Interviewee Introduction: Rob Smith
Robert Smith is the Co-Founder and CCO at Slick, a software company established in April 2018 that provides the fastest growing booking solution for the hair and beauty industry. The company, under Rob’s leadership, has seen rapid growth and has formed strategic partnerships with notable entities such as L’Oréal, Meta, and Stripe. Slick’s mission is to digitize salon management, offering an end-to-end platform that simplifies operations and connects salons digitally with their clients.
Prior to founding Slick, Rob accumulated extensive experience in the beauty and personal care sector, particularly through his roles at Philips and L’Oréal. At Philips, he was responsible for leading the business units for male and female personal care brands across commercial, marketing, and communication functions. His tenure at L’Oréal involved leading the UKI customer marketing strategy for L’Oréal Professionnel, the UK’s leading professional hair brand.
Rob’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Nottingham. His career reflects a passion for enhancing business operations in the beauty and personal care industry.
Summary
In this episode with Rob Smith, you’ll learn:
- What Slick is and how it assists hair and beauty salons with bookings, payments, website, and marketing, focusing on small, independent businesses.
- The resilience of the hair and beauty industry during economic downturns and the transition from traditional management methods to digital solutions.
- Slick’s approach to scaling, achieving significant market share, maintaining a high Net Promoter Score (NPS), and low churn rate through a product that salon owners love.
- The influence of the partnership with L’Oreal on Slick’s development, balancing corporate expectations with the actual needs of salon owners.
- Insights into Slick’s fundraising journey, the role of L’Oreal in providing initial capital, and the challenges of aligning product development with market needs.
- The effectiveness of a direct sales strategy in an industry with low digital search intent, leveraging local saturation, and word-of-mouth for growth.
- Strategies employed during COVID-19, including community building, educational content, and feature development to support salons in reopening and thriving post-pandemic.
- Rob’s book recommendation for SaaS founders, an entrepreneur or business leader Rob admires, an underrated SaaS tool that Rob recommends, and the best piece of advice Rob has received.
Important Links:
- Slick: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter
- Rob Smith: LinkedIn
- Alexej Pikovsky: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube
Book Recommendation
- Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success by Matthew Syed