December, Haarlem. Jake Raijmann, founder of startup GlamPop was one of the top five finalists that made it to the last stage of our program, the Finals Present Your Startup Haarlem 2019, pitching his business to investors, a jury panel, and a huge crowd in the theater Philharmonie Haarlem. After almost 2 years of this edition, we talked to Jake to know more about how his company kept growing. Read the following article to know the details.
Jake Raijmann, founder of startup GlamPop had some very busy weeks after our program. He started by preparing the first Curly Hair Masterclass in Suriname: "The masterclass was held in the first week of the year 2020 and was a success. With that success under our belt, we reached out to a sales coach to help plan and execute our B2B sales strategy. And, in our first week of starting, corona hit. We were forced to shut down our operations", said Jake.
Although, after PYS no financial investments were made in their business, they said they understood that because the investor landscape in the Netherlands is different. Nonetheless, they received exposure which helped them to get connected with mentors and advisors. Currently, they are back to fundraising with a stronger team and more traction under their belt.
Had the pandemic effects on this startup?
Last year was very challenging because GlamPop was not allowed to open its business, and when they did, they were still challenged with a decrease in the demand because of restrictions such as a ban on events and social gatherings. For more than a year, they were unable to grow because there was no money coming in, luckily their costs were not too high and they were able to survive.
On the other hand, the corona time was positive for this business, it helped them to think on the past years, and they saw in which areas they could grow and doubled down on that.
Why people is important in GlamPop?
As Jake mentioned, their goal is to get great people in their start-up team, reach their growth goals while having fun doing it, and create a great inclusive working culture. Therefore, they decided to invest in growing the team, and at the moment, they are 5 team members and currently hiring more. They added a valuable person to the management team, and they have more people helping them to reach their goals even faster. And they moved into our new Headquarters in the center of Rotterdam. "We are investing in people, in systems and software. This will enable us to grow in a structured manner and to get one step closer to our overall vision of being the first choice for a Luxury beauty experience on-demand", says Jake.
What are the plans for GlamPop?
At the moment, GlamPop is busy with a complete rebranding, which will get their brand to a new level. In the meantime, they keep offering their services. Getting the foundation right is their priority number one.
In December, they plan to go live with their new website, and later, they will be launching a mobile app. They are also expanding their services by recruiting more freelancers on their Beauty Artist network, as well as offering their services to more cities.
As soon as the restrictions of the pandemic are gone, they are planning on introducing new concepts such as group experiences, office experiences, and products.
Jake pitching in the Finals PYS Haarlem 2019
““Never give up even if that means going through a pandemic. Stay patient. A start-up takes time, and gaining new skills is a long-term process, be sure to enjoy the adventure””
If you are interested in partnering up, get in touch with Jake through his e-mail jake@glampop.nl
Would you like to see which beauty services GlamPop offers in the comfort of your home, the office, anywhere you would prefer? Click on the button below to visit their website and see more about this startup.
