEAKER_03: And then I think the second biggest moment was actually because I was so I was way more aware of the Brazilian keratin tournament.
14:16
SPEAKER_03: There was a massive gap in the Australian market with hair straightening.
14:20
SPEAKER_03: There was a reason hairdressers were not using hair straightening, and it was because of the ingredients in the formula, in the formulation.
14:27
SPEAKER_03: So I also as a client and also as a hairdresser by trade, I knew that I could develop something better and bring to the Australian market.
14:39
SPEAKER_03: And that's when I started looking, looking for a better solution for the hairdresser behind the chair, but also for a client sitting on the chair, because I am my own client, right?
14:51
SPEAKER_03: So when I was using harsh chemicals on my hair, I was consistently crying.
14:56
SPEAKER_03: And also, you can't really do um formaldehyde or Brazilian carotene pregnants and kids, it's quite strong and toxic.
15:04
SPEAKER_03: But working over time, if you're a hairdresser doing that every day, formaldehyde is a gradient that can cause cancer.
15:12
SPEAKER_03: So when I got more aware on that ingredient, it's when I decided to stop using completely, looking for a better solution so I could bring to Australia.
15:23
SPEAKER_03: And that's when I developed the BKT nonoplasty.
15:28
SPEAKER_03: But when we launched her, was in the middle of lockdown, the second wave of COVID.
15:34
SPEAKER_03: And I remember receiving this big shipment of products, actually a hundred bottles of products, because that was all what I could afford back in that time.
15:43
SPEAKER_03: But it was one liter for hairdressers.
15:46
SPEAKER_03: Then COVID kicked in, and I saw myself, oh my god, now I need to pay this product.
15:50
SPEAKER_03: I have my hair salon, I don't know what to do.
15:53
SPEAKER_03: And then I saw hairdressers selling color online to their clients.
16:00
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
16:02
SPEAKER_03: And then I thought, you know what?
16:04
SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna open a Shopify store, I'm gonna do a YouTube video, I'm gonna let my clients know for social media that I'm gonna launch a BKT Nonohome kit.
16:14
SPEAKER_03: So I rebuttal everything.
16:16
SPEAKER_03: I created a label on Canva and I launched my very first product on e-commerce, which is which was the BKT Nonohome kit.
16:24
SPEAKER_03: And on my first day, I sold$56,000.
16:29
SPEAKER_03: Then I realized, okay, we're up to something here.
16:34
SPEAKER_00: So$56,000 at retail?
16:37
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:39
SPEAKER_00: So what lockdown would that have been in then?
16:41
SPEAKER_00: Two?
16:42
SPEAKER_00: Still in 2020.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was the second wave.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: Second one, yeah.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:46
SPEAKER_03: Second wave, 2020.
16:48
SPEAKER_03: That was the very first product.
16:50
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
16:51
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
16:51
SPEAKER_03: And I think because everyone was so bored at home, they wanted to straighten hair.
16:56
SPEAKER_03: We were selling so many products because also I was teaching them on social media.
17:01
SPEAKER_03: I always, since I arrived in Australia, I've always been the type of person that I'm posting consistently, even when I had no followers.
17:09
SPEAKER_03: And so by the time like three years later, when I was here, I had already a big following.
17:14
SPEAKER_03: But the engagement, my engagement has always been really good.
17:18
SPEAKER_03: So when I first launched, before even launching, I was actually letting them know because clients were asking me, like, oh, can you sell the product I want to do at home?
17:27
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
17:28
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
17:28
SPEAKER_03: And I did the YouTube video, edit everything myself, but I was really teaching, like really, um, I was teaching them how to straighten at home using the BKT.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: So were you primarily selling to consumer then?
17:42
SPEAKER_00: Or were you kind of selling to sell ons and they were then like on selling too?
17:46
SPEAKER_03: No, I was actually selling for consumers.
17:50
SPEAKER_03: And I think that's that's what made BKT blow up at first because I was not only selling in Australia, I was selling already globally through TikTok, through social media.
18:01
SPEAKER_03: I got all these influencers like five years ago, I was already doing UGC with influencers doing their hair at home.
18:10
SPEAKER_03: Um, and then they were they were advertising the brand.
18:13
SPEAKER_03: But when lockdown finished, the hairdressers started asking, What happened to your hair?
18:19
SPEAKER_03: It's so good.
18:20
SPEAKER_03: What are you using?
18:21
SPEAKER_03: And then we start getting fires referrals, yeah.
18:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
18:25
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
18:26
SPEAKER_03: Because I was not even doing paid media back in that time, it was all organic social media growth.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like no ads at that point.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:33
SPEAKER_00: All organic social and referral.
18:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
18:35
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: Going back to the reason why you decided to do your own formulation, like obviously you said you're your own customer, you're a hairdresser by trade, you have a deep care for the health and well-being of hairdressers and clients.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: But was there also an element there around, you know, like Aussie blondes and you know, Australians typically having um like peroxided hair as well?
19:01
SPEAKER_03: Yes, absolutely.
19:02
SPEAKER_03: So when I first launched our formula, the first formulation, we actually have what we call the OG nonoplasty, which it has violet pigment.
19:12
SPEAKER_03: And we first launched that because you know, there's a lot of blondes in Australia.
19:17
SPEAKER_00: You know, you guys here are way more vegan, more organic, yes, it's not fragrance, lots of blonde in comparison to Brazil.
19:28
SPEAKER_00: South America, do you think?
19:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: So it's not just the lighter bases, it's also just the culture around the Australian culture around health.
19:36
SPEAKER_03: Yes, and because that's how I realized the gap in the market before launching my brand.
19:42
SPEAKER_03: The reason no one was doing nanoplasty or talking about straightening because was because the type of formulation that was available back in the time, and also the education around there's a lot of misconception, but our formulation is much softer on blonde, fine, it helps with the pigments as well, so you get rid of any yellow colors on the hair, and also we're using a completely different technology rather than the keratin treatment.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: What are some of those myths that you want to bust?
20:17
SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's so myth.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: For a pro audience, what are some of those myths?
20:24
SPEAKER_03: Then nanoplasty will destroy your hair, or that you cannot lighten and have nanoplasty.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: I hear that one a lot.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: Like just from like from the outside looking in on consultations that play out on social media.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: I see that one a lot.
20:39
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I think just like when you're doing a collar, right?
20:44
SPEAKER_03: Depending on the level, how light your clients want, you can't deliver that result because the hair is compromised.
20:50
SPEAKER_03: So nanoplasty will be the same.
20:53
SPEAKER_03: You need to make sure that the hair is healthy, that it's not overly damaged, because you are working with HIT and also respecting the in between.
21:03
SPEAKER_03: You're not gonna be doing uh lightening service and doing a nanoplasty on the same day.
21:08
SPEAKER_03: So it's it's kind of like common sense, but that's what we um through our education, our BKT Master, we teach a lot of hairdressers and you know, removing that myth around the straightening category.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is brought to you by BKT.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: Beauty Keeps Transforming, the professional hair brand behind BKT Nanoplasty.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: BKT is helping hairdressers rethink what professional smoothing treatment can do, not just for the hair, but for the business.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: At the heart of BKT is nanoplasty, a professional smoothing and straightening formula designed to give hairdressers more versatility behind the chair.
21:47
SPEAKER_00: With one formula, professionals can create four different services.
21:51
SPEAKER_00: From smoothing stretched nanoplasty to smoothing anti frizz, repair, and glossy finish services, allowing salons to customize the result to the client.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: While creating more revenue, opportunities from one product.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: It's about giving hairdressers a service clients want to come back for while helping sell-ons increase their service offering, improve product ROI, and build more profitable businesses.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: One formula, multiple services, more opportunities behind the chair.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: That's BKT.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: Beauty keeps transforming.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: Taking that risk during COVID.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: And that story you told about your neighbors reporting you.
22:31
SPEAKER_00: Natalie Ann actually had a very similar story.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you know it.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: They had not during lockdown, but they had a home salon and they were literally getting so busy, they're parking up the street, and all the neighbors were complaining that there was no parking.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: This is my this is what she like talked through in her app.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: It was like so interesting.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: Like that was a push to get her Croydon salon at the time.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: When you're meant to be, you're meant to be.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you do.
22:58
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: I think you know it's really easy for people in the industry to have a look at someone like you.
23:04
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they've only discovered you and your brand recently and think about where you're at in your stage of success right now and not really understand the journey and what it's taken to get to where you are today.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about some of those behind the scenes truths that people might not have heard because there's this huge misconception that people are overnight successes, and that's never the case.
23:28
SPEAKER_00: So, what were some of those challenges?
23:31
SPEAKER_00: You know, you talked about COVID lockdown, the salon, etc.
23:34
SPEAKER_00: But talk us through some of those other challenges you faced when like scaling, whether it be product, the salon, education, content clientele, um, when you're going through those huge moments of growth.
23:48
SPEAKER_03: One thing that I say is business will humble you every single day.
23:56
SPEAKER_04: Children do the same.
23:57
SPEAKER_00: Just so it's not that that that that's um sorry to interrupt you.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: I love that because it's like times two once you get to that stage of life.
24:07
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
24:08
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
24:08
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
24:09
SPEAKER_03: And you need to be a completely different person.
24:11
SPEAKER_03: You need to be growing if you want your business to grow.
24:15
SPEAKER_03: I think one of the biggest challenges is leadership.
24:21
SPEAKER_03: You know, you realizing that you are not just a salon owner, you are not just a hairdresser.
24:28
SPEAKER_03: You need to be a leader, you need to work on your business culture, on your team culture, you need to so quickly learn about manufacturing, logistics, global expansions.
24:41
SPEAKER_03: So for me, I had so many issues around cash flow or you know, getting money and investing on the wrong thing, and then being so tied with cash.
24:53
SPEAKER_03: So it causes such such a massive stress on you.
24:59
SPEAKER_03: You know, and we went through so many challenges, but also around people and hiring and firing, and when you think you're doing something correct, life shows you that you're not, and everything, you know, or someone quit, or you need to fire someone.
25:15
SPEAKER_03: So I think it's a learning curve every single day.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: Letitia keeps transforming.
25:22
SPEAKER_03: Letitia keeps transforming, yes.
25:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
25:25
SPEAKER_03: And even now that you say that, even one of the things is we BKT used to be called Brazilian Carotine Treatment in 2020 up to 2024.
25:38
SPEAKER_03: And that was a pivot pivotal moment to the business when I woke up one day and I decided that I want to change the business name.
25:48
SPEAKER_03: But BKT will was already known as BKT.
25:52
SPEAKER_03: And I wanted to I wanted to keep BKT, so I actually used AI to help me to change the name, but keeping BKT, and that's when we decided to change to Beauty Keeps Transforming.
26:05
SPEAKER_03: But not only that, but also realizing the transformation on myself, on my clients, on the hairdressers using the product, and yeah, and looking realizing the impact we have done as a brand, not just a product as missing product.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that because like being a hairdresser, like the service is such a transformational feeling for clients, you know.
26:33
SPEAKER_00: I kind of think it is on like two fronts, right?
26:36
SPEAKER_00: Because you have like a lot of clients have really long-standing relationships with their hairdresser, right?
26:42
SPEAKER_00: And like you have this level of like professional intimacy, like the things you tell your hairdresser, the things you share with them.
26:48
SPEAKER_00: You've been with them a long period of time, like you go on this journey of life with them without sounding corny.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: So I think of it from that perspective, and then I also think of it from like what you actually deliver.
26:57
SPEAKER_00: So there's a relationship as you're transforming, like client hairdresser, and then it's like what you actually do to the hair, like the service, yeah, and and the transformation that happens there.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, with the actual service itself, I think as well, like working with so much textured hair.
27:15
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: I think that's just like so beautiful and so fitting that that re that repositioning of the meaning behind BKT.
27:25
SPEAKER_03: One of our biggest goals is always empower, inspire, and aspire females using our brand as a hairdresser or as a customers so they can have their time back, their freedom, and also to spend more time doing the things that they love, not just you know, straightening the hair three, four hours in a week.
27:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because I mean, I've been talking a lot and like obviously looking a lot into the brand and like talking to salons that stock the brand, and it really can transform someone's business from a commercial point of view as well.
27:58
SPEAKER_00: Um now I want to talk about some of those early stories because um like we've talked about this ourselves over coffee, but you have so many beautiful stories of like how you've transformed not just like clients' lives, but like hairdressers' lives and like the trajectory of their businesses.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: Can you share some of those with me again?
28:21
SPEAKER_03: Yes, I actually have um quite a few.
28:25
SPEAKER_03: One that's this really cool one one is Tunding.
28:29
SPEAKER_03: She's one of our hairdressers.
28:30
SPEAKER_03: She has been using the brand for a while, but I remember when she first started using BKT, she was using a lot of keratin treatment with you know harsh chemicals and strong smell.
28:42
SPEAKER_03: And I remember two things that she told me.
28:46
SPEAKER_03: One was when she started using BKT, because she was working from home, the water, the basin was coming out of on the glass.
28:56
SPEAKER_03: Is it gross grass?
28:57
SPEAKER_03: You say grass?
28:58
SPEAKER_00: Oh, grass outside.
29:00
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
29:00
SPEAKER_03: So the water from the basin was coming out on the grass.
29:03
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
29:03
SPEAKER_03: But before, because she was using keratene, everything was dead.
29:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
29:08
SPEAKER_03: And then when she started, she swapped for BKT, everything was green.
29:13
SPEAKER_03: And that really like made her to stick to the brand even more.
29:17
SPEAKER_03: That's like a very crazy example, but it just makes me think about the formulation how clean it was.
29:24
SPEAKER_03: But not only that, because she was an immigrant just like me, she was able to support her family back in Bhutan.
29:32
SPEAKER_03: And because of BKT nanoplasty, her Bhutan community recommended her to do the queen, the queen's hair.
29:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
29:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
29:45
SPEAKER_03: So I know in Bhutan they have king and queen.
29:47
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
29:48
SPEAKER_03: And she was doing the queen's mom, queen's hair, some of the biggest Buddhas in the country.
29:54
SPEAKER_03: How did that happen?
29:55
SPEAKER_03: How do you it was just like through word of mouth?
29:57
SPEAKER_03: Um, because of BKT, she got really famous around the uh Bhutanese community in Australia.
30:04
SPEAKER_03: So every time she went back there, they saw her, you know, as inspirate, as inspiration, as a role.
30:10
SPEAKER_03: She was also able to um recommend BKT to other hairdressers.
30:15
SPEAKER_03: So they were also gaining that financial independence independence in in Bhutan.
30:21
SPEAKER_03: So for social media and transformation, she was invited to do the Queen's hair, then her mom's hair.
30:28
SPEAKER_03: And recently she went back to Bhutan just last month.
30:32
SPEAKER_03: She opened a BKT salon in Bhutan, and her first client was the Queen.
30:37
SPEAKER_03: And she sent me a photo, it was just so cute.
30:40
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
30:41
SPEAKER_03: That's one of the moments that I think about, you know, we're not just a hair care brand, we're transforming lives, we're helping so many females to be more independent as well.
30:51
SPEAKER_03: We have a few uh clients that are coming out of domestic violence, and they use BKT to you know gain that financial independence as well, we're starting a new beginning.
31:02
SPEAKER_03: Um, and it's beautiful to see our hairdressers feeling empowered by our brand.
31:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that must be such an amazing feeling for you as well.
31:12
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I feel when I first wanted when recently when we rebranded, all I wanted my clients to feel, our hairdressers, is the empowerment, and I want them to use my story as inspiration because if I could achieve what I have today, coming from Brazil, immigrants, such a young age, you know, the empowerment.
31:40
SPEAKER_03: I want them to feel the same when they're using BKT.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: It's so beautiful.
31:46
SPEAKER_00: I've been doing so much research on the brand.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: I'm getting served all your ads at the moment.
31:51
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, and it actually, I was astounded with you know what the commercials actually look like when purchasing the product for the first time and what that translates to from a revenue point of view in the salon.
32:06
SPEAKER_00: Can you talk to me a bit about that?
32:08
SPEAKER_03: Yes, absolutely.
32:10
SPEAKER_03: So BKT service, right?
32:13
SPEAKER_03: When a hairdresser is using BKT, they can do four different types of services.
32:19
SPEAKER_03: Because a lot of a lot of clients think that BKT is only if you want to straighten your hair completely.
32:27
SPEAKER_03: But we actually teach them that you can customize the result accordingly to whatever your clients want.
32:35
SPEAKER_03: Um, so when you buy one of our packages, our opening deal, for example, you are looking at an ROI of$8,000 to$10,000 in that one package.
32:47
SPEAKER_03: So one bottle of our product, you can actually do 10 to 15 clients depending on how much you're using.
32:54
SPEAKER_03: And one bottle, we're looking at paying less than$500.
32:58
SPEAKER_03: So we're only thinking about the ROI per client in less than one client, you pretty much made your money back.
33:06
SPEAKER_00: I just want to go back to a minute where you're talking about like how booked out in advance you were when you first opened the salon and took that risk to take on the lease.
33:16
SPEAKER_00: Why do you think it went, it was so successful?
33:20
SPEAKER_00: And you had that not only like client retention, but you're getting those referrals and like word of mouth.
33:26
SPEAKER_00: You know, you said you weren't doing paid media then, so it was like all organic social retention referrals, right?
33:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: When you think about the revenue attribution, why do you think that was?
33:37
SPEAKER_03: The product is such a transformational product as a result, but also I was posting consistently on organic social media.
33:47
SPEAKER_03: Um the client they won't know what they need until you show them or until you tell them.
33:55
SPEAKER_03: And I was really good at doing that because if my clients telling me, oh, I blow dry my hair two, three times a week, it's a non-brainer.
34:04
SPEAKER_03: Why you're damage your hair, heat damage on a weekly basis, wasting their time.
34:10
SPEAKER_03: So when for me, also having that passion and obsession with hair straightening was just so easy to point out what my clients needed in my consultations, rather than just be focused on, you know, I'm not gonna do the treatment or she doesn't need or she's gonna say no.
34:30
SPEAKER_00: And now what's the kind of like rebooking rate from a like time point of view on average, between like you know, between first treatment to second treatment and so on?
34:39
SPEAKER_03: I would recommend, I mean, normally three to six months, but also I have always been really good with systems.
34:47
SPEAKER_03: So I was using a booking software, email marketing, SMES.
34:52
SPEAKER_03: So every time my client walked out, there was a whole hair care brief on how they could look after the hair at home, but also the time frame to rebooking, also rebooking my clients instantly as well.
35:06
SPEAKER_03: So that all really helped for a client's retention for them to come back.
35:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so good.
35:13
SPEAKER_00: And that customization, I just want to touch on that a bit.
35:15
SPEAKER_00: Like, what does what does what's like a practical example of the different ways that pros can use a product to customize the service?
35:24
SPEAKER_00: Because I think like you know, I have straight thin hair, right?
35:28
SPEAKER_00: So it's like I just think I've not like gone deep into that customization vortex, you know.
35:36
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
35:37
SPEAKER_03: So there's four ways to use our product, and it's it's all about the heat and how much heat you're putting on the hair.
35:46
SPEAKER_03: So by saying that, it means how much straightening are you doing.
35:51
SPEAKER_03: So we have our own straightener as well, it's a titanium plate, which we recommend when you're using our BKT nanoplasty.
35:58
SPEAKER_03: So depending on the heat or how many passes, it's how you determine what the results are gonna be.
36:05
SPEAKER_03: The more heat you put it, the more passes, the straighter the hair will turn out.
36:10
SPEAKER_03: So this is what we teach in our uh BKT mastery.
36:14
SPEAKER_00: So like you can deliver like a softer result if a client's not wanting super sleek straight.
36:21
SPEAKER_03: Yes, absolutely.
36:22
SPEAKER_03: It's uh either what we call a hair botox or smoothing or anti-freeze, even for a blow dry only as well.
36:30
SPEAKER_03: So applying the trim and uh washing or spraying on the hair.
36:34
SPEAKER_03: So there's so many different ways to use it just to have that shine and healthy hair look.
36:41
SPEAKER_00: You know when a product comes along that just changes the game.
36:44
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36:48
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36:57
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37:02
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37:07
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37:15
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37:17
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37:26
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37:35
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37:39
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37:42
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37:49
SPEAKER_00: Now, when we talk about the growth from like home washing clients' hair in your bathtub to Surrey Hills to where we're at today, I mean the last 12 months have been huge for you.
38:01
SPEAKER_00: You've bought on investors to grow the brand locally and internationally.
38:06
SPEAKER_00: You've formed your BKT board.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, you've announced your first ambassadors, Natalie Ann and Jessica Manda.
38:16
SPEAKER_00: And you also debuted at AHIA this year.
38:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I feel like that's just happened in six months, really, when we think about it.
38:24
SPEAKER_00: I mean, she never stops, Letitia.
38:26
SPEAKER_00: I follow you closely on social media, so I know how busy you are.
38:30
SPEAKER_00: How has it felt for you over the last six months like hitting such huge milestones?
38:39
SPEAKER_04: Painful?
38:42
SPEAKER_00: The honest, the honesty.
38:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
38:45
SPEAKER_03: Um, but growth is painful, and I'm I'm very addicted to growth.
38:51
SPEAKER_03: If I'm not growing, if you're not growing, you're dying.
38:54
SPEAKER_03: This is all I think.
38:55
SPEAKER_03: It was quite painful, a lot of very big decisions, but it feels really good.
39:02
SPEAKER_03: It feels you know, when you start a business from pure passion, I love what I do.
39:10
SPEAKER_03: I always dreamed really big, but I didn't think you would go this big.
39:16
SPEAKER_03: It's kind of a weird feeling because now there's so many opportunities, so many people wanting to work with us, but when you first start, you know, like it's not that way.
39:26
SPEAKER_00: No one wants to work with you.
39:28
SPEAKER_03: Yes, and you gotta like you gotta keep going.
39:33
SPEAKER_00: All the no's.
39:33
SPEAKER_00: You're like one no closer to a yes.
39:36
SPEAKER_03: Yes, and now exactly having so many people, I want to be an investor, I want to be on the board, I want to be, you know, like it's just a really good feeling, and I try to never forget where I started, where I came from, to stay true to my truth, I guess.
39:55
SPEAKER_03: Also, the last six months I feel that I when you bring in um investors, shareholders, um you kind of you need to be really careful to not lose yourself and always thinking in and catching up with yourself and thinking, what do I actually want?
40:12
SPEAKER_03: Why am I doing this?
40:14
SPEAKER_03: What do I want to achieve it?
40:15
SPEAKER_03: Where do I want to go?
40:16
SPEAKER_03: So you don't really lose yourself.
40:18
SPEAKER_03: This is one of the biggest things that I learned in the last six months.
40:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so interesting.
40:23
SPEAKER_00: Cause I think like there's a couple of layers to unpack there with like taking on investment.
40:28
SPEAKER_00: First of all, you have like money isn't free.
40:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, so you have a different level of accountability and responsibility, like financially, how you're making financial decisions, where you're investing the money ultimately.
40:43
SPEAKER_00: But also there's a whole new layer of people that are gonna tell you what they think you should be doing as well.
40:50
SPEAKER_00: So um, you know, from the outside looking in, it's an interesting time.
40:56
SPEAKER_00: Um, because there's a new layer of pressure, there's a new layer of growth.
41:00
SPEAKER_00: And what you just said there around like checking in with yourself and like staying humble and true to you, um, I mean, must be so important for you at this stage.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: How are you kind of working through that?
41:18
SPEAKER_00: Um, because you know, sometimes I find as a founder, it's like you're running so hard.
41:22
SPEAKER_00: Like sometimes you forget.
41:24
SPEAKER_00: It's like, well, hang on a minute, why did I say yes to that?
41:27
SPEAKER_00: Or you've overcommitted, or and you need those like moments of grounding.
41:33
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
41:34
SPEAKER_00: Where you unplug, I mean, you can never unplug completely, but like, how are you kind of working through that at the moment?
41:42
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, definitely I committed to a lot of things um that I said that I shouldn't have said.
41:49
SPEAKER_03: So I learned the hard way to not just say yes to everything or to everyone and promises to actually really think about and you know, especially what the depends on the time of the day.
42:00
SPEAKER_03: I don't make decisions if it is after 3 p.m.
42:03
SPEAKER_03: Because as a founder, during the day you need to make so many decisions by 3 p.m.
42:08
SPEAKER_03: your brain's already.
42:09
SPEAKER_03: Decision fatigue, yeah.
42:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
42:12
SPEAKER_03: So one of the things that I actually start doing again was journaling and writing down what I actually want.
42:22
SPEAKER_03: I feel um so journaling, exercising, going for walks, those are things that for me is my priority when I start my day.
42:32
SPEAKER_03: I try not to look at social media.
42:34
SPEAKER_03: I know it's a little bit like that.
42:37
SPEAKER_00: For someone that's been so committed to organic social from the beginning.
42:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it is so hard, but I really now think about what do I want?
42:46
SPEAKER_03: Meditation is something that I'm I'm on and off because you know I know that's quite important and how beneficial that would be for my own mental health.
42:56
SPEAKER_03: So those are the things that I've been doing, checking in.
43:00
SPEAKER_03: I never realized how important was journaling until you start doing that again.
43:05
SPEAKER_03: And oh my god, it's unlocking something inside you and feeling more confident.
43:11
SPEAKER_03: And also, you need to trust your gut as a founder.
43:14
SPEAKER_03: And I know that sounds a little bit, you know, like everyone says that, but funny enough, I feel that I've I've been trusting myself more, I feel more confident, but only in the last seven days making decisions without checking, you know, if I feel that I was just so worried about what people were gonna think about my decision, what are we gonna do, how I look, that now I'm like, you know what?
43:43
SPEAKER_03: I know what I need to do.
43:44
SPEAKER_03: I've been in this business for six years.
43:47
SPEAKER_03: I need to start making my own decisions and not thinking about oh, the person's not gonna be happy, or I'm gonna disappoint someone.
43:55
SPEAKER_03: You know, it's it's a beautiful journey.
43:58
SPEAKER_03: I don't know if it's also because Because I just turned 30 and I'm more like feeling more confident.
44:04
SPEAKER_03: But um yeah, as a founder, I haven't been feeling confident just in the last few days in, you know, making my own decisions and what I actually want.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:18
SPEAKER_00: I totally feel you on the decision fatiguing.
44:21
SPEAKER_00: That's a really smart thing to like not make decisions after three.
44:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:26
SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, it's not cliche to say trust your gut and that you invest the time into journaling because I find like journaling is a moment of reflection, right?
44:37
SPEAKER_00: You get it out, so you get clarity.
44:39
SPEAKER_00: Like that's what I think journaling is about.
44:41
SPEAKER_00: It's about clarity on how you are shifting priorities on like where you want to go, short-term, long-term, midterm.
44:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
44:54
SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, I I I love that.
44:58
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
45:00
SPEAKER_00: Um when we're talking about kind of like clarity, productivity, you've talked a lot about, you know, leadership um and that transformation that you've had to go through like as founder and president of BKT at the different stages of growth.
45:18
SPEAKER_00: So I want to know like, how are you thinking about like technology and AI, like, and how your how that's impacting your productivity and your team's productivity?
45:27
SPEAKER_00: Because it's like just so topical across like every industry at the moment.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: Like, how are you thinking about that in your life and work?
45:37
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so AI can be a little bit scary for a lot of people.
45:42
SPEAKER_03: I actually have been using AI since 2023.
45:48
SPEAKER_03: As soon as it came out, I was using AI, is probably my best friend.
45:52
SPEAKER_03: He knows everything about my life.
45:54
SPEAKER_03: I've actually seen you today a little bit like in between things.
45:58
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I use I use a lot.
46:00
SPEAKER_03: It makes my productivity much better.
46:03
SPEAKER_03: I'm way more productive since AI came out.
46:07
SPEAKER_03: And I think there's so many ways to look at it.
46:09
SPEAKER_03: But one of the things that I've learned as a founder and as a leader is to make sure that my team feels confident with AI and they're not afraid of it.
46:21
SPEAKER_03: I think it's important as well as a business owner, you will have to make really hard decisions.
46:26
SPEAKER_03: And you know, unfortunately, AI is coming in and you need to embrace it.
46:33
SPEAKER_03: Um, and I know some people will you'll disagree, but in reality, if you use the right way, it can really help you to grow as a person, as a founder, as a leader, as in anything in your health lifestyle.
46:47
SPEAKER_03: So there's so many ways to use it, but um AI and productivity for my team is so important because you can get dragged to the minimal things.
46:58
SPEAKER_03: And with AI, you can do one task in one minute, in 30 seconds, depending on what it is.
47:04
SPEAKER_03: So I think it's important because you know, time is money and you need to embrace it, but don't be afraid of it and take little steps to go like you know, talk to your day, what it looks like, and then ask AI how can I use you to help me, me on my day, and what tasks tasks can you do?
47:26
SPEAKER_03: So we definitely are a business that's very pro AI pro, pro AI.
47:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
47:31
SPEAKER_03: We definitely pro AI in our business, and we do training with our teams.
47:36
SPEAKER_03: That's so good.
47:36
SPEAKER_03: Productivity.
47:37
SPEAKER_03: We actually did one last week and looking at they had to put everything that they do in a day, and then we would customize and see what can AI do for you.
47:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
47:48
SPEAKER_00: I love that it is like boots on the ground kind of work, like hands-on work, yeah.
47:53
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we did in our leadership training.
47:55
SPEAKER_00: So good.
47:56
SPEAKER_03: Some of them I can see like the stress and anxiety around it.
48:00
SPEAKER_03: So we also you also need to make sure that you're creating a safe space to your team and reassure them if they are afraid, like, you know, I'm gonna replace me with if AI and reassure them that it's not like that.
48:11
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's it's just productivity.
48:13
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
48:14
SPEAKER_00: Quick shout out to something I actually use every day at the Beauty Grail, the 270X Creator Tools from FK.
48:21
SPEAKER_00: The viral mag safe snapstand is my absolute go-to.
48:25
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48:28
SPEAKER_00: It's compact, reliable, and it honestly comes everywhere with me.
48:32
SPEAKER_00: The wireless mics are super clean and an absolute must-have.
48:36
SPEAKER_00: And the vlog screen, genuinely game-changing.
48:39
SPEAKER_00: It sticks to the back of your phone so you can use your back camera and still see yourself, which means way better video quality without the guesswork.
48:46
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48:54
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48:58
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49:03
SPEAKER_00: I actually love this stuff, it just makes filming simple.
49:06
SPEAKER_00: All details linked in our show notes.
49:17
SPEAKER_00: Now we're on the way here, and you're like voice noting multiple people.
49:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, and it got me thinking about like I'm obsessed with Whisperflow.
49:26
SPEAKER_00: Um, obsessed.
49:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm like top 0.4% of users, just so you know.
49:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's although it's not necessarily like a core AI tool, like how I use it as a part of my everyday and how that talks to clawed code and things like that, like it's actually I actually hate typing so much now.
49:45
SPEAKER_00: I don't type.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's the best.
49:48
SPEAKER_00: So if you were to say to a hesitant salon owner or hairstylist one thing that they could be doing to get started with AI, like what do you think?
50:02
SPEAKER_04: What would it be?
50:04
SPEAKER_03: Oh, there's so many ways, but I I think using AI and content is a good thing, combining that because hairdressing, it's all about the content, you know, showing the clients.
50:19
SPEAKER_03: So I think that would be one thing that I would use my AI to help me draft my content or if it is educational content.
50:28
SPEAKER_03: And then another thing would be drafting email campaigns.
50:31
SPEAKER_03: If you're not on a social media platform, I would use AI to draft my emails campaigns so clients can be reminded to come back and you can automate that.
50:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because you're using it to automate like um in my marketing campaigns to drive, yeah.
50:50
SPEAKER_00: To drive more revenue, yeah.
50:52
SPEAKER_00: So you don't need to be like I actually love that, you know, like my cosmetic injector.
50:56
SPEAKER_00: I actually get texts from her.
50:57
SPEAKER_00: She's like, you're due for your top up.
50:59
SPEAKER_00: And I actually love that because sometimes you do forget if you don't re-book, and yeah, I don't find that I don't find that evasive.
51:08
SPEAKER_03: No, you can't wait for a client to to message you and book.
51:12
SPEAKER_03: And that's what I've been doing this for six years.
51:14
SPEAKER_03: So my very first salon, I was already using um automation.
51:18
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, definitely using AI to either educate, create email campaigns, or just you know, coming back.
51:25
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
51:25
SPEAKER_00: SMS.
51:26
SPEAKER_00: Such a good one.
51:27
SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes it's like using it just to say, like, how do I get started on this?
51:32
SPEAKER_00: Like, I want to, and again, this is where I would use Whisperflow, using Whisperflow to talk to whatever you're using and saying, I want to start doing email campaigns and email marketing to my clients to drive X result rebooking, return visitation.
51:48
SPEAKER_00: How should I get started?
51:50
SPEAKER_00: Like, I want you to interview me and extract the information you need from me to get started on this project.
51:56
SPEAKER_03: I love the prompt.
51:57
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
51:58
SPEAKER_03: And then just literally using voice note and say, This is what my day looks like.
52:03
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, this is what I do.
52:04
SPEAKER_03: Tell your whole story, your life journey, and yeah, and then ask how you can help me on my day to day.
52:11
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's a lot of productivity.
52:13
SPEAKER_03: I do everything, like for my what I'm eating, taking photos of what I'm eating, you know.
52:18
SPEAKER_03: I love that.
52:18
SPEAKER_03: This is enough protein.
52:19
SPEAKER_03: Like I literally use it every single day.
52:22
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
52:23
SPEAKER_00: That's such a win.
52:24
SPEAKER_00: Email marketing to clients to get them back in the doors from a revenue point of view.
52:29
SPEAKER_03: But even if you don't know how to get the email market, you can use it AI to research, is that a platform that I can use?
52:37
SPEAKER_03: Like, what's this step by step?
52:38
SPEAKER_03: And how can I get more clients?
52:40
SPEAKER_03: So many ways.
52:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, brainstorming.
52:42
SPEAKER_00: I think brainstorming something new that you want to start doing and just to get like those juices flowing.
52:47
SPEAKER_00: I think, particularly for sell-ons, like you know, like as a business, a new small to mid-sized business owner, like you don't always have a network of people.
52:57
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I mean?
52:58
SPEAKER_00: Like to talk to and brain.
52:59
SPEAKER_00: So, like using AI for that is like so important.
53:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, now we're gonna go on the other end of the spectrum now from like growth and AI and all of those things to like scrappy marketing behavior because I saw on your socials over the last week that you hunted down this like huge influencer from Brazil that was in Australia.
53:20
SPEAKER_00: You know, it might feel like a huge step change, but this is what I love about you.
53:24
SPEAKER_00: Like, we're talking about like how we're using AI to grow the business and what it means to have a fully formed board to scrappy marketing guerrilla behavior, like what you've just done.
53:34
SPEAKER_00: Can you talk us through that?
53:36
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think you need to create your opportunity, right, in life.
53:41
SPEAKER_03: And with their influencers, her name is uh Mari Menezes.
53:45
SPEAKER_03: She's extremely big in Brazil.
53:48
SPEAKER_03: What I found incredible is that I started following her two months ago.
53:53
SPEAKER_03: Because she really went to the to the World Cup alone, and she was doing all this content on the street and talking to strangers and getting all her reactions, like very real moment.
54:05
SPEAKER_03: So I saw that she was in Sydney, and my team called me and said, Hey, let's go after her.
54:11
SPEAKER_03: She's in Bondi.
54:13
SPEAKER_03: Come, let's take some BKT product.
54:15
SPEAKER_03: So I thought, you know what?
54:17
SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm not doing anything.
54:18
SPEAKER_03: It's like 20 minutes of my time, let's just try.
54:21
SPEAKER_03: And then I went, picked up my team, grabbed the product, went to Bondai, and we were looking at her story.
54:29
SPEAKER_03: No, I should have, but um, we were looking at her story because she was she posts every single moment, which can be a little bit dangerous now thinking about it.
54:39
SPEAKER_00: But uh good for you for this for this for the sake of this project.
54:42
SPEAKER_00: I'm right.
54:44
SPEAKER_03: Um, so she was I saw that she was just coming out of Oli's in Bondai, and we were just running, and then we saw her, and I was like, shit, she's there, like I can't believe it.
54:54
SPEAKER_03: And then as we gifted the product, she was like, Oh, I'm gonna go wash my hair using our BKT products.
55:00
SPEAKER_03: Then we look at each other.
55:02
SPEAKER_03: Me and my my staff members say, take her to the salon.
55:05
SPEAKER_03: Yes, and then she accepted, and we went to my salon, and yeah, my account has blown up with all Brazilians following me, which is it's amazing to see.
55:15
SPEAKER_00: What like a full circle moment though from you?
55:17
SPEAKER_00: Full circle, you know, like being Brazilian.
55:20
SPEAKER_00: Like that's yeah, yeah, that was ridiculous.
55:23
SPEAKER_00: So good.
55:24
SPEAKER_00: I love that, and I love the scrappiness of that.
55:26
SPEAKER_00: I think it's important, you know.
55:27
SPEAKER_00: You're talking before about like staying true to yourself and staying humble, and like as you grow, you can lose that scrappy behavior, yeah.
55:37
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes, you know, or that scrappy mindset.
55:40
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was actually really nice because I got a few messages from Brazilians and say, Oh my god, you should do more videos in Portuguese.
55:47
SPEAKER_03: You're much more funnier, you're funnier in Brazil.
55:50
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they're saying you're funnier in Portuguese.
55:53
SPEAKER_03: Like, okay.
55:54
SPEAKER_03: Then I was thinking, like, why am I not doing videos in Portuguese?
55:57
SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, that could change my whole mix of journey.
56:01
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it was it was really good to to play that.
56:05
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
56:05
SPEAKER_00: I love it when you get feedback like that from the community.
56:08
SPEAKER_00: Like, there's so much inspiration that can be taken just like from a DM, right?
56:12
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, because I realized that I never really done a I never recorded it in Portuguese.
56:18
SPEAKER_03: And I have been here for almost nine years, so they probably don't even know like what I'm doing.
56:23
SPEAKER_03: Like they see all this, you know, yeah, lifestyle and everything, and have no idea what I'm probably doing here.
56:30
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
56:31
SPEAKER_00: Now, believe it or not, we're on to fast five lightning rounds.
56:35
SPEAKER_00: We've been talking for an hour and it literally feels like five minutes.
56:39
SPEAKER_00: Now, what's a myth about the industry you wish people would stop believing?
56:46
SPEAKER_04: A myth about industry.
56:48
SPEAKER_04: About being a hairdresser or hairdressing or product or whatever.
56:52
SPEAKER_03: Either or I think it it sounds it's gonna sound funny, but it she's just a hairdresser.
57:01
SPEAKER_03: We know you're much more than that.
57:03
SPEAKER_03: You know, you are a content creator, you are a psychologist, you are an artist, you're creative, you are a friend, you are a business owner.
57:13
SPEAKER_03: So I think it's a massive misconception for us hairdressers and for also thinking, for also people looking at us and label, yeah.
57:25
SPEAKER_03: You're just a hairdresser.
57:26
SPEAKER_03: You know why actually?
57:27
SPEAKER_03: Because I didn't want to go into the hairdressing industry for so long because I was thinking, oh, you're just hairdressing.
57:36
SPEAKER_03: But now I know it's like so much more.
57:38
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
57:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, like, that's the whole name of the podcast.
57:42
SPEAKER_00: And I hear that so much.
57:45
SPEAKER_00: Like, I we're at Sydney Fashion Week, we're at the Sheridan Rochore and OM backstage for the show for Courtney Zhang, and talking to some like just people that were on set, and I was talking to this beautiful girl.
57:59
SPEAKER_00: We got chatting as we were watching the runway show, and I was like, Oh, like what are you here doing today?
58:05
SPEAKER_00: And she's like, Oh, I'm just the makeup artist.
58:07
SPEAKER_00: Oh and I was just like, girl, like please don't say that you're so much more than just a makeup artist.
58:13
SPEAKER_00: Like, look what you've created today.
58:14
SPEAKER_00: Like, and it was the makeup was absolutely stunning, and it's so interesting how it's like we're transforming sometimes our own internal dialogue with ourselves, like our self-limited belief.
58:25
SPEAKER_03: It's that yeah, that's what I was gonna say.
58:27
SPEAKER_03: Limiting belief is just we need to get out of our head.
58:30
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I love that.
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59:24
SPEAKER_00: Now, a mentor really early on in my career when I was in my early 20s said something to me that has stuck with me for so long.
59:31
SPEAKER_00: And she said, the skills I just could have gotten this huge promotion that I've been working towards for like 12 months.
59:37
SPEAKER_00: And she said to me, just remember the skills that got you that position slash promotion slash where you are in your business today are not the right ones that will keep you there or get you to your next goal.
59:52
SPEAKER_00: And I've never forgotten it because it was such a gold nugget.
59:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, so what's one thing that you as a founder, business owner, leader are letting go of, and one thing you're honing in on or focusing on?
1:00:10
SPEAKER_03: It is so challenging to say because we have been going for a massive restructuring the business, and that means some of the people that has been there for a while, we had to let it go because this next phase and scaling global globally is just probably not the best phase, or they can't take us to the next level, and it's not even about the person or the value, it's more about what the business needs.
1:00:39
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so what I'm letting go, some people in my life, in my personal life, some old friendship that it's probably shouldn't be that anymore.
1:00:50
SPEAKER_03: She's shedding, yeah.
1:00:52
SPEAKER_03: She's shedding, yeah.
1:00:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm telling you, personal and professional, yeah.
1:00:57
SPEAKER_00: She's shedding, yeah.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_00: And that is like such a hard.
1:01:00
SPEAKER_00: I think like no matter what stage of business, restructuring never gets easier.
1:01:06
SPEAKER_03: Never, never gets easier.
1:01:08
SPEAKER_03: But I feel this year we let it go of so many people.
1:01:12
SPEAKER_03: I let it go of so many people in my personal life, in my business, and that's not easy.
1:01:18
SPEAKER_03: And people will call you, how can you be so cold?
1:01:21
SPEAKER_03: and how can you be like that?
1:01:23
SPEAKER_03: But you know, it's you need to be in alignment with what you want and who you are, and that's okay, and make the decision and then move on and on to the next.
1:01:33
SPEAKER_00: In business and in life.
1:01:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:01:36
SPEAKER_00: What's a decision you made that changed everything but didn't make sense to anyone or the people around you at the time?
1:01:43
SPEAKER_03: You know what actually, because we touched on that before, was when I decided to when I stopped selling BKT to consumers because I was making 200k per month out of that product.
1:02:02
SPEAKER_03: And when I stopped, people were shocked, and a lot of the consumers were messaging us and say, please don't, why are you making this decision?
1:02:11
SPEAKER_03: But I really want to embrace and support hairdressers way more.
1:02:15
SPEAKER_03: Like this is the the reason I started.
1:02:17
SPEAKER_03: I'm a hairdresser by trade from TAFE.
1:02:21
SPEAKER_03: And that was my number one reason.
1:02:23
SPEAKER_03: So when I stopped, a lot of people asked me and my marketing team, are you sure you're gonna lose$200,000 per month?
1:02:30
SPEAKER_03: You know, and it sounds like a lot, sounds scary, it did not make sense even for myself.
1:02:36
SPEAKER_03: But now, looking at we are, it was the best decision I could have taken.
1:02:41
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like taking on the salon after COVID.
1:02:45
SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's kind of like those both those moments were like extremely pivotal.
1:02:50
SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, in your career.
1:02:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so interesting.
1:02:53
SPEAKER_00: What's a standard in your life or career that is now non-negotiable?
1:02:59
SPEAKER_03: Myself?
1:03:01
SPEAKER_00: Either.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_00: Life or career.
1:03:02
SPEAKER_03: Oh no, that's the answer.
1:03:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
1:03:04
SPEAKER_03: Oh, yourself.
1:03:06
SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah, like my the standards for myself.
1:03:09
SPEAKER_03: I think I am my biggest asset.
1:03:12
SPEAKER_03: If I'm not good with myself, I cannot be good to my partner, to my friends, to people around me, to my dog.
1:03:20
SPEAKER_03: So my number one uh priority in standards is living up to my standards, what I believe, you know, either if it is my lifestyle, my myself being healthy, independent, activities, journaling, you know.
1:03:37
SPEAKER_03: So I have a standard of living, and if you're gonna come to my life, you need to understand that.
1:03:43
SPEAKER_03: Oh, I love that.
1:03:45
SPEAKER_00: What's the next audacious goal you're working on right now?
1:03:50
SPEAKER_00: Any tea, any exclusives you're going to give us?
1:03:54
SPEAKER_03: We are about to launch in a country, but I can't say it anyway.
1:04:00
SPEAKER_03: I mean, like we actually have two things, two really big things that we are negotiating right now.
1:04:07
SPEAKER_03: One is the next country launch, and another one is I can't say, but um you would be more involved with uh BKT distribution and international growth, really scaling the business to the next level in this phase.
1:04:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:04:25
SPEAKER_00: So all about international, all about international.
1:04:28
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think we in Australia we are pretty solid.
1:04:30
SPEAKER_00: I mean, 56 countries isn't enough.
1:04:35
SPEAKER_03: Never enough.
1:04:36
SPEAKER_00: So, what's the number?
1:04:37
SPEAKER_00: How many countries?
1:04:38
SPEAKER_00: How many countries are left?
1:04:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm not really sure.
1:04:41
SPEAKER_03: Look, I think it's more about we want BKT will be very well known in the hairdressing industry, especially on the straightening category.
1:04:50
SPEAKER_03: All we want to deliver safer and better straightening options for hairdressers for our clients.
1:04:55
SPEAKER_03: So this is our goal.
1:04:57
SPEAKER_03: So maybe world domination.
1:05:02
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
1:05:04
SPEAKER_00: Leticia, thank you so much for joining us today.
1:05:07
SPEAKER_00: We have linked all of the relevant handles and notes in our show notes for today.
1:05:13
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, my darling.
1:05:14
SPEAKER_03: Thank you, thank you for having me.