Two years ago, celebrity stylist Tiffany Rose Dean started her own Black-owned beauty brand, Hollywood Hair Bar, and although the coronavirus pandemic hit the country hard, her business has done extremely well. With over 22,000 5-star reviews on its website, the company is on track for a very successful year.
BLACK ENTERPRISE had a conversation with Dean about how she has been able to increase sales during the pandemic, the reason she decided to switch careers, and how speaking to her mentor, Damon “Dame” Dash helped her grow sales for her business.
You have a very successful business with Hollywood Hair Bar, but, before you started this business, you were a full-time celebrity fashion stylist. What gave you the drive and inspiration to embark on this venture?
I’ve always loved hair! My grandmother instilled the love for hair and hair products at a very young age. Beauty is a passion of mine as well. Fashion and beauty pretty much go hand-in-hand so it was a very natural transition for me! My mother, celebrity fashion designer Angela Dean & my father,
Jonathan Dean of Deanzign instilled this drive in me. I grew up in an entrepreneurial home in Hollywood, California. My parents raised me around their celebrity clients. They taught me everything I know! Working with celebrities for my entire career and growing up around superstars with my parents really sparked my love for all things fabulous in the fashion and beauty realm. My parents have taught me to strive for the stars. I always knew something even bigger was waiting for me in the wings.How do you make the correlation between being a fashion stylist and selling beauty products?
Fashion and beauty are very similar in my world. It’s all about helping people look their best and feel their best! As a celebrity fashion stylist, my job was to create groundbreaking styles and trends that millions of fans would aspire to look like, and with selling beauty products, I have taken that same strategy. I create amazing products that millions of people need and to top it off, the products really work! When a woman looks good she feels good. Fashion & beauty are an amazing marriage! They go hand-in-hand.
The pandemic has hurt some people but it’s done the opposite for you. What do you attribute to the great increase in sales for your business and what plans do you have for the future in terms of where your business is heading?
When the pandemic hit, the world stopped, and everyone was stuck at home. This led to many sitting at home on their cell phones scrolling Facebook & Instagram! I placed my brand in the right place at the right time. I am very connected with God and he led me to make all of the right decisions. I also took advice from my mentor Dame Dash. His strategy is to flood the internet! I worked with Dame on the last show that I costume designed and he gave me the best advice! The marketing strategy that my amazing team put in place, on top of me setting my brand up to win from day one created a firestorm! Because the products really work the response was mind-blowing. We
are in the top 1% of all online stores. Hollywood Hair Bar is the No. 1 Black beauty brand online! We are launching Skin Care (Hollywood Skin Bar), a hair extensions division (TiffanyRose Collection) as well as men & kids! I have so many amazing products to bring to the market in the beauty world! We are also working on a TV show documenting all of this amazing success.What is the appeal of your products? Why do you feel your customers purchase their products from you? What’s the secret sauce?
The secret to my sauce is my high-end ingredients and the fact that my product works. Not only does it work but it works FAST! An all-natural hair regrowth serum that you will see growth in as little as three days is something that is unheard of. We can grow hair on people dealing with alopecia, balding, cradle cap on babies as well! I also make sure to always highlight real reviews and real customers on my ad campaigns. Most women want to hear from other women. So social proof marketing is also big in my world. We have over 22,000 5-star reviews on our website alone!
Being an actual self-made millionaire, what advice are you willing to give people who want to replicate the type of success you’re having?
You have to put the work in! Strategy is key and having the best product on the market is also very important. The team you build must be excellent and experts at what they do. The right product with the right CEO and the right team can be the recipe for a perfect storm! I studied e-commerce for 10 years and I worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years which was my boot camp! I’m so swift on my toes and handle so much pressure so well because working with celebrities is the most pressure-filled thing to do! I also learned so much from my celebrity clients. This is a piece of cake compared to the miracles I have performed in the past working in the industry! Nothing comes overnight. I’ve been working toward this success for 20 years!