When asked who their entrepreneurial inspirations were, Gayathiri and Shanta, the siblings and founders behind JomCut, a hair and beauty services startup, cited Tony Fernandes, and Grab’s co-founders Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling.
“While growing up, we learnt about sheer determination, perseverance, and patience in building a company from scratch,” shared Gayathiri.
It was these very values that they seek to emulate with JomCut too, with their startup providing their services to those in the Klang Valley on a house-call basis since December 2020.
A service that caters to all
Prior to launching the startup, the siblings did market research and found that house-call services would still see continued demand and growth even after the pandemic.
And that makes sense since some salon services can take long hours to complete, so being able to stay in the comfort of one’s own home for the process is convenient and likely preferable.
In line with that, JomCut shared that they are catering their services to anyone who is looking for a comforting and convenient home salon service.
Although, its primary focus has actually always been offering on-site hair styling services to disabled, sick, or bedridden individuals, and veterans, as they require greater care and support.
In general, the prices for male-centric services range from:
| Price | Treatments | Inclusive of |
| RM40-RM60 | Basic haircut (subject to hair length) | – |
| RM100-RM150 | Package deals | Haircut, hair wash, and head massage |
| RM150-RM200 | Hair colouring | – |
Meanwhile, these are the price ranges for female-centric services:
| Price | Treatments | Inclusive of |
| RM80-RM180 | Basic haircut (subject to hair length) | – |
| RM100-RM200 | Package deals | Haircut, hair wash, and head massage |
| RM250 and above | Hair colouring (subject to hair length and the type of colour) | – |
Based on my knowledge, these prices are in line with those offered by regular salons as well, making JomCut’s services somewhat on par with the market rate.
It’s worth mentioning that JomCut charges its customers for the transportation fees of their stylists.
Convenience at your doorstep
As the founders manage JomCut part time, they rely on their stylist network that operates on a freelance basis.
Ideally, JomCut requires the hair stylists, barbers, and beauticians that they hire to have a minimum of one to two years of industry experience.
However, the duo also welcomes those who are relatively new to the industry. Of course, they must have the necessary qualifications including:
- Basic skill sets and knowledge;
- Education and certifications;
- Recommendation letters from any reputed hair or beauty institutions.
During the pandemic, the duo utilised a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to manage the bookings from their customers through JomCut’s website.
Currently though, they’re making amendments to their site, so the team is accepting bookings via their WhatsApp instead.
Customers get to determine the location and timings for getting the styling services based on their individual schedules, though those are subject to the stylists’ availability too.
Once the booking has been confirmed, Gayathiri and Shanta would notify their stylists and arrange for payments.
Stylists will visit customers’ homes prepared with the necessary equipment they need for their work, including vacuums and a disposable mat for easy cleanup.
Once the service is completed, JomCut will get its customers’ feedback on the services they’ve received.
“To be honest, our stylists have been doing a really good job as we have not heard of any complaints from our customers, and we’re absolutely proud of that,” expressed Gayathiri.
Disrupting an outdated industry
As a company, JomCut ensures its stylists are properly groomed and equipped with interpersonal and professional communication skills when attending to customers.
It’s something Gayathiri and Shanta found that customers value while receiving hair styling services. This is particularly since it’s a service that requires both stylist and customer to closely spend an extended amount of time together, so customer comfort is of utmost importance.
Everything currently appears pretty smooth sailing for the sibling duo, though if they had any challenges to highlight, Gayathiri and Shanta explained that they came down to the financial aspects of the business.
But they’re confident that it’s something they can overcome. According to Gayathiri, investors in Malaysia are keen on looking for businesses that include an element of disruptive tech in their operations, which she believes is lacking in the hair and beauty industry.
“It is important to understand that the investors in Malaysia are more focused on different aspects of the market, and the hair and beauty industry is often neglected due to the lack of popularity,” shared Gayathiri.
To turn that around, the brand currently relies on word-of-mouth marketing and running ads on social media to grow its customer base.
So far, Gayathiri reported that this strategy is working, with a healthy number of customers enquiring about JomCut’s services, pricing, and the stylists’ availability.
Moving forward, the brand has plans to introduce more mobile services including manicures, pedicures, makeup, and facial treatments.
In spite of that, Gayathiri and Shanta have no plans on expanding their services beyond the Klang Valley.
Featured Image Credit: JomCut
