In this episode, Hall welcomes Raleigh Melancon, Founder & CEO of StylizeNOW.

Located in Austin, Texas, Raleigh’s company owns and operates a platform (available on iOS Apple Store, Google Play Store, and a website www.stylizenow.com.) StylizeNOW, their platform provides on-demand mobile hair and nail salon services that cater to customers’ residences. For now, the platform is focused on the central Texas markets but hopes to expand soon. StylizeNow contracts with licensed professionals that agree to provide these services to customers that use the StylizeNow mobile application. 

Similar to other on-demand service providers, the company does not employ these professionals but contracts with individual professionals that provide these services and send them to customers that use the platform. Customers simply go on the platform and select what service, or services, they desire, and the platform will immediately begin to set them up with a stylist and send them to the client’s location.

Raleigh graduated from UT Austin, with a BS in computer science, in 2019 and worked in government for one year. COVID-19 affected him in so many ways. While he was fortunate to avoid the worst fate of the pandemic, the entrepreneur in him kept trying to find ways to help people through lockdowns, shutdowns, and stay-at-home orders. He noticed that many women kept complaining about their hair, nails, and other beauty maintenance issues while realizing that at the same time many of these workers had been without any work or working in a limited capacity. Realizing the potential of bringing these two communities together in a way that both satisfied the pandemic restrictions (avoiding indoor public spaces with dozens or hundreds of people) and allowing for the greatest possible convenience to clients of these and other services, were the initial inspiration for StylizeNOW. 

Since organizing his idea, he has been leading the work on a platform that is providing on-demand salon services to clients' homes. Raleigh leads all aspects of founding and launching the platform to include incorporating, registering, searching, shopping insurance plans, developing the marketing strategy and product rollout. 

Raleigh discusses what led him to start working in this space and some of the challenges he has faced. He also advises investors and entrepreneurs.

You can visit StylizeNOW at www.stylizenow.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/stylizenow/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/NowStylize.  

Raleigh can be contacted at raleighmelancon@nowtechnologiesinc.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/raleigh-melancon-18289b200/.        

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Most startup exits come through acquisition by another company. 

In planning for an exit, you need to develop a strategic plan that prepares your business for the target acquirer.

Here are some key steps:

Identify the target acquirer and make contact with the CEO and VPs of the company to discuss a potential acquisition in the future.

Discuss the acquirer’s needs from your company.

This could be revenue, cash flow, talent, or other.

Typically, the acquirer will look for targets on one or more of these categories. 

With this in mind, draw up a strategic plan for the company to hit these targets and use it to set the goals of the company. 

This process often takes up to 3 years to complete. 

At the same time, you can start moving the startup’s organizational structure to match the acquiring company’s structure. 


Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.
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