Today we’d like to introduce you to Shante Frazier (SF) and Arie Warren (AW)
Hi Shante and Arie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
(SF) We are the founders of WellCapped, which is a startup that was birthed out of a Venture Studio that finds promising entrepreneurs, works with them over a 16 week period and provides them with capital to help them build a company. The first four weeks of the Venture Studio involve pitching an idea every Friday to a group of mentors and potential investors. I knew that I wanted to pitch an idea in the beauty industry but didn’t have a clear idea of what problem I wanted to solve. After venting to my aunt about not having an idea, she suggested I pitch a company that is “like Rent the Runway but for weave”. When she gave me the idea, I started mapping out what that would look like and realized it was the perfect entry point for the beauty industry. Hair is expensive and now there’s a shift in the behavior of consumers as more people start to consider hair an accessory or an extension of their outfit. The girls want to be able to wear blue hair for a date night and then switch to a blonde bob to match their birthday dress.
WellCapped is currently preparing to relaunch with new inventory. This inventory will feature a more versatile selection which includes natural textures and upart wigs.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
(SF) My cofounder, Arie Warren, and I are building the first company that enables people to rent wigs instead of buying them. Whenever you embark on a journey to create something new, the unpaved road will be full of obstacles and challenges. WellCapped members are smart trendsetters who want to look good(t) everyday. They realize it doesn’t make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on a wig that you will only wear for a week or two before it starts to look dull. All of our wigs are shipped out ready to wear.
However, there are still future members who want to try WellCapped but hesitate because they are unsure about the cleanliness of renting wigs. Our job is to educate these customers on our cleansing and sanitizing process by leveraging our personal brands and social media.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
(AW) WellCapped offers high-quality wig rentals via a monthly subscription or a la carte rental (coming soon). We are here to disrupt the market – our members can change their look every month for one low monthly fee. Before I wore wigs, I thought they were the most complicated thing in the world! We built WellCapped for people like us who are busy and don’t have the time to spend hours on our hair but want to look beautiful and feel confident. Wellcapped wigs are already styled out of the box – no plucking, dying or cutting lace required. Most of our wigs are glueless, which means they are beginner-friendly and application takes less than 10 minutes! WellCapped is with you every step of the way, we provide step-by-step tutorials with product recommendations so that our members feel confident applying the wig themselves. Once your rental period is over, we handle the rest! Return the wig in a pre-paid envelope, we deep clean and sanitize the wig for the next member.
We are very excited to announce that we’ve opened up the member waitlist and will start accepting more members on a first come, first serve basis. We can’t wait for more people to have access to WellCapped, be sure to sign up for the waitlist today.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
(AW) Risk taking is so hard, you are betting on yourself. For some of us, betting on yourself is so scary because we’ve worked so hard to get what we do have. If we fail, then what? After spending many years feeling ‘blah’ about work and life, I realized the biggest risk is not betting on myself. We started WellCapped working our full-time jobs and are so excited to be transitioning full-time to WellCapped in the near future. In just six months, we’ve accomplished more than we ever imagined, including being cast for a black pitch competition show called ‘Bet on Black’ on Revolt TV. I’ve realized that life is just about getting out of your own head and silencing that little voice in your head that reminds you of every failure you’ve ever had since the 2nd grade. WellCapped is proof of that and we hope to inspire others.
Pricing:
- $100 / a month
Contact Info:
- Email: Shante@wellcapped.com
- Website: https://www.wellcapped.com/
- Instagram: @wellcapped
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WellCapped
- Twitter: @getwellcapped
Image Credits:
Travis Geter Photography
