Female entrepreneurs get it: Women have become the power users of technologies such as the internet, mobile, and social networking.
“Female users are the unsung heroines behind the most engaging, fastest growing, and most valuable consumer internet and e-commerce companies. Especially when it comes to social and shopping, women rule the Internet,” wrote Aileen Lee in TechCrunch. Lee is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm.
With 80% of consumer spending controlled by women, a whole lot of money could be spent on products and services developed by women. Now, I’m not advocating that women should rush out and buy products made by women just because we’re the same sex. However, women understand other women. That insight gives us an edge when developing products that better meet our needs. The best entrepreneurs scratch their own itch, said Paul Kedrosky, Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation in this video.
Two brand managers Ritika Gill (Mandarin Oriental Spas, Coty Beauty, L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson. Ernst & Young) and Hillary Hutcheson (L’Oréal and UBS) saw a need that had been overlooked — booking beauty appointments discreetly and quickly.
The light bulb went off when Gill and Hutcheson were invited to a senior management event. They both had been so busy at work that their nails were chipped and their hair had gotten shaggy. Not the way they wanted to present themselves. They started calling around. After an hour of calling, neither had an appointment.
It’s hard to believe that you can order meals, make plane reservations, book doctor appointments online, but to make a personal grooming appointment, you have go old school and use the phone. Beauty Booked is a cross between Kayak and Yelp. You can discover new salons that have been vetted by Beauty Booked’s experts and fellow members. You can book a salon you’ve just discovered or one you’ve already visited. Right now, Beauty Booked is available only in NYC, but it will be rolled out in Los Angeles and Dallas in the next couple of months. In February, a Beauty Booked mobile app will be launched.
4 Steps To Scratching Your Entrepreneurial Itch go to Forbes.
Photo credit: Travel Salem