Rahel Tesfai founder of Frohub is transforming the way black women go to the hair salon

Written by: Deepa Somasunderam

Maximum efficiency, minimum fuss over here.

Rahel Tesfai is positively glowing, her energy is boundless and she is ready for global domination. A powerhouse entrepreneur based in London, Rahel was chosen as one of Telegraph and Natwest’s Top 10 Entrepreneurs to Watch in the UK at the end of 2022. 

Rahel is the founder and CEO of Frohub, an online booking marketplace for Afro hair and beauty. How does it work? Frohub lets users connect with a wide variety of haircare providers - salons, home-based stylists and mobile providers - so they can quickly search for styles, discover hairstylists and book appointments. 

We couldn’t wait to chat with Rahel about her founder journey, her future plans for Frohub and her personal beauty and wellness tips. 

So Rahel, glad we could catch up again! How has 2023 been so far?

It’s so lovely to catch up again Deepa! 2023 has been great so far, feeling pumped and excited for the year ahead. FroHub had a pretty awesome 2022, we grew our community, expanded our team and have been able to serve more customers. We're growing fast and have global ambitions.

Tell us about FroHub - what is your mission and what inspired you to start your business?

FroHub is a fast growing Afro hair & beauty community and marketplace booking platform. We’re reshaping how a fragmented, offline and hugely under-served industry connects - an industry worth more than $35bn that is still driven purely by word of mouth. Our vision is to make access to black hair care easy. 

FroHub was born out of personal frustration. I used to waste hours searching Instagram for an Afro hairdresser using hashtags, travelled across town to get to their location, and spent a lot of money only to be met with poor service. I can relate to my friends, family and the thousands of Black women that have taken to social media to complain about their hairdresser frustrations.

What were those initial months like when you launched?

FroHub started as an Instagram community, manually connecting women to hairdressers. It got to a point where we got hundreds of requests, and decided that it was time to set up an actual platform to streamline and automate the processes. 

My varied experience in front-end development, user experience, digital marketing, and graphic design from both well-established global companies to disruptive startups has been extremely useful in the launch of our platform. I’m extremely passionate about customers and products, so from the very beginning, creating a beautiful and frictionless customer experience and building a strong trusted brand have been key.

What were some of the challenges you faced early on?

In the early days one of the challenges involved being told what we’re building is too niche and not in a big enough market. FroHub is digitising a $35bn+ industry. Starting off niche and overlooked has been a huge advantage. As our brand recognition has grown we've seen that established, indirect competitors have started to take notice of the huge opportunity within the black hair space. 

Looking back on the last few years since launch, what are you most proud of?

I am proud of the engaged community of Black women we have built who trust us with their hair care needs. The incredible team that has come together to support our mission. 

And despite launching in the months leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic and facing significant challenges from lockdowns, we have not only managed to survive but also thrived.

What inspired you to be a Delegate to UN Women and what can you tell us about that experience?

FroHub is dedicated to achieving the 5th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal by using technology to empower women and digitising an offline industry. As a Delegate to UN Women, connecting with motivated individuals has allowed us to continually discover new ways to advance our mission.

We love that you feature home-based salons on your website because it really lets the consumer have maximum access to the best stylists in town while supporting small businesses. What inspired you to do this and what has been the customer response to this?

Offering a variety of home-based, salon-based, and mobile hairdressers has allowed us to provide our clients with a wide range of options for their hair care needs. Our clients have the freedom to choose whether they want to visit a salon or have a hairdresser come to them and the feedback has been very positive. 

Additionally, we wanted to empower our hairdresser partners to become micro-entrepreneurs and have that flexibility to work on their own terms, whether they choose to do hairdressing full-time, part-time, or as a side hustle.

Rahel Tesfai on empowering micro entrepreneurs

“Our clients have the freedom to choose whether they want to visit a salon or have a hairdresser come to them and the feedback has been very positive.“

What's next for the brand? Any plans for global expansion?

We have grand aspirations on a global scale. At present, half of our enquiries come from the US, despite the fact that we don’t serve that market yet. 

Recently, I visited the US to scope potential market growth opportunities. Our ultimate objective is to be the global go-to hub for all things related to black hair, be it services, products, or user-generated learning content shared through our community.

We want to know more about you. Can you share a childhood memory that shaped you or a childhood anecdote?

I think I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit since childhood, finding ways to make pocket money, whether it was picking rhubarb or creating drawings and enlisting the help of other kids in my neighbourhood to sell them. I guess that hustling mindset has been with me since the beginning.

What is your favourite hairstyle and favourite haircare products?

I go through phases of experimenting with different hairstyles, such as rocking my natural fro, trying out various protective styles like braids or a silk press. I appreciate the diversity of styles that Black women can wear their hair in. When it comes to hair care products, I have found that my hair responds well to those that contain shea butter.

As a busy founder, what is your self-care routine?

I used to neglect self-care while focusing on building my business. But I've come to realise that being an entrepreneur is a marathon not a sprint, and it's important to take care of myself along the way. 

I now intentionally schedule "me time" into my daily schedule, which can be anything from meditation, journaling, or watching TV, but for me, it's going to the gym, taking lunch breaks away from my desk and making sleep a priority (I’m still working on that!). 

Prioritising my health and fitness has greatly improved my productivity. A Buddhist saying "when you're eating an orange, eat the orange" reminds me to be present and mindful in all aspects of my life.