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Beauty Appointment App EEVOY Uses Social Media To Connect Companies To Customers

Beauty Appointment App EEVOY Uses Social Media To Connect Companies To Customers

Beauty tech is making it easier to glam up thanks to appointment apps.

Eevoy is one such app. What makes this beauty appointment booking app  different is that it connects customers and beauty professionals through social media.

Beauty professionals and customers connect online to share ideas, photos, and videos and leave verified reviews of services they received, all while booking appointments for hair, makeup, or nail services any time of the day, seven days a week. The services are currently available in New York City with sights set on expansion into all major cities. Launched in the iPhone app and Google Play Store, the app has more than 500 users booking services in the New York area daily.

beauty app
Joy Osemwenkhae, founder of Eevoy, a beauty appointment booking app that it connects customers and beauty professionals through social media. Photo: Rashidah De Vore Photography

Eevoy was founded in spring 2018 by Nigerian-American Joy Osemwenkhae after her hairstylist moved away. She struggled to find a stylist that specializes in natural hair care.

The beauty market is a $445 billion industry. Osemwenkhae, a financial services professional working in private equity, understood the potential for a beauty app.

Osemwenkhae talked about her plans with Moguldom.

I created a mood board 10 years ago and on it, I had the word ‘entrepreneur’. I did not know what it meant to me at the time, but when I think of it today, it all makes sense.

Joy Osemwenkhae, founder of beauty appointment booking app Eevoy

Moguldom: What does Eevoy stand for?

Joy Osemwenkhae: Eevoy does not stand for anything. I wanted to come up with a name that was unique and easy to pronounce regardless of what country you come from. Eevoy is currently available in the U.S. but I have goals of making Eevoy available in other countries one day.

Moguldom: What prompted you to start the app?

Joy Osemwenkhae: When I transitioned from relaxed to natural hair, finding a hair stylist was a challenge, so I would get braids to help with the transition process until I was fully natural. I learned how to do different hairstyles and would resort back to braids from time to time. One of my sisters referred me to a hair stylist in downtown Brooklyn. He was a great hair stylist, but one day he relocated and there was no way for me to reach him. His cell phone was not working and I had no idea where he relocated to, so I started looking for a new hair stylist.

I could not find anyone that I was truly happy with and my hair suffered in the process. The process of finding a new hair stylist was what prompted me to start Eevoy.  I wanted to create an app that will not only be beneficial to customers but beauty professionals as well. I think it is important to create a product that provides transparency and will benefit both parties. When there is transparency, you gain trust and can build loyal customers in the process.

Moguldom: How do you fund the app?

Joy Osemwenkhae: Eevoy is self-funded. Since quitting my full-time job in 2017, I’ve worked on Eevoy full-time and have a part-time job at a private equity firm to help pay bills and business expenses.

Moguldom: How does the app work?

Joy Osemwenkhae: Eevoy is a social media appointment booking app. The app creates a community of people sharing the same interest – beauty. What differentiates Eevoy from its competitors is the ability for beauty professionals and customers to connect with one another and share beauty photos and videos. Beauty professionals can spend the time to focus on what matters the most and let Eevoy help them grow clientele.

Let’s say I’m a customer that just got a silk press at a hair salon or got my makeup done for an event by a makeup artist. I can share a photo with my followers of the work done and tag the business that did the work. This way, the guesswork of who did my hair and makeup is left at the door. The tag feature allows followers to visit the business page and book an appointment if they like the makeup or hairstyle. It’s free advertising for businesses.

Beauty professionals tagged to their business also have the option to share photos as well with their followers, and every photo or video posted on the app is watermarked to protect ownership rights of content posted. Also, the app is designed where customers can only tag a business if they were an actual customer. This feature protects the business so no random person can tag a business. Lastly, all reviews are verified. It builds credibility for the business as a brand and trust from customers.

For beauty professionals, signing up takes about 15 minutes. Salon owners and self-employed beauty professionals can sign up on Eevoy’s website. After they sign up, their business information and services automatically sync to the app for customers to find them and book appointments. After signing up online, beauty professional can download the free app and sign into the app so they are linked to their business and begin posting photos and videos of their work for followers to view and share.

Moguldom: Do you plan on expanding your beauty tech firm?

Joy Osemwenkhae: Yes, I plan on expanding Eevoy by making it available to other countries around the world as the company continues to grow. The app is currently available in two languages – English and Spanish. Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the U.S, so I felt it was critical to have the app in Spanish as well.

Moguldom: How did you go from working in finance to beauty?

Joy Osemwenkhae: Math was my favorite subject in grade school but I was first introduced to accounting my sophomore year in high school. After taking courses in high school, I knew accounting would be my area of study in college. Although my background is in accounting, I’ve always had a passion for beauty. Hair structure, the best ingredients for hair, skin care and the latest makeup trends are all things I enjoy learning more about.

Creating Eevoy resulted from me losing my hair stylist and seeking a new hair stylist only to be disappointed each time. I found it as a problem that needed a solution and learned some of my friends encountered the same situation.

I created a mood board 10 years ago and on it, I had the word entrepreneur. I did not know what it meant to me at the time, but when I think of it today, it all makes sense. I believe God put us in certain situations for a reason. This for me was a blessing in disguise and I’m forever grateful. I’ve learned a lot as an entrepreneur and continue to learn every day. I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Moguldom: How did your career in finance help you as an entrepreneur?

Joy Osemwenkhae: The transition from employee to entrepreneur has been a learning experience. There is so much that goes into starting a company besides web presence, social media, registering the business and maintaining company formation status. There are other areas of a business that can be easily overlooked such as branding, marketing, sales, consumer behavior, defining your target audience and much more. Having a career in accounting has given me leverage in terms budgeting and financing Eevoy. Building a tech firm from the ground up can be capital intensive so it was important to know what I was comfortable spending to build the product and set a budget. Other aspects of running a business were all done through reading and research, but financing and budgeting is an area I was most comfortable with as a professional with a background in financial services.

Moguldom: How often do you visit Nigeria?

Joy Osemwenkhae:I don’t visit Nigeria as often as I would like to but do visit every couple of years. My parents visit Nigeria every year.

Moguldom: What do you like the most about being in the tech sector?

Joy Osemwenkhae: What I like most about being in the tech sector is the opportunity to innovate and solve problems that can be beneficial to others. I’m constantly thinking of new ways to improve Eevoy for businesses and customers, and that to me is exciting. There is never a dull moment.