Halo Hand nail studios is ready to launch in SF with our first series of cobranded Pop-Up events.
Project Description
You know how finding a nail salon sucks?
Problem | For women who need polished nails to feel polished, finding a nail salon she trusts can be near impossible. Services are consistently inconsistent from visit to visit on all important dimensions - from availability, to length of appointment, to level of service and quality of the manicure - she never knows what she’s going to get even at her favorite neighborhood joint. She wants her manicures to be a relaxing treat that builds confidence so she can get back to kicking-ass in her everyday life.
Bye-bye bad manis, hello halo.
Solution | We’ve made our manicure process repeatable, predictable and measurable so our guests know they can trust us, and believe we’ll deliver a premium manicure experience. Using easy to implement technology and proprietary techniques, we’ve slimmed down our operations so we can focus on delivering amazing customer experiences in a way the nail salon industry hasn’t in 20+ years.
We solve our customer’s problem with four core tenants:
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Predictability: She can book, pay, and tip online (we’re cashless) so she knows there’s availability, and exactly when she can get in & get back to her day
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Consistency: Our proprietary mani-menu simplifies the multitude of choices in a digestible format, helping our nail technicians confirm they know exactly how she wants her manicure to look and giving her peace of mind that her manicure will be perfect every time
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Curation: We offer a pared down list of today’s most fashionable colors, giving her a premium look every time and guaranteeing that her favorite colors are always in-stock when she drops in
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Experience: From our branded colors, light & airy spaces, to the complimentary glass of wine or sparkling water she drinks, the Halo Hand brand is infused in every single touchpoint, unlike today’s outdated local salons
Business Model & Competition | We are the Dry-Bar of nail salons. Halo Hand is a first-mover in the tech-enabled nail salon space. We compete mainly with outdated local nail salons, and some branded chains that have a large localized real estate footprint. We earn money for each service rendered - customers pay ahead of time and can also purchase packages, much like a SoulCycle class. We also develop our own custom branded polishes & other nail products that can later be sold in-store or direct to consumer online.
Pop-Up & Go!
What we’re doing | halo hand is launching a series of cobranded popups in SF complete with halo-mani appointments, bubbly, instagramable moments and take-home swag-bags
Who we’ll host | We estimate 60 manicures appointments per pop-up, with 200-300 total women moving through the space, enjoying the experience at each event
Why we’re doing it | our goal is to pressure test & refine our operational model, build localized brand awareness, and gather customer feedback
We'd love to meet you
Team | Our Co Founders experienced this pain firsthand living in key markets like NYC, SF & Chicago.
Jennifer Barron - CEO & Co Founder joins Halo Hand from Twilio Product Management with expertise in building processes that scale for millions after receiving her MBA from Kellogg & MSDI from Northwestern
Donna Budman - COO & Co Founder joins Halo Hand most recently from Yelp Business Operations with deep expertise in retail and previously as a consultant at Oliver Wyman
Our Asks | We are currently raising funds for the launch of our first co-branded pop-up experiences, where we will build localized brand awareness, test & refine our operational model.
If you would like to partner, invest, or want to learn more, please contact us at hello@halohand.me
Updates
The Project FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What makes halo work? Our promises of predictability & consistency for the customer gives halo an operational edge in staffing, planning & inventory management. Curation & simplicity of colors & experience brings massive economies of scale opportunities to an expanded retail footprint. And finally, our customer experience obsession gives halo credibility at a premium price-point, which in turn allows us to compensate and care for our salon employees like no other salon in the industry
- What's happening at the event? Our halo pop-up events will be fully functioning nail salons with our halo-trained manicurists giving halo gel manis to guests who have booked appointments. Elsewhere at the event will be champagne, wine & La Croix with light hor d'oeuvres to enjoy, networking, and other beauty giveaways to help spread the halo love!
- Where are the pop-up events happening? Halo Hand is born in SF and will be starting with our local market here, partnering with other female-focused (and founded) brands in the city to help raise awareness. Stay tuned for our eventual expansion!
- Why be a pop-up partner? We're targeting our traffic to host anywhere from 200-300 women throughout the event, giving you great exposure to new customers, opportunities for them to familiarize themselves and trial your brand, and of course free organic social posts promoting your brand through all of our curated instagrammable moments.
Just Because I Care
Our $1000 and above funders will receive halo swag, VIP tickets (includes a special photo shoot with our onsite photographer and 5 mani appointments) for themselves + 5 friends to the first SF pop-up event, a package worth 5 halo mani appointments upon (redeemable upon grand-opening of our first location) and a private dinner with the Halo founders.
Our $200 funders will receive halo swag, 2 halo manis at our pop-up event (one for you & a friend), special accommodations at our event and a VIP photo shoot at the event to show off your fabulous nails.
Our $60 funders will receive halo swag, one halo hand gel manicure, plus a ticket for a guest to join us at our SF pop up event. Your mani can be redeemed at our pop-up or held onto for our broader launch!
For our $50 backers, we'll offer you some exclusive Halo Hand swag & free tickets for you and one friend to our first Halo Hand
Our $20 funders will receive tickets for themselves & 1 friend to join us at our first SF pop-up event
Our $10 funders will receive a special thank you gift mailed from the halo hand founders.
Rewards
Just Because I Care
Our $1000 and above funders will receive halo swag, VIP tickets (includes a special photo shoot with our onsite photographer and 5 mani appointments) for themselves + 5 friends to the first SF pop-up event, a package worth 5 halo mani appointments upon (redeemable upon grand-opening of our first location) and a private dinner with the Halo founders.
Our $200 funders will receive halo swag, 2 halo manis at our pop-up event (one for you & a friend), special accommodations at our event and a VIP photo shoot at the event to show off your fabulous nails.
Our $60 funders will receive halo swag, one halo hand gel manicure, plus a ticket for a guest to join us at our SF pop up event. Your mani can be redeemed at our pop-up or held onto for our broader launch!
For our $50 backers, we'll offer you some exclusive Halo Hand swag & free tickets for you and one friend to our first Halo Hand
Our $20 funders will receive tickets for themselves & 1 friend to join us at our first SF pop-up event
Our $10 funders will receive a special thank you gift mailed from the halo hand founders.