START UP A REAL BEAUTY

VROOM Vroom and Wotif have secured significant market share in their respective industries and now a savvy mumprenuer is hopeful that her site will do the same in the national beauty sector.

Beautyrightnow.com has been developed by a team of Gold Coast entrepreneurs where a self managed portal has been created to assist salons and spas to take advantage of a captured target market and free online marketing exposure.

Around $1 million in start-up capital has been raised via a private investor and each of the company’s five directors.

CEO and co-founder Leila Carey (pictured), says the site will fill the ‘dead diary space’ for salons and spas with a new online customer base not otherwise attainable.

Clients can find, book and pay for hair and beauty services by choosing a location, category and treatment. The result will display available salons and spas, treatments, times and prices.

“Beautyrightnow.com exposes businesses to a prime online target market taking the beauty industry to the next level in the dot com phenomena. It will become the number one Australian website to book beauty treatments and services,” says Carey.

“We have launched registrations on the Gold Coast and the response has been overwhelming with major brands already confirmed. Australian Skin Clinics, Esteem Day Spa and Lotus Institute are just a few of the many salons and spas who are now registered on the Gold Coast.

“Beautyrightnow.com is the answer the beauty industry needs for businesses to reach a maximum client base in an extremely cluttered market. At the moment we are creating consumer awareness and we will take it a step further when we go live in mid-October.”

The 32-year-old explains that Beautyrightnow.com is a win-win situation for both salon and spa clients who would like to book appointments with minimal fuss and for salon owners wanting to attract a new wave of clientele with an immediate payment made online at the time of booking.

The demographic includes people with busy lifestyles, domestic and foreign travellers, people looking for new beauty experiences, people not loyal to particular salons and treatments, people who cannot book into their regular salon and ladies looking for last minute beauty needs.

“The website will suit those with busy lifestyles, those who can’t secure an appointment with their regular salon or those domestic and international holidaymakers looking for an easy, quick and convenient way to book a beauty appointment,” says Carey.

The company’s viral campaign featuring Gold Coast bikini model Brooke Evers has become a YouTube hit with almost 10,000 viewers.

According to an IBIS World Industry Report 2010 – Online Shopping and Mail-Order Houses in Australia – Australians spent $3.3 billion on beauty services and a staggering $19.7 billion online in 2009.

The Gold Coast has become a land of opportunity for today’s savvy young entrepreneurs and 2010 marks the third year that Gold Coast Business News has showcased the city’s brightest young business minds. If you’re aged under 40 and feel that you deserve your place among the eminent Gold Coast Business News Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award finalists, CLICK HERE to find out more and fill in an application form. Prizes and prestige will be unveiled at a gala event in November.