She Needed a Side Hustle and Ended Up Building a $255 Million Hair Empire

Floral Pattern Floral Pattern By: Samantha

Alli Webb was a bored stay-at-home mom looking for a flexible side hustle in 2009

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She started a mobile blowout business, going to women's homes to do $40 hair styling.

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Her exceptional service built a loyal customer base in wealthy LA neighborhoods.

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When clients kept asking to come to her, Alli had the idea to open a blowdry-only salon.

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Her brother Michael invested $250K and Alli put in their $50K life savings to fund the first shop in 2010.

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The opening day booked solid after a popular blog featured them - they instantly knew it would be a hit.

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They rapidly opened 10-15 more Drybar locations as demand exploded across California.

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In just 2 years, the breakneck pace was too much for Michael to manage as CEO.

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Alli brought on an experienced CEO in 2013 to implement operational processes.

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By 2019 Drybar had over 100 locations and a popular product line.

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That year Alli sold the product division for $255 million just before the pandemic.

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In 2021 she sold the franchising rights for an undisclosed amount.

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Alli loves mentoring entrepreneurs now, advising them to start small and do what they love

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Her story shows massive success can come from humble side hustle beginnings

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