With a BS in biology and chemistry, Rayshone Phillips channeled her scientific knowledge into a career as a professional hairstylist. She is the owner of The Head Spa Studio, a salon specializing in smoothing naturally curly “4C” hair. Rayshone provides services that improve scalp and hair health using organic essential oils. She works out of her home, but she reaches thousands more through her viral TikTok and Youtube videos.

Why did Rayshone need TAP? 
Rayshone partnered with TAP to get a better handle of her finances and to develop a cohesive marketing strategy for her existing products and services and the new online scalp care course she was launching. She also needed guidance applying for PPP loans to get funding during Covid. 

How did TAP help Rayshone and The Head Spa Studio? 
TAP consultants, Christine Rupp and Naomi Azrak, conducted a brand strategy session with Rayshone and provided input on marketing materials, including educational materials for her new Head Spa Studio class for stylists. They reviewed her website and overall business plan. They guided Rayshone as she applied for  PPP funding and created simple P&L and revenue projection spreadsheets so she could understand her profitability and better predict her cash needs. The consultants helped determine a reasonable marketing budget for Head Spa, suggested ways to attract new customers and created a Yelp presence to capture reviews.
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Where is she now? 
Rayshone has moved forward with her new class planning, and customer volume for her traditional services has increased an average of two new clients per week. She is seeing more referrals into her business from online listings- especially Google- and has been able to increase revenues from silk press treatments. Rayshone notes, “TAP was most helpful in building up my confidence. I feel more articulate communicating my brand in both my traditional business and the new HSS class business. Also, their financial projections encouraged me to make better, numbers- based decisions." Rayshone hopes that by applying TAP’s tools to her  specialized services for hair and scalp care she can improve her business and help others look and feel their best.

Maria was a journalist in Peru, but struggled to find work when she moved to Westchester because she didn’t speak English. After working miscellaneous jobs, she began freelancing for newspapers and radio shows across New Jersey and New York. Maria dreamed of owning her own Spanish-language newspaper; fourteen years ago, she opened Westchester Hispano to provide news to the Spanish speaking residents of the tri-state area.

Why did Maria need TAP?
Despite being Westchester's largest newspaper in Spanish, Westchester Hispano was struggling to attract the right salespeople and needed help with cash flow management. The niche media outlet was also in need of updated marketing materials and a stronger social media strategy. Due to the Covid pandemic, Maria lost some advertisers and needed ideas on how to pivot and conserve cash. For the longer term, Maria felt it was important to expand the newspaper’s use of digital media but she needed to navigate how this might affect customer behavior, particularly her readers in the hispanic community.

​How did TAP help Maria and Westchester Hispano?
TAP consultants, Claudine Kelly and Rebecca Shalam, created a customized tool to help Maria manage her cash flow.  They developed a marketing sales sheet and established weekly sales meetings for Maria and her team to coordinate geographies and goals. The consultants also created detailed job descriptions, provided Maria with recruiting contacts in the area to help her source additional staff, and brainstormed best compensation plans for the sales team. They discussed social media strategies and equipped Maria with the necessary tools to expand her presence on different platforms. The consultants presented the idea of reducing print cycles during Covid to reduce expenses, and lastly, TAP provided ideas for an eventual migration from print to digital for the newspaper.
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Where is she now?
By focusing her time and energy on her most responsive clients and hiring reliable salespeople, Maria has been able to expand her business. After three months of collaborating with TAP, sales have increased by 20% and profitability has improved. Maria has also implemented QuickBooks to manage her cash flows and improve financial health. “I’m very thankful to TAP for helping me in so many areas: marketing, accounting, cash flow management and digital media. They really made a difference in my business.” Maria is using her talents as a reporter, publisher, editor and salesperson to work through challenges, and is hopeful for the future.