Cloud News

Drybar’s Rise To Success With NetSuite Has A Hidden Message For Partners

‘We were like 5-year-olds playing soccer. Everyone was kicking the ball,’ says Drybar founder Alli Webb at SuiteConnect, where she credited Oracle NetSuite for providing her company a system to grow.

Alli Webb never expected that her company Drybar would grow into what it is today: a chain of salons specializing in hair blowouts that span across 130 locations. The success happened fast, in under a decade, which created unique challenges in managing its growth.

“I would say that it was probably in year four or five, after we had raised a good amount of capital (we raised $75 million), that we brought in a professional CEO and that was the year we slowed down because we were moving so fast and we were opening so many stores,” said Webb, speaking to NetSuite Founder Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect 2019 in San Francisco. “We didn’t have a system in place… speaking of NetSuite. The analogy that we use is that we were like 5-year-olds playing soccer. Everyone was kicking the ball.”

With Oracle NetSuite’s software, Drybar was able to implement financial and inventory controls, providing a new level of visibility into the business. Ultimately, NetSuite aided Drybar in extending its business to include a product line alongside its styling services.

“The big power (of NetSuite) is agility,” said Jason Maynard, SVP of Global Field Operations. “So, when you’re a service-based business like Drybar and you want to start introducing your new products: Do you have the flexibility in your system that you can now sell products so that all of your core systems that support that business can handle the change?”

Looking ahead, Webb says Drybar plans to open another 20 to 25 stores this year and will increase its international footprint. Maynard says Drybar’s success highlights the benefits of becoming highly focused within an industry vertical, something NetSuite encourages its partners to do under its SuiteLife initiative unveiled in April.

“I think any company, whether you’re a reseller of NetSuite or you’re running your own operation…having that vision, strategy, execution and making sure that all those things stay aligned… that’s the magic.”

For more coverage, watch CRN’s video.