Take Your Barber Business to the Next Level

Posted on April 9, 2019
Sola Salon Studios

JayR Mallari, owner of Legacy Barber Studio in Walnut Creek, California, started his career cutting hair in his parent's garage. Today, he has an all-star clientele with celebrity clients including Stephen Curry, Doc Rivers, Chuck Liddell, Carnage and Blake Griffin...to name a few.

How did he take his business from garage to A-list entourage? It all starts with providing an excellent client experience. Check out his tips to help you elevate your barber business.

Put Yourself In The Chair

JayR describes these “next level services” as the services that you would enjoy receiving as a client, in addition to just getting a haircut. “If you don’t know what you like, I would encourage you to visit barbershops or salons and pay for a premium service to understand one's likes better than another.”

Give Them The Total Package

Let’s take a peek at JayR’s current lineup of services he is offering in his Sola:

Legendary Haircut: This service comes with a thorough consultation, shampoo/conditioner, haircut, neck shave, hot towel on the face, razor finish and styled with desired product.

Time: 45 minutes

Price: $60

Legendary Haircut with Facial Hair: Everything mentioned above in Legendary Haircut along with facial hair trimming.

Time: 60 minutes

Price: $75

Legendary Experience: Everything in the above-mentioned services (facial hair trimming if desired) along with a neck and scalp massage.

Time: 75 minutes

Price: $100

Young Legend Haircut (13 or Under): Consultation, shampoo/conditioner, haircut with a razor finish (upon request), styled with desired products.

Time: 45 minutes

Price: $55

As you can see, he has everything broken down into a package. By grouping your services into packages, you can increase your prices and show added value to your guests.

You can break it down like this:

Level 1: Haircut/Shave
Level 2: Haircut/Scalp Massage/Basic Shave
Level 3: Haircut/Scalp Massage/Premium Shave

Determine how much you would charge for each service and add up those amounts. If you have intentions of also showing an a la carte menu for services, keep in mind how those added up/packages amount look next to it. Your client may do the simple math and determine it’s more cost effective to get the package deal than go a la carte. Another package to also consider is a “Father & Son” and create an opportunity to service two clients during the same block of time.

Beef Up Your Menu

Adding additional services other than cutting is an easy way to increase your ticket price while you already have them in your chair. Some of these may include:

Color: Some men just hate the idea of going grey and adding a grey blending/color service as an add-on is a surefire way to increase that service ticket and the level of satisfaction.
Quick Style: Think blow out, but for men. Maybe he has a special after-work or post-workout event to attend and could really use a wash/dry/style.
Hand & Nail Grooming: Manis, pedis, and paraffin wax treatments are no longer reserved for ladies only. This is also a great service to offer to a wedding party of grooms, groomsmen, and ushers.
Facial Services: Take the “hot towel” treatment to the next level and give the gents a clearer complexion.
Short Cuts for Women: A lot of women who keep the hair short would much rather visit a barber who knows their way around a set of clippers and can do a feminine fade.

Think Outside of the Salon

Consider adding non-grooming related services to your menu. Your clients aren’t just there to get a haircut. They want a well-rounded, rejuvenating experience. The beauty of being in your own Sola is that you can shut the door and enjoy the silence.

Consider adding a 15-minute meditation to the experience (you can actually find guided meditation tracks on Spotify and on YouTube). You can also have brunch, lunch or a light dinner or snack delivered for your clientele thanks to GrubHub, DoorDash, and UberEats.

Elevate Yourself

Adding new services may require you to take a few classes. If it requires you to bringing in an esthetician or manicurists, or cross-promoting with another Sola stylist in your building, it’s a win-win for both of you!

“I continue to plan more trips around the world to educate myself in ways that can help expand the way I think about barbering,” JayR adds. “The cool thing about barbering is that we can create and collaborate with just about anyone or anything. With that said, I don’t think so much about getting to the top, but rather, finding out other ways to make the impossible possible. Think horizontal, not vertical.”