ShearShare Founders Celebrate Son’s Success in Fulfilling NFL Draft Dream

The co-founders of 43North Award-winning startup ShearShare have spent years navigating the triumphs and tribulations of running businesses and holding leadership roles, and Trey Taylor has had a front-row seat to all of their efforts.

Taylor, the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner, was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 draft by the Las Vegas Raiders and became the first safety ever selected from the Air Force Academy.

It took a significant commitment to her craft for Taylor to get to this point, similar to what her parents have been doing for three decades: Tye Caldwell working in the hair and beauty industry and operating an award-winning salon in Dallas, and Courtney Caldwell holding leadership roles in early- and late-stage technology organizations and in brand sales and marketing.

Drawing on their experiences, the couple created the company ShearShare, an on-demand salon and hair salon space rental app, which now operates out of Buffalo.

“He always had that mentality,” Tye Caldwell said. “He already had that drive for excellence and that expectation of what excellence should look like. He already had that in him.”

Tye Caldwell, 50, who has been an entrepreneur since he was 19, said his son’s path to success is complementary to ShearShare’s. Since arriving in Buffalo in 2022, ShearShare’s revenue has doubled, its app-based services are now available in 970 cities and it has entered into a first-of-its-kind corporate partnership with JC Penney, which has 629 salons.

“You put a lot of effort into it, you put a lot of effort into building your business, and all of a sudden you start getting recognized,” he said. “And that leads to great relationships.”

Athletes who graduate from military academies typically must serve first before playing professional sports, but a federal bill passed several years ago allows athletes to play first and serve later. That arrangement no longer exists, but because Taylor is grandfathered under that previous policy, he will be allowed to pursue a football career and defer his service time until after his NFL career. The U.S. Secretary of Defense had to sign a waiver to allow Taylor to enter the NFL draft.

Since being drafted, Taylor has participated in rookie minicamp and OTAs and will begin training camp on July 21 as he attempts to make the team. Prior to that, Taylor spent months preparing for his Pro Day and the draft after graduating in December.

“We’re now a proud Raiders family,” said Courtney Caldwell, who was recently in Las Vegas for the team’s rookie parents’ weekend. “It takes a lot of sacrifice, not only from the athletes but from the entire family, to get to this level.”

As if that wasn’t enough for the family, the couple also has a nephew who was drafted in April by the Buffalo Bills – DeWayne Carter, a defensive tackle from Duke University.

M&T Bank’s Multicultural Small Business Lab has partnered with Niagara University to provide dozens of Niagara County entrepreneurs with access to expert advice, training and resources to help them grow their businesses.

As part of the program, a pitch competition was held on June 18, during which M&T Bank awarded a $10,000 grant to three participating companies.

First place and $5,000 went to Olori Family Daycare and Dasha Colvin, child care providers in Niagara Falls. Second place and $3,000 went to Origins of Beauty and Zahra Evans, a hair and hair growth salon in Niagara Falls, and third place and $1,000 went to Bling Fairy and Jessica Billingslea, a Niagara Falls business that offers teeth whitening and body care products.

M&T Bank developed its Multicultural Small Business Lab to help make the region’s entrepreneurial support ecosystem more accessible and inclusive for multicultural businesses.

Springboard awarded $222,500 to 10 organizations to help boost the local entrepreneurial ecosystem through the first round of awards competitions launched earlier this year.

The winners were That Brown Bag Minority Business Directory digital subscription project, Phli Divas Beauty Salon beauty and cosmetology support network, University at Buffalo Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, Ibero Business Center WNY business services and pitch competition, The Rochester Commissary shared kitchen incubator, Providence Farm Collective Corp. farmer leadership program, The Foundry for its Young Entrepreneurs Advance program, Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board small business training program, The Good Neighbor Fund entrepreneur support program and The Local Sound Collaborative artist grant program.

More than 130 businesses and nonprofits competed, and the winners, announced in June, each took home prizes ranging from $7,500 to $25,000.

The program is designed to support organizations that contribute to the growth of the region’s entrepreneurial landscape. The winners of the second stage will be announced on August 22 and the deadline for the final application stage is August 23.

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The Buffalo Next team gives you a broad overview of the region’s economic revitalization. Email your tips to [email protected] or contact Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.