The idea of ​​business - how to open a barber shop

Barber Shop

In the second half of the twentieth century, the beauty industry was captured by women. Manicure, pedicure, hair removal, haircut and hair coloring - most of the image services are aimed at women. Housewives turned into emancipated women, began to work actively, go out "in people", and, as a consequence, much more carefully monitor their appearance.

Where to go to the real man in the age of glamour and luxury? In a family hairdresser, where one or two chairs are allocated for men in the common room, and the master-wagon owner owns the technique of two or three basic men's haircuts? Where to emphasize its harsh beauty, if the atmosphere itself in the salons is saturated with femininity - from advertising posters on the walls to the music background and the color of furniture?

Barbershop is a revival of the traditions of the good old "men's hairdresser", rooted at a time when male masters, barbers and barbers were much more in demand than masters for women. This is a special style, radically different from the women's halls. Here there reigns the spirit of true masculinity: male smells - strong cologne and shaving foam; masculine accessories - brushes made of natural bristles and, of course, dangerous razors; male interior - laconic, semi-military, no frills and unnecessary accessories.

There are not so many "islands of masculinity" in the cities yet. However, the popularity of barbershops is growing rapidly. Therefore, with proper marketing and good quality of services, a hair salon for real men can become a highly profitable project.

Before You Begin

The concept of a barbershop, as mentioned above, implies simplicity and conciseness. Getting here, the client should immediately feel that the main character and the expected guest here is he, and not middle-aged women with foil on hair or glamorous girls. The corresponding mood should be created from the threshold, that is, from the waiting area, and continue in the hairdresser's hall. The general style of the interior is understandable, but this does not mean that in this case there is no room for imagination. Some owners of barbershops choose a "garage style", others design a retro-style institution, when a visit to a barber was a privilege of wealthy gentlemen, while others focus on youth subcultures (the most famous of which are hipsters, famous for their love for well-groomed beards).

If you are all right with the imagination, think over the details of the interior design yourself. If you do not feel confident, it makes sense to order a design project, which will detail all the nuances: from the building materials needed for repair, to the color of the seats. Such expenses are justified if you are going to open not a relatively democratic barbershop, but a salon designed for wealthy clients, equally captious to the design of the institution, and to the qualities of the services provided.

Location:

Despite the increasing popularity, the contingent of the "male salons" is relatively limited. Firstly, they are people with an income not lower than average, since the average check in barber shops is an order of magnitude higher than the amount that men usually leave in universal hairdressing salons. Secondly, customers of barbershops differ in a certain sense of style - hard workers from sleeping areas are unlikely to become regular visitors to your institution.

The average portrait of a visitor to a barbershop is a progressive young man of 20-35 years. Proceeding from this, you need to select the location for starting a business. For start it is worth betting on the central areas and busy streets with a high enough traffic, best not far from popular youth establishments and other "places of power". If the business becomes profitable and the trademark is recognizable, then it will be possible to open branches in more remote areas.

The average salon for two or three jobs with a small waiting area covers an area of ​​about 30 square meters, more spacious for five jobs - in the area of ​​60 squares.

Equipment

The list of equipment for a barbershop, in principle, is not much different from a similar list necessary for any other beauty salon. So, you will need a reception desk, work kits (a client chair, a table, a mirror and a sink), waiting room furniture, inventory cabinets, racks, display cases, additional devices (TV and / or music player, water coolers , lighting fixtures, etc.). Specificity here is expressed in the design: the workplace should be extremely ergonomic and laconic, and furniture - simple, but sound, with the expectation that a real man will always prefer comfort and quality to external shine.

Additional costs will require repairing the premises and conducting sewerage to the workplace. You can save money by buying furniture of little-known companies (or buying second-hand salon furniture in good condition, which with a certain interior design will even add to your institution of brutal charm). Another way to reduce initial investment may be to refuse to buy ready-made items and build them independently: thus, the cost of purchasing an administrator's desk is three times the cost of manufacturing it from improvised materials.

As for the set of tools and consumables, its main highlight is, of course, dangerous razors. A dangerous razor and shaving brush is, in fact, the alpha and omega of the old barber shop, a symbol of this man's hairdresser's art. Shaving such an adaptation is not a mechanical procedure, but a lively action that delivers aesthetic and tactile pleasure to connoisseurs.

Staff

Since barbershop is a specialized institution, your masters should have a sufficiently high qualification in the field of male hairstyles and have in the arsenal of their services a couple of dozen fashionable and classic styles of haircuts, several options for decorating beards and as a good bonus (and for some salons - the defining condition ) - the ability to work as a dangerous razor. In addition to the skills of the master, it is also worth paying attention to his style of working with clients (the ability to support an interesting conversation is welcome, but excessive obsession is clearly unacceptable), maintaining hygiene in the workplace and even the appearance.

The traditional wage system provides for the payment of a percentage of the total check - on average the master receives from 25% to 50% of the order, depending on his qualification. If you can not find specialized masters (or there is no desire to pay them a higher percentage of the total amount of services rendered), that is, the option to take in your team of beginning hairdressers and in a short time to teach them the specifics of the male beauty art. Capable masters usually comprehend the basics of the barber business in a period of two weeks to a month.

In addition to the masters of the institution will also need an accountant to keep records and a cleaner to maintain the desired level of cleanliness. However, you do not need to rush to include these rates in the staff - it would be more appropriate to outsource them. It is not necessary to hire an individual and to perform the duties of an administrator - the place behind the counter can be occupied by the owner of the salon. By the way, many owners of barbershops are often not only businessmen, but also enthusiasts of barbered art, so they also willingly take scissors and a razor, thus giving an example to their masters and saving on the wages fund.

Marketing

As a rule, Internet advertising in this case is enough. Website creation (again, with a laconic brutal design), online draws of loyalty cards, coupons and coupons for free services, posting ads in thematic male communities and local groups dedicated to the life of your city - in short, many opportunities for virtual promotion of real business.

If you decide to open a premium barbershop, it makes sense to "make friends" with recognizable personalities or famous bloggers whose appearance or style of life fits into the concept of your business. Of course, this will require additional costs for advertising, but it will pay off the influx of customers who wish to keep up with the latest trends of men's fashion.