Payment Solutions for Small Businesses

Nikki Ally Rae

For hair stylist Nikki Ally Rae, building a business means building something bigger. In her time behind the chair, she’s seen healthy growth assisting stylists, running her own salon, and racking up a client list that’s 700 strong.

Creating a seamless customer experience from booking to payment.

“It’s amazing to see how passionate Nikki is about hair and more so about her clients and how they feel as women,” said Trinity Gantt, Nikki’s business partner. Together, the two continue to push the potential of the Beverly Hills salon. Next up: a hair product line.

Gearing up for the big drop, Nikki shared the tools and people she trusts to keep her chair spinning and her vision clear.

Initially, she wanted her clients to be able to book appointments and pay for services easily. It was also important to be professional. She found other payment tools and booking systems were challenging and a headache to use. With Square Reader and Square Appointments, she was able to create a customer experience that was smooth from the moment someone booked to the moment they paid.

As I grew, it actually grew with me.

When one client became many, Nikki began exploring all that Square had to offer. She puts Square Marketing to use when she reaches out to her client list. Square Invoices help clients pay on their schedule. “It’s kind of like [Square] went from the assistant side and grew into a full salon business with me,” Nikki said.

Hear how Nikki grew her business with Square Payments

“As I grew, it grew with me. When I first got Square, it was very simple. You just pay and that’s it. And then it was like, you can now use our booking system. You can now add services. It was very cool how it grew with me. It’s kind of like you guys went from the assistant side with me and then grew into a salon business with me.”

Learn more about payments

It’s way beyond a transaction.

Providing support through the braids, extensions, and hair treatments is Nikki’s partner Trin. “Beauty is not just an outside thing. It’s an internal thing. And when you go to these services with her, it’s an experience,” said Trin. “She’s such a great listener and so unselfish with how she approaches doing hair.”

That focus on her clients has paid off. Nikki knows she’s built strong relationships. Now she has her sights set on hair products. Her clients have been asking for them for months.

“The line will be called Be You Hair Collection By Nikki Ally Rae. It’s based on us just being us and loving the hair that we’re in. It’ll be for kinkier, curlier textures, so people can wear their hair proudly.”

Both Nikki and Trin admit getting the business to this level wasn’t easy, but they have confidence as they look to the future, their big drop, and the community they’re building. “Our lives have truly changed due to hard work and having something like Square to help organize that hard work and execute it as business owners,” said Trin.