Finding the Joy in the Daily Hustle with Melody McCloskey from StyleSeat

Melody McCloskey is the co-founder and CEO of StyleSeat, the largest online marketplace for beauty and wellness services. Back in 2011, Melody was looking to book beauty appointments online, and was frustrated at the lack of options. Sound familiar? 

Melody decided to turn her frustration into action, and created StyleSeat to help people discover and book beauty appointments—24/7. Today, more than 350,000 beauty professionals in nearly 16,000 cities use the platform, and customers book more than 30 million appointments each year.

We sat down with Melody to learn more about how she turned her idea into a full-fledged company, why she wants to invest in female-led startups and why it’s okay to fail:

What was your “aha moment” with StyleSeat? How did you know this was something you should devote yourself to?

I spent the early years of StyleSeat hanging out with beauty professionals—in their salons and in their homes—listening to what they needed to better run and grow their business. Because StyleSeat has been so close to our customers since day one, I knew we were not only building something important but absolutely needed.

StyleSeat is empowering women and men in an industry that doesn’t yet support these entrepreneurs in a big way, allowing them to take ownership of their own success, and that is an incredible feeling. Helping them better support their families doing what they love, and hearing how the app has changed their lives; that keeps me going.

What is the hardest part of running a company?

The first several years of starting a business you’re doing many things a day that scare you, and that you have no experience doing. Hiring a lawyer, building a financial plan, hiring incredible talent, closing a business development deal. I used to feel close to paralyzed every day. Over time, these decisions seemed less scary and overwhelming. That’s actually one of the coolest and most freeing feelings, by the way. Now that the company and I are older, there are things that come up that are difficult or scary, but I have the experience and confidence to back my decisions.

What’s your method for work-life balance?

I’ve never liked the term “work-life balance” as it makes it seem like work and life are at odds when they don’t have to be. I have felt my most alive when working, when pitching VCs, and when meeting beauty professionals who are passionate about their businesses and thinking about how we can best support them. One of the things that helps me balance every part of my life is starting and ending each day, with a small moment of intention. I feel most balanced when I’m really concentrating on why I do what I do, and what truly brings me joy and motivates my hustle.

Besides running your business, what’s another way that you #BreakTheMold and stray away from the conventional?

Work used to be my entire identity. How I defined my existence and myself. It’s still a core passion, but more of the foundation from which I get to do cool things and meet incredible people. I used to be SO hard on myself. My expectations were so high that I could never live up to them. Now, I take myself so much less seriously. I put my happiness as a priority, which was never something I used to do. It makes the crazy workload more sustainable and also helps you continue to innovate and build a better organization.

What's one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?

I plan to become an angel investor, primarily for women-led companies. Investors played such a pivotal role and were imperative to my starting of StyleSeat. My dream is to pass this on. I want to support the next wave of female entrepreneurs!

What piece of advice do you have for women just starting out in their career?

Be smart in your decisions but be bold as well. Surround yourself and hire smart people who you trust.

“Be okay with failure—sometimes, it’s the only way you learn.”

What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and #BreakTheMold?

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”—Amelia Earhart

What’s next for StyleSeat?

We are just getting started! We want to support the entire beauty industry, barber, stylist, and salon owners. We are interested in all the ways we can make them more money—whether that’s growing their bookings or helping them sell more product, there are so many amazing ways we can do this. I’m also excited to focus more on our community since we haven’t been able to do that as much as I’d like.

Extra Credit

What is the most-used app on your phone—and why?

StyleSeat! But if it’s not StyleSeat, and it’s not a work app, it’s probably this crazy awesome photo app called Photo Wonder. Best filters ever.

What’s the first thing you do every morning?

Coffee!

What book could you re-read over and over?

Any of the Harry Potter series.

What is your go-to bra style?

I love the ThirdLove T-shirt Bra, I have it in a few colors and it’s absolutely my most comfortable bra.

Finish the sentence: I #BreakTheMold by _____.

I #BreakTheMold by finding joy in the daily hustle.

This post is part of our #BreakTheMold series, where we celebrate the lives and work of trailblazing women. Check out the rest of the series here.