The bet made in 2017 became Franco Hair, specialized in the sale of hair extensions
In 2016, Ana Carolina Franco was going through a difficult period, with a job focused on the administrative area, and had no idea that she would be the founder of two establishments dedicated to the sale of mega hair, Franco Hair. After hearing the idea of selling hair from a couple of friends, the 26-year-old entrepreneur decided to try her luck and currently owns two stores in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
“I worked at a Home Care company, since I was studying Administration and Logistics, my job was to select nurses who worked at home for families that needed this service, so it was very different from what I do today”, explains Carolina .
The entrepreneur claims that her friends were responsible for initiating the idea of selling mega hair, but that she did not accept it at first. “In the beginning, I was afraid to enter this business, to invest in this new beginning. I was always vain, I always loved taking care of my hair, the beauty area has always been part of my personal life, but I didn’t know if it would work out. with that, I was apprehensive, but in 2017 I decided to bet on this idea, and it worked.”
Carolina, as she prefers to be called, explains that she started selling hair from door to door, advertising the products in sales groups, working only with the help of her husband, who she claims is her life partner. Her turning point was when a client from São Paulo got in touch looking for her hair, and later indicated, it was at that moment that the carioca decided that she would take a new step.
“This sale was important for me because I realized that I could open a store, my business was working and the right place to sell would be ideal to reach new goals. That’s how the Bangu unit was inaugurated, but I also went through a period difficult before it opened. My husband and I had a motorcycle accident, he was unable to ride for 4 months, without my biggest partner, I found myself without my right arm, I contacted my brother to help me prepare the space, and now he’s the manager of that unit.”
The founder of Franco Hair says that she wanted to offer a different service to women who are looking to give a makeover to their look and improve their self-esteem. Carolina says that she constantly listens to her clients who have not always had an explanation about the procedure, about which type of hair is best suited for their needs and how the mega hair will be applied, she explains that she wanted to stand out in the market and also help these people .
“I have two physical stores, but I also sell online, I make sure it’s not a simple sale, that you put the product in the cart and you’ll only have an idea of what it is when you get to your house. At Franco Hair we make video calls with our customers, to explain about the hair they are buying, to show the options we have, just because they are not in person in the store does not mean that they should not look in our window”, points out Carolina.
With the success of her business, Franco Hair has 13 collaborators to help Carolina run the brand, in addition to having products in addition to Mega Hair, such as ponytail tic-tacs to perform hairstyles, hair extensions in adhesive tape. The next step is the inauguration of her studio in Campo Grande, which, according to the entrepreneur, will be a space completely different from what the neighborhood has already received.
“It’s not easy to find a complete studio in this neighborhood and I wanted to provide this for women who are looking to increase their self-confidence, in addition to optimizing their time. I’ve seen many women saying that they buy the mega hair in one store, apply it in another salon, in our new space there will be a combination of these services, our clients will have our support to leave the studio transformed”, she explains.
Carolina also points out that she seeks to be democratic with her business, so people who have a low budget can still have mega hair, varying the quality of the hair available in the establishment, thus being accessible to all.
“Having my own business is a blessing, I have a 1 year old baby, and I know how women who are mothers are treated in the work environment, there is not much empathy with them. Being the founder of my network, I am able to have some time for me too, for those I love, and this is important, I don’t know if I would have this autonomy elsewhere”, concludes Carolina.