TheHair.App
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In 2023, TheHair.App founder Richard Kavanagh needed a way to integrate critical new AI features in his existing product at a time when he also needed to scale back costs.
“Instead of chasing investment, I decided to focus on creating a great product that the market would love, and grow revenue organically from subscriptions. But doing this meant big cost cutbacks, including team downsizing.” - Kavanagh
Kavanagh sought a singular Bubble developer who could be available for the hours he had a budget for. In 2023, he discovered Airdev’s Flex model and matched with a top freelance Bubble developer to efficiently support and extend TheHair.App’s capabilities.
The results?
- Access to a top 1% full stack Bubble developer an an as-needed basis – without the burden of high overhead from full-time staff
- Ongoing app maintenance and product roadmap advancement
- 141% increase in salon-facing treatments and a 70% boost in hair care sales among salons using the app
The OBJEctive
TheHair.App’s goal was to simplify the hair consultation and treatment process for salons and stylists by scanning and assessing clients’ hair types and face shape (using photos) to provide perfect-match hair treatments and recommendations.
To do this, they needed to integrate complex generative AI features on top of their existing Bubble-built app. However, they lacked the investment money to fund an entire team of full-time developers who could continue development and properly launch the app.
“I needed to find somebody who could not only be available for maintenance for a certain number of hours each month, but also have the requisite Bubble skillset to make progress integrating new features to the product roadmap.” - Kavanagh
The SOLUTION
After finding Airdev’s Flex model offering, which provides access to the top 1% Bubble development talent on a fractional basis, Kavanagh decided to hire one of Airdev’s freelance Bubble developers to extend and maintain TheHair.App.
“I found Airdev and they’ve been an absolute godsend for me as the founder and CEO, and for the company as a whole. It’s been an incredible opportunity to easily hire highly skilled experts for the specific work and hours we need, without the stress of hiring full-time staff. If things ever get tough financially, I can pause or end the contract without any long-term commitments, then pick it back up again when ready. Overall, it's been a huge relief to have this flexibility and support.” - Kavanagh
Airdev’s Approach
To get matched with the right developer, Kavanagh shared his needs with Airdev's Customer Success Manager, who then presented several best-fit freelance Bubble developers for TheHair.App to choose from.
"I really loved the personalized onboarding process with Airdev. Unlike other platforms where I have to sift through countless profiles and portfolios, Airdev took the time to understand my business and match me with the right developers. This streamlined the decision-making process and saved me from the hassle of finding the right fit on my own." - Kavanagh
Once matched, Kavanagh and his developer regularly collaborated through calls and messaging platforms to plan monthly goals and deadlines, tracked conveniently in Airdev’s Flex client portal. In the portal, Kavanagh also had the ability to easily manage and adjust hours as needed for the upcoming month.
THE RESULT
With the help of an Airdev developer, TheHair.App now offers advanced generative AI features for hairstylists to provide more personalized, thorough customer consultations. They're also continuing work together to add new elements to the product roadmap, including integrating APIs with salon software, booking platforms, and e-commerce stores to modernize hairstylists' businesses and boost sales in an industry traditionally offline.
“Working with Airdev, I've found a developer who's not only highly technically skilled, but also brings fresh suggestions and solutions for improving TheHair.App’s existing data management, payments, machine learning elements, and custom coding. Having the ability to tap into somebody to keep the lights on and nicely grow and iterate the product is amazing.” - Kavanagh
So far, TheHair.App has led to a 141% increase in salon-facing treatments and a 70% boost in hair care sales among salons using the app.
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