When the COVID-19 pandemic caused an upset in business circles with the raft of restrictions, Dr. Tye and his wife, Courtney Caldwell, noticed a perfect business idea.
The restrictions placed on movement brought in a new norm where barbers and beauticians in the United States had to travel to their clients to be able to make ends meet.
Dr. Tye, who owned a well-known salon in Dallas, Texas, said the pandemic presented them with a challenge of excess space in their barbershop and how to fill it with clients was becoming frustrating.
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According to him, his reality was amplified when a local stylist called and asked them if they could lease their empty salon space to him for some days to work.
He indicated that that’s how they created ShearShare operating in 600 cities as part of their vision of assisting businesses to recover from the pandemic.
ShearShare is a mobile App providing licensed barbers and beauticians with affordable rental spaces where they can work on their own terms for as long as they want.
“ShearShare was created because we were trying to solve a challenge that was confronting us as well,” he recounted in an interview with AfroTech.
Dr. Tye said the life of black communities is thriving businesses owned by black entrepreneurs including black barbershops and hair salons.
He explained that what ShearShare is doing is making the empty chairs and spaces of beauticians and barbers available for a fee to their benefit. The mobile app works with users tapping into a database containing on-demand rentals of spaces across 900 cities.
“We have been able to raise $5.5 million to support this vision behind the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app,” he added.
The Co-founder of ShearShare is now helping stylists to find cheaper shops quickly with no commission and contracts attached.
He said he is excited that for the first time beauticians and barbers are making more money from their skill in professional space as well. “Stylists rent a suite or station where they want and at a time and price they want to pay,” he claimed.
