Alli Webb: Co-founder of Drybar and Guest Shark on Shark Tank

Growing up, Alli dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player. As her parents owned a closing store, she was exposed to the possibilities of entrepreneurship early on. She spent a lot of time working there in high school and learned some of the nuances of running a business. In high school, she was unsure of how she wanted to spend her life. Later on, she decided to attend beauty school. However, she constantly found herself paying for overpriced blowouts at salons. So, she decided to evolve the concept and created a salon called DryBar in Los Angeles solely aimed at offering hairstyling services. DryBar expanded rapidly into over a hundred locations due to Alli’s relentless drive and dedication.  Currently, Alli is the co-founder of DryBar and serves as a guest Shark on Shark Tank. 

When was a time you wanted to give up, and what made you persevere through it?

I am not sure if ever really wanted to give up. After high school, I was just really lost upon what I wanted to do. But, you have to keep going and keep going back to the drawing board. I remember feeling really overwhelmed and I kept asking myself how I was going to make money and find something that I loved. When I made the decision to go to beauty school, that was the first time I felt like this was the right move for me. It was the only thing I had a real passion for. You have to keep trying, testing, and experimenting with your life to find what you want to do. You also have to costly regulate your life and examine what you are doing and how you are feeling. 

What advice do you have for others who aspire to be entrepreneurs like yourself?

When I was your age, there were not a lot of female entrepreneurs and there was not the access that you have to reach out to us. We want to help girls who want to become entrepreneurs. I hope the girls of your generation understand that if we did it, you can do it too! You have to do what is right for you. There is a path for everyone. You can do anything you want to do, even if you do not go to college or if you do not have the grades to go to college. My parents always tell me, I was street smart, not book smart. I learned so much in the last ten years building Drybar, that I would have never learned at school. When there is a will, there is always a way! It is so important to understand that you can do anything you wish to do. 

What advice would you give your former self?

As adults, we spend a lot of time worrying; sometimes, we lack confidence. For me, since I did not have a traditional college degree, I thought it was hindering me. After I realized it was not, things in my life started to change and things started to happen. You cannot get paralyzed by the fear of not knowing what will happen. You have to keep believing that you can do it, and you will figure it out as you go. People across industries are always figuring out their roles as they go. No one knows it all in the beginning. A lot of people do not know what they are getting into when they start a job, but they figure it out. I would tell my younger self, it's all going to work out. You just need to be confident in who you are. This took me a long time to figure out, and I wish I figured it out sooner than I did. 

Who do you look up to?

There are a lot of people I look up to. I have always been a big believer in learning things from different people in your life, professionally and personally. My mom and my dad were definitely my first role models. I watched them run and operate a successful business; I was learning so much that I didn't even realize it at the time. A great part of our success is customer service, and I have learned all about that from my mom and dad. 

What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?

Starting DryBar was the greatest risk I have taken. We started this company in 2010, during the economic recession. People thought we were crazy for starting at. But, I strongly believed it would be a local success, I never imagined it to turn into what it is today. My family and I put in our life-savings and it was so hard to consider that we might lose all of that. But, I always had this notion that no one will die and we will pick ourselves. We will figure it out. You have to take the risk if you want to become an entrepreneur. 

When was a time you failed, and what did you learn from the experience?

I bet everyone has told you this, but failing is learning. We have had a lot of success, but we have made so many mistakes. When we did our first big promotion with HBO, we were giving away free blowouts to the first 100 people who booked appointments. We sent that out to our entire client base, which was hundreds of thousands of people at the time. However, we only had a hundred spots. We ended up disappointing more people than we made happy. The next time we offered a promotion, we decided to send it to a small group first and then expand later. 

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? 

The world has become all about instant gratification. I recently went to a retreat for six days, and we actually talked to each other. When I was growing up, there was a different level of connection that is slowly fading away in our society. Our world has become technology-driven, and we are steering away from having real connections with people. I really want that to change that.