Webb attributed Drybar's success to three key elements: customer service, branding, and passion.
Separately, she spoke with Insider and gave more advice for founders launching and growing in an economic downturn.In the first years, Webb had to consider what Drybar customers were willing to pay for a blowout. Her goal was to establish her brand as"affordable luxury" — she wanted customers to feel like they were indulging in a high-quality service without pricing them out.
She advised entrepreneurs to ask prospective clients what they thought was a reasonable price. Before starting Drybar, Webb had a mobile styling business and charged $40 a person, which she now deems"cheap" compared with the $150 blowouts other salons charge. After asking her clients what they would pay, she charged $35 for a blowout at Drybar. "Figure out what that equation looks like for you, potentially adjusting to make it work in those guidelines," she said.