Here’s how one Melbourne startup is revolutionising the way hair stylists and customers connect

Dan Namonyo was working in finance when he had a brilliant idea that he’s turned into a promising new business.

It was an idea for an app that could match hair stylists and barbers with customers looking for tailored services and treatments. The goal is two-fold: to create an efficient system for hair professionals to manage and grow their customer bases, and for customers to find a trustworthy provider perfect for their hair needs.

Enter Bam by Zuri (or just Bam for short). Whether it’s a straight cut, braiding, or a specialist colour, Bam is designed to save the user time and money by finding the professional right for them. And if you’ve ever spoken to someone who’s returned from the hairdresser feeling ‘misunderstood’ – you’ll know the value of the perfect connection.

Connecting hairdressers and customers

Bam is looking to make life easier for hairdressers and their clients. Image: Supplied.

Running his business Zuri Innovations since August 2017, Namonyo has been working on getting Bam to market with his eyes set on launching in 2022.

Namonyo is excited about this final step, and his confidence partly comes from knowing he has prepared well – when finding the right help to do so only happened after some trial and error.

“We’ve had about four failed attempts,” the Melbourne-based entrepreneur tells Flying Solo.

“This happened where we’ve gone to a software developer with our idea, and each time their interpretation and understanding was limited. So, we decided instead to find a designer first, who to date has been outstanding and really understands our vision and business needs.”

Namonyo knew he needed to put the right contracts in place to secure the relationship – and the one between himself and co-founders.

“Zuri has three other founders and one advisor. Justin, Josh and Jason are my fellow founders and are in charge of marketing, product and operations respectively,” Namonyo explains. “Our advisor is Evan, who provides us with all his industry experience over the years as a professional barber.”

Bam gives users the chance to choose the best hair stylist for their hair needs. Image: Supplied.

Navigating the legals of startup setup

Having also been a manager for a food delivery service, Namonyo knew there were some important business aspects that needed attention. That’s when he turned to  Lawpath, Australia’s leading online legal software platform for small businesses.

Every week, Lawpath helps hundreds of businesses of all sizes with their needs via legal services done differently – and delivered less expensively than traditional services – offering comprehensive legal software businesses can use themselves.

Lawpath has assisted more than 200,000 businesses in Australia, providing a more cost-effective, technology-powered approach to quick – and important – legal advice.

Namonyo can’t speak highly enough about the value of access to expert advice for startup companies like his.

“Lawpath was a saviour earlier this year when it was time to formalise things with the company,” Namonyo says. “Previously, I was the sole shareholder, but since bringing on three other founders and preparing to take on external investment, I needed professional assistance with a lot of the paperwork and general advice.

“I was initially surprised that Lawpath were providing access to everything we needed at the annual cost of what others were charging one set of documents.”

The very competitive cost aside, the Zuri founder was mostly impressed with the services and software access that Lawpath offered.

“Peace of mind was the biggest thing in using Lawpath – creating our terms and conditions, IP assignment, shareholder agreements and contractor agreements, all massively reduced our spending since we were not charged every time we spoke with a lawyer,” Namonyo says.

“Lawpath’s software dashboard is really easy to become familiar with. Knowing we can ask for help if we get stuck removes the anxiety of thinking about can we afford this with our current burn rate.”

Namonyo estimates that using Lawpath has saved the company thousands of dollars.

“It is definitely more efficient knowing you can easily search for almost any document you might need on the Lawpath database. In terms of money saved, it’s easily over $10,000 and that’s just for what we required for our initial setup,” he says. “I’m sure we will save thousands more in the future.”

Taking it to the cutting edge

Now that Bam will soon be going live, Namonyo is excited, but anticipates it will reach major milestones once it becomes available to the whole market next year. And it won’t end there.

“Augmented reality is a big part of our end game,” Namonyo says. “The technology for video rendering is getting a lot better, and it plugs in perfectly with what Bam is trying to do for the industry, so eventually whether it’s in a salon mirror, a mirror in your home or on your mobile, we plan on incorporating AR into the tools Bam provides both clients and merchants.

“In terms of our mission, we want to facilitate the growth and empowerment of service providers, whilst vastly improving every facet of the clients’ experience.”

Find out more about Bam here.

Starting a business or need help with yours? Contact Lawpath for affordable online legal for your business.

In Lawpath’s Legal Advice Plan you’ll get access to an on-call business lawyer and be able to make 30-minute calls to help with any legal need. Commercial law, trademarks, employment, starting a business – it’s all covered. Plus access to more than 300 legal documents. Get smart with your legal and save time and money with Lawpath today.

This article is brought to you by Flying Solo in partnership with Lawpath.

Disclaimer: Information in this article should not be considered legal advice. Consult a lawyer via Lawpath to get certainty about your legal obligations.