How She Weaved One Shop Into A Lucrative Franchise Business

So in less than a year, The Weave Shop had grown to a three-location chain with Saunderson just trying to keep a handle of the constant influx of customers coming for the $50 sew-in weave. “My family has helped me take the company to the next level with branding and marketing,” she said. Saunderson’s 18-year-old daughter models in much of the advertising for The Weave Shop.

The company decided to go with franchising in order to take quick advantage of the demand for the service. In a franchise model, other small business owners make an investment in a ready-made business while agreeing to run it according to the corporation’s requirements. The company is a full-service hair salon, but the sew-in weave is undoubtedly its most popular service, the technique for which Saunderson keeps under wraps.

“It’s unique because it allows us to move faster doing the sew-ins. While working at the local salon when I first moved [to Atlanta], I wanted to come up with a way to make money and still not cost the consumer a lot of money,” Saunderson said. “With our technique it takes one hour to do and anybody will tell you that extensions take at least two hours.”

While speeding up the sew-in weave process is what grew her business, Saunderson said the company almost grew too fast. “It grew really fast before we had gotten systems in place,” she said. “My family came in and helped me with employees, expectations, manuals, trying to keep employees on the same page with customer service.”