Getting to know you: Emma Boyd, MD, Tipsity

Emma Boyd

What do you currently do?

I am Managing Director of Tipsity, a fast growing in-office beauty service that brings the salon to the workplace giving busy staff a better work-life balance, we currently provide 1000+ manicures per month to corporate offices in London. Clients include facebook, booking.com, Not On The High Street, Zoopla and ITV.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Previously, I had worked at one of London’s top spas and quickly realised a gap in the London market for in-office beauty as people were rushing manicures in their lunch breaks and after work –  it was not a very pleasant experience for them. I wanted to create a business that gave people time back into their day and make them happy and productive in the workplace at the same time.

What defines your way of doing business?

We are currently growing at very steady pace and constantly recruiting more staff to keep up with demand for our services, I like to move fast while the opportunity to take market share is there as in-office beauty is a new sector. We are very much focusing on growth but as we grow it is just as important to ensure our standards remain the best in the industry, I like to invest heavily into my staff and ensure they are happy in their role so we can provide the best service possible to our clients.

Who do you admire?

I really look up to Marcia Kilgore who started Bliss Spa a very successful global chain of spas that help revolutionise the beauty industry, her story from starting from scratch and how she operated her business really resonated with myself and I hope to be able to follow in her footsteps. I really love people who get out there and give it ago in business especially other female entrepreneurs.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Getting more support in the business at an earlier stage, when you start in business resources are limited so you end up doing a lot of the small mundane tasks yourself which can take up a lot of time, when I started it was just me and could sometimes be quite difficult to get everything done in the timeframe needed, so hiring staff to complete the smaller simple tasks would of helped me grow even faster in the early days.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Follow your passion and build a business that you love, when I started out people told me that in-offices manicures would not work, if I had of listened to them we would not be where we are today, so ensure you aways follow your instinct, stay focused and surround yourself with people on the same mission. Make sure you set clear defined goals and treat your staff the way you would like to be treated.