Raised by a mother who was a hairstylist, Shepherd Mkhize opened a mobile salon in 2018 to cater to the needs of women who wanted to do their hair in the comfort of their own homes while making styling a sustainable business for hairdressers.
The founder of Rooom Mobile Hair Salon started the online service shortly after completing high school.
Mkhize said seeing the struggles of the hair care industry through his mother’s eyes inspired him to make it sustainable for others.
"My mom worked the whole month, but we still had no money at the end of it.
"That was because we were living from hand to mouth, and she had to cover all the expenses that came with styling.
"So, I wanted to make this business sustainable for people like my mom to be able to work and properly take care of their children," he said.
He launched his business while employed by a start-up company in Cape Town. There, Mkhize was operating the online booking system while working with hairstylists contracted to the company.
He established a loyal customer base that caught on to his service for convenience, but they were not that many.
"In the first month, I made R700 profit, but I didn’t give up. I automated most of the process and for two years I was the only one running the business."
While the pandemic led to the disruption and closure of many businesses in 2020, Mkhize said his hair company "struck gold" in this period as people could not get their hair done at salons.
"It 100% turned around the productivity of the company," he said.
"We were there with a proven concept that
we could deliver a quality service that was also convenient."
While this meant that Rooom Mobile could grow and expand its services to more cities, it came with its own set of challenges.
Mkhize described the hiring process as one of the issues the business was faced with.
Initially, he hired some of his friends to help with the company.
"I had to work twice as hard to convince them that this was a serious business. While it had an upside to it, it also came with a set of disadvantages.
"What was achieved in five years could have been done quicker if I had hired people who were qualified from the beginning."
When the business started hiring people on the operational side of things, Mkhize struggled with some employees who were sceptical of his modest educational background. He had to fight twice as hard to earn the respect of employees.
"I was young, black, and had no tertiary education when I was hiring accountants and marketing graduates.
"These were people who were more educated than me and it made it difficult for me to command that authority."
Mobile has since grown to become the country’s largest mobile hair salon, with hairstylists available in parts of Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Bloemfontein in the Free State.
The business employs 20 people permanently, working with more than 500 contractors in different parts of the country.
Rooom Mobile specialises in four hairstyles — braids, locks, cornrows and twists. Prices vary from R750 to R5,000 per hairdo.
"The price includes a complimentary hair wash, hair piece, labour and travel expenses for the hairstylist.
"The final price you get from us includes everything. There are no hidden expenses."
Mkhize said the most expensive braids cost R5,000 as they use Brazilian hair, which costs about R900 a bundle. Not only does he have
clients around the country, but they have serviced people from the UK who happen to be visiting South Africa.
"We currently have a database of 48,000 clients across the country who do their hair with us and others from places like the UK because of the service and the convenience. Our stylists are professionals who deliver on what they must do."
The goal is to make Rooom Mobile a leading brand globally that caters to all hair care needs,
he added.
The business is opening its first 24-hour hair salon at an office park in Randburg where clients can get their hair done in less than three hours.
"We were intentional with the location, that’s why we won’t be in a place like Braamfontein, for example. The area is safe, allowing for people to park their cars and get their hair done at any time of the day or night."
The long-term goal is to expand to Nigeria and even attempt to enter the US market.
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