business excellence booklet proof-01

2019 GEELONG BUSINESS
EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2019

Welcome to
CREW FACED

Crew Faced Makeup Artistry is a
thriving small business serving the Geelong
region since July 2015.
BUSINESS SUMMARY
Owner/ Director Jessica Anderson is a professional
flight attendant who successfully juggles her
career in the air whilst simultaneously managing
her home-based studio in Lara. This allows Jess
to balance caring for her young family with
developing the business.
Jessica’s vision for Crew Faced is to offer a
luxury makeup & hair styling service, education &
training in a sophisticated environment. Jessica
has demonstrated her leadership by initiating a
mentoring programme to train others to acquire
industry skills in makeup & hair styling.
By offering flexible appointments 7 days a week,
she plans to continually expand business & services
at a yearly growth rate of at least 10%.
THIS RELIES ON:
-Rigorous selection of skilled staff
-Encouraging constructive feedback & client surveys
-Ensuring use of quality products
-Remaining price competitive
-Regular industry training for all staff

COMPETITIVE EDGE
Jessica & her team provide both in studio & mobile makeup application &
hair styling to facilitate special events Australia wide.
Crew Faced has existing partnerships with retail product supplier
Bodyography & 2 other Geelong based businesses who contract Crew Faced
exclusively. This collaboration offers clients an inclusive service of makeup,
hair styling & photography.
Crew Faced caters for clients with limited mobility with an accessible
wheelchair & pram-friendly studio whilst offering a mobile service within
Geelong to disabled clients at no extra cost.
SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Crew Faced’s studio is purpose built & committed to leaving a carbon
neutral footprint, adopting a best practise approach to environmental
management. The business’ use of mineral based & cruelty free products
supports an environmentally conscious, ethical & sustainable culture.
OTHER PRACTISES INCLUDE
-Paperless transactions via online payroll & invoicing
-Recycling empty containers
- Using organic detergents
-Clean energy- solar panels installed
-Natural & LED lighting
-Water saver taps installed
-Recycled timber used in construction
-Evaporative cooling

BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENTS
Crew Faced has developed into a multi-faceted business, expanding the team
to 7 staff since October 2018.
The business provides direct employment opportunities to several women &
works closely with aligned businesses predominantly in Geelong & Melbourne,
& inclusive of country Victoria and Interstate.
An external book-keeper (KDF Book-keeping Services) joined the team March
2019 & coordinates finances whilst Jessica’s Husband accommodates the role
of P.A. providing administration support, planning & project management.
The Crew Faced team will be operating from a new purpose built studio in
Lara from June 2019. This will give the business a commercial edge with a
customized fit out to facilitate education and appointments.
GROWTH
-A strong focus on education, team expansion & offering a hair styling service late
2018 led to a 30% increase in appointments
-In the past 9-12 months strong market growth has been achieved by offering a
makeup service as a complete package in collaboration with 2 Geelong based
newborn photographers
-Successfully operating for 4 years without debt, gradual growth & solid financial
foundations enable the Director to now draw a modest salary whilst financing the
new studio.
Growth in clientele is forecast for 30% for the projected year with a larger
team to facilitate bookings

New studio June 2019
Current studio

THE MENTOR PROGRAMME
The mentor programme launched in 2018 resulting from analysis of Crew
Faced services. Client surveys had identified a preference for Jessica’s
signature application over services offered by casual artists intermittently
working with Crew Faced in 2017. Jessica targeted aspiring artists to work
voluntarily with her in exchange for valuable industry exposure, where this
unique mentor programme was introduced.
A highlight to date is the ongoing success of the mentor programme’s first
recruit, Caitlyn- a passionate individual without experience who joined the
team in December 2018.
ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES
Introducing the mentor programme ensured the highest standards in a new
recruit & facilitation of more appointments late 2018
-Casual employment of another 3 makeup artists, a book keeper & appointment of
a P.A. in early 2019.
REVENUE
Streamlined operational costs using the home based studio means limited
financial exposure to lease-related expenses whilst being able to advertise at a
savvy price point without overheads.
Gradual growth has allowed her micro business to avoid high overheads &
utility costs from the outset, expanding at its own pace from a secure premises
& stable financial base.
INNOVATION- PRODUCTS & SERVICES
-Negotiating wholesale distribution rights
to preferred professional makeup
brand Bodyography cosmetics allows
Crew Faced to offer a 20% discount on
products to clients.
-Flexible before & after hours appointments
meet client needs & balance her family
lifestyle, whilst a growing team can
facilitate appointments affording Jess a
flexible work/lifestyle balance

THE MAKEUP ARTISTRY TEAM

MARKETING
Crew Faced’s home studio location & signage opposite a local primary school
is a highly visible & effective direct marketing tool. Positive reviews & ongoing
retail discounts help maintain a loyal customer base, with the strongest market
being local Mums & small business owner’s referring Crew Faced services &
ensuring steady growth in the business.
Jessica’s approach is personal & targeted, combining her family lifestyle with
her exposure to the airline.
-Heavily volunteering in her community ensures visibility of Crew Faced to
local women & other small businesses
-Advertising a staff industry rate at Virgin Australia within published cabin
crew communication platforms ensures consistent appointments
-Participating in Geelong Bridal Expo’s boosts bookings through direct
marketing via interaction with new clients planning their wedding.
Client surveys confirm visibility of the Crew Faced brand via-
Entering the Geelong Small Business Award in 2017 saw Crew Faced finalise
in the ‘Geelongpreneur’ & ‘Events’ categories & offered a platform to engage
with other business owners who refer Crew Faced services regularly.

MARKETING
Crew Faced continues to target education & special events by-
-advertising gift vouchers for Mothers Day, Xmas gifts, Birthday gifts
-tween workshops during school holidays
-advertising makeup services on pages of local photographic & florist businesses
Jessica personally manages Crew Faced
social media pages to ensure content is
authentic & current. Daily engagement
with their audience includes appointment
availability, discounts & globally trending
looks & products.

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Jessica personally gifts makeup services to the staff of Fundraising events
annually including Cure Cystic Fibrosis, River’s Gift, In Tulli’s Shoes & Albies
Allies. Purchasing tickets & advertising their event on her social media pages,
Jess donates gift certificates to the event to raffle or gift to sponsors. Other
annual donations include Oxfam, Run for Kids, HeartKids, Jane McGrath
Foundation & Bully Zero to name a few.
Jess has enjoyed the opportunity to join motivational seminars as guest
speaker in the Geelong community regarding women in business, women
returning to the workforce & gender equality. This platform allows Jess the
opportunity to discuss her mentor programme & engage people interested in
such an opportunity.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Crew Faced’s approach to customer service remains consistent.
Personalised contact & initial conversations with each client enables Jess to
connect & meet their needs, ensuring client enquiries lead to appointments
& repeat business.
Crew Faced is very proud of its 5 star customer review & service ratings, as
voluntarily offered & published by its clientele.
A reminder SMS service has proven effective in the confirmation of
appointments detailing preparation, accessibility & payment requirements.
Crew Faced has been successful in booking majority of brides (99.8%) who
completed wedding makeup trials. The two exceptions so far were due to
budget, & declining a makeup application entirely.
A detailed consultation prior to all applications identify allergies or
intolerances to ensure a risk- free service.
All communication with clients is facilitated by Jess & her P.A. Ensuring a
consistent approach-
- Appointments are allocated to the team according to best fit & availability
-Feedback is sought from each client in a timely manner, requesting to be
tagged in published photos or completing a review on Facebook
-Any constructive feedback is addressed with Jessica directly & fully resolved to
the clients satisfaction ensuring repeat bookings.
Jess is a magician.
A true artist & extremely
talented. Not only do I feel
beautiful & confident, I also
enjoy the experience that
Jess & her team consistently
offer. As a local small business
owner, I can confidently refer
Crew Faced to clients, friends
& family
- Amanda Hind

ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSIVENESS
-The new larger studio has been designed for social inclusion & physical
accessibility, to provide improved access at the front of the premises. This
extension is wheelchair & pram-friendly with wider doorways & level access to
cater for everyone.
-A complimentary mobile service is offered to disabled clients special
circumstances- eg- social disabilities or terminal illness.
Participating in community events with her family is good practise for her micro
business & offers visibility for Crew Faced on a social platform.
Effective management, staff motivation & recognition includes-
-Incentives & commission, above award rates & flexible working agreement
-supportive management of wages & payslips via book keeping service
-constructive feedback with staff 1:1
-industry expo attendance & off site training with professionals
Improvement in services is swift & a result of follow up after the initial
appointment with every client. With a new hair styling service introduced
March 2018, client feedback outlined a guests disappointment with her
preferred style request not able to be met. The staff member was not
confident in braiding & offered the client an alternative.
Industry training nights since the introduction of hair styling have given all
staff the confidence to execute such requests. Initial consultation invites
a more detailed discussion regarding hair styling preferences and staff
limitations.
Wedding application makes up for 37% of yearly bookings & is seasonal.
46% of clients request makeup for special events year round with services in
collaboration with partner Sugar Images offering 10% for 2018/2019.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Crew Faced adopts a culture that aligns with her family values.
Offering a before & after hours service offers flexibility to clients & staff
whilst training is undertaken in a fun & interactive environment with the
team at a mutually agreeable time.
Positions are offered to candidates interested in fulfilling a career in
makeup artistry- favouring those studying & working part time in the
beauty industry.
Mentees participate on a voluntary basis & understand the expectations
regarding punctuality & reliability when representing Crew Faced. Besides
attending theoretic & practical training sessions in the studio they provide
basic assistance to Jess during peak season.
Contracts outline a detailed position description & abide with relevant
beauty industry award conditions, with a review & pay increase at the
end of probation.
STAFF INCENTIVES & REWARDS INCLUDE
-Incentives & commission for referring clients & upselling additional
products & services
-quarterly after hours training sessions to promote engagement
-constructive feedback, discussions of results with team- sharing client
feedback & reviews
-staff day out including lunch & shopping for new products with staff picks
-fashionable & comfortable uniforms
Crew Faced believe the training &
application from all crew remains
consistent & as such, does not
charge a higher fee for application
by a senior makeup artist.
It is Crew Faced practise that no
extra charge is placed on wedding
makeup application.
Additional options are
communicated during consultation.
Clients are in control of their
expenditure by choice of service
& customised options.

BEFORE & AFTER

HEALTH & WELL BEING
Crew Faced’s duty of care extends to all staff, clients & the surrounding
neighbourhood. Preventative measures & policies of Crew Faced include-
-Current working with children & police checks’, senior first aid, vaccinations
& immunisations
-Cleanliness & sterilisation of the workplace using an external cleaning service
-A fresh sanitised brush scroll being issued to individual clients
-Briefed in emergency/evacuation drills
-Enforcement of a bully, alcohol & drug free workplace
-Processing of insurances & clarification of limitations/ expectations regarding
transport of kits, safety reporting & vigilance.
-Fatigue risk management & practise
-Review of absence reporting & leave requests to facilitate coverage of the team
during peak season
-Noise limitations & access to parking without disturbance to neighbours
-A hazard free environment with optimum ventilation & climate control
-Ergonomically friendly kits
As a micro business, OHS assessments are regularly conducted in-studio &
requirements to adopt change is communicated directly to the team. Training
is undertaken to ensure disease prevention , sterilisation, comfort & safety for
staff & clients
Crew Faced subsidises fitness memberships & nutritional programmes from
The Body Co. to maintain optimum health for all staff.

FINANCE
With an initial start up business cost in July 2015 of less than $5000, Crew
Faced has reinvested all profits to to expand its core infrastructure &-
-finance construction of a larger studio in 2019
-increase retail stock
-purchase equipment
-advertise & fund attendance at expo’s
-attend industry training
-offer charity donations
-re-brand & expand brand visibility – all without incurring debt.
Jess launched Crew Faced at a savvy price point to attract clientele. An
increase in demand for services has resulted in Crew Faced being able to
increase service prices by 33% whilst remaining a minimum of 25% cheaper
than her competitors.
Weekly contact with KDF book keeping services ensures invoicing &
payment of all staff whilst alleviating payroll queries with Jess directly &
allowing her to focus on the front end of business.
Expenditure 2018 with the introduction of wages & book keeping services.

RISK STRATEGIES
Risk minimisation is managed by low overheads & no rental or lease costs
due to the studio being located within the owners residence. Designed
around natural light, overheads are minimised with solar electricity &
services can be undertaken using nil power.
When demand for bridal season & event makeup reduces in cooler periods,
Jess focuses on other facets of her business including educational
workshop’s & retail.
Integrating makeup application & partnering with local business services has
ensured cross-referrals & repeat business. Recent initiatives include makeup
for new-born photographers.
Financially, Crew Faced tripled its income in 2017-2018 & experienced a
further 30% increase in year on year growth since February 2018 as a result
of aligning its services to other local businesses. Bookings continue to be
more evenly spread across the whole year compared to previous years whilst
flexible appointments remain core business & ensure a competitive edge.
The schedul application is a helpful tool in booking appointments, sorting
availability of staff & gauging past activity by comparison.
Since the appointment of new staff, Crew Faced has enjoyed 46% growth
in new clientele and 30% growth in appointments. Whilst the establishment
phase required all profits to be reinvested back into business, solid
foundations allow Jess to draw a wage from Crew Faced for the first time in
2018/2019.
With a 90% profit margin acquired from every makeup application, Jess has
built a stable platform to ensure the business’ long term future. Projected
income is set to increase by approximately 50% in 2018/2019.
Bodyography will stock the new studio on consignment , offering Crew
Faced immediate stock availability without upfront costs to the new fit out.
Utilising the Square payment system facilitates an easy ‘tap & go’ option in
studio & encourages impulse buying. This mobile payment method allows
clients flexibility in paying for additional products & services on location.