We’ve only got one person to thank for smooth, knot-free hair: Shaun Pulfrey, founder of UK brand Tangle Teezer, shares his experience as an entrepreneur.
Where it all started…
I have a hairdressing background and I worked as a colorist with Vidal Sassoon for almost 25 years. I had a very unique way of detangling hair at the time – something I really perfected, and made into a tool to produce the same results as what I could do. Tangle Teezer was born around 2007, and I spent about 2 years prior to that in research and development. In August 2007 I went full-time into the business and it has become a global brand since.
My design…
The product came from a technique I used to use on people at the salon. I knew that the hair needed to engage with a tool, and if you just combed it through then you’ll just lock the tangles in. I came up with the two-tier system of teeth and they flex, and they instantly give way to the tangle.
I launched this brand all on my own…
In fact, I used £98,000 to launch it to market. That was a cross between putting IP in place (so I have intellectual properties on the design rights to the patent pending and things) and that was actually all done with UK manufacturing.
As for the copycats…
It wasn’t a matter of “if”, it was a matter of “when”. When were these products going to come to life? Yes we knew they were going to come about, but importantly for us, you can only rely on IP so much. I think one of the other kind of battles is getting yours to be award winning. You’re first to market, multi-award winning, the one that the consumer sees as the benchmark for detangling. You can’t stand around and wait for that day, you have to do as much as you can to cement that you are the leader and first to market.
The best part about having my own business…
I would say the creativity, and the fact that I’ve been able to bring a product to market and develop the concept of detangling. We had the original one, and now we’ve got a blow-styling tool… we’ve done a lot of R&D for that. I would definitely say the creative side and developing products, and have people say “this has changed my life.” We recently have a quote from Victoria Beckham saying that a Tangle Teezer was something she couldn’t leave home without, and she even uses it on her little girl Harper. Even the Queen’s Award, we won the product for innovation, and I get a kick out of that.
And the worst part about having my own business…
It’s interesting because even before, as far as relationships go, I’ve always been a single kind of person anyway. I don’t think there’s been any drawbacks for me… I think it would be very different if I had a family, because someone would be like “you’re always away.” With being single, you have no one else to answer to. I’m travelling the world and doing great things, if anything… it’s made my life even better. There’s no drawback just yet for me.
The best business decision I’ve made so far…
I would say the IP side of things. To start off a business and to have that much faith and conviction in it, I spent almost £20,000 just putting IP in place. Someone even said that to me, that’s the smartest move you’ve ever made. Being far-sighted enough and self-believe. Putting IP down is so beneficial for years to come. Forward planning and thinking is so important.
And here’s some advice for other business-starters…
Keep everything close to you. When it comes to IP you really have to keep things close to you. There’s a secrecy element there but at the same time you need to let go when you launch the product to market. Keep logistics and that sort of thing close to you, that’s better.
We manufacture everything in Britain and it’s been instrumental in my success. We’ve gone from manufacturing 98,000 units in the first year, to 750,000 units a month. The reason that’s possible is because it’s so close to us. You’ll have a much better success rate.
Someone even said to me, how does someone go from running a salon to running a multi-million dollar business? I think you’ll be quite surprised that hairdressers are quite savvy as it is. The first rule of thumb is communication. As hairdressers we have to communicate to get their hair done. For me as a hair colorist, I had to work with the cutters. I was used to working with people. When you’re starting a business, ask yourself, can you work with other people? I could.
My favourite technique using Tangle Teezer…
I use it my Aqua Splash with shampoo. For those at home, shampoo your hair and run the brush through your hair. It’ll wash the lengths as well as the roots. I never do a traditional scalp massage anymore!
Learn how to weather-proof your hair this winter here. Main image courtesy of The Guardian.
Have you tried this brand before? What’s your favourite Tangle Teezer product? Tell us in the comments below…
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