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SHOULD YOU LET BARBERS TAKE CLIENTS FROM THE BARBERSHOP · SliderCuts This Is Ownership Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Slider Cuts Podcast where I talk all things barbering, business, and in between.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: And today I want to talk about is it cool to give or let a barber take the contacts of the clients he or she cuts when he or she is leaving the barber shop?
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm talking more so to do with barbershops where the clients come through the barber shops.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not talking about maybe like chair rental places where the barber is self-employed, so they go out there and they do their own thing, get their own clients and so on.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: But there are plenty of barbershops, like my barbershop, where majority of the clients come through the business.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think it's cool for a barber to leave and give them the clients or for them to leave and actually take their clients' details?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's talk about it today.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: This is my honest opinion on it.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think it really is down to first of all, what does the client want?
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Because honestly, if the client wants to leave with a barber, why am I holding that client?
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Why am I stopping that client from getting the thing that they want?
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm gonna say to them, you can't go with that barber, but they don't want to cut with any other barber in my shop.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't make sense, and since I'm client-focused and it's all about serving the client, if what serves the client today is that client going to another shop or going to another barber or following that barber, then that is what serves them and that is what is best for them.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna go with that option.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, should you give them the clients, especially if you run a system where everything comes through the booking system, they don't have access to the contacts.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: If a client says, client, if a barber says, Yo, I'm looking to leave, can I get the contacts?
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Should you pass it over?
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: I got to say, it's down to you.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: But let me tell you what I would do and what I have done previously.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: When a barber's left my shop and it hasn't been a situation where they have directly just done something wrong, and it's kind of like, okay, you've been fired, get out, you know, you stole, or anything like that, right?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: And even if I'm gonna be honest, in certain situations where people have been let go of and it's been quite edgy or sketchy, right?
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: I have literally just emailed all of their clients with the barber's details and said, hey, just to let you know, this barber is leaving.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to follow the barber, this is their number, Instagram, email.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Leave it like that.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because for me, the way I run my business is I'm not actually trying to kind of like fight to get clients.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: What I literally focus on is providing a good service, a good environment, good haircuts, good staff in the shop.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe doing all those things there correctly brings in clients.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't actually have to focus on trying to keep clients.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: So if a client wants to leave with that particular barber, I'm happy for them to leave.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: I don't say, you know, listen, here's all their contacts because that's even difficult to do.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Well, with the system I use, which is fresher, what is good is it has a database of everybody that has directly booked with that barber.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: When I say directly, has you know chosen that barber or had a service with that barber.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: So what I do in the system is I go to the system, I say, okay, look, let's send out an email, and it gives me a breakdown to say, okay, what you know section, who do you want to send it to?
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I say, okay, pick the barber, and I say, anybody that's booked an appointment or had an appointment with this barber, I'm gonna email them.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that's how I get to email all their clients and how I figure out who has booked with them.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: You could also do things like, you know, who has booked any appointment in the last 30 days, who has any appointments coming up, you know, all barbers want there's just so many, so many different options.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how I do it.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I can send out an email and I ask the barber, look, what details do you want on this email?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Your number, your email, your social media, let me know, and I keep it like that.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because why am I forcing the clients to stay with the business?
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because I see it like this, and I'm not saying that any other barber is wrong or any other barbershop owner is wrong, it's just the way I see things.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: I see it as if I have to hold or forcefully hold clients to stay in the business, then there is something actually wrong with my business, and I shouldn't be focusing on that.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: I see that in all walks of life.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you have to force someone to stay with you, there's something wrong with you.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in a relationship and you have to force your partner to stay with you, then there's something wrong that you're doing, and what would be better is you work on that thing that's wrong with you instead of trying to force someone to stay with you, because if you work on yourself, then you'll find that actually that person will want to be with you, and sometimes it's just life, you can do all the good things, all the right things, and someone just wants to leave.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: That is fine, but what you'll find in more cases is that if you're doing the right things, and let's switch it back to the business if you're doing the right things, more clients will want to stay than leave, but you can't serve everyone.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: So some clients are just gonna leave, even if you were great to them.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because they wanted beer, not Ribina, as a service, or they wanted a shop that didn't talk as much, your shop talks too much, or your shop's too quiet, they want a shop that talks more, or they don't like the music.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: You can't serve everyone, so you've got to understand that, and you don't need to serve everyone, it's cool, but if you focus on just doing all the right things, you will find that customers will keep coming in, and that's why I don't ever focus on being disgruntled or anything like that and being like, okay, no, you're not getting that contact.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not doing that for you.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: No, you know, bounce.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, no, it's cool, and what you'll get is as well, is the other side of things which has happened, and I've been like a professional barber for like 23 years now, so I've seen it all where you know barbers leave, and I've and I've owned my shop just to make it clear.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: I've had my shop for coming up to eight years in a few months, right?
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Before that, I worked in another shop for about 15 years.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I've seen it where barbers have sneakily left, taken down all the contacts.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I've been there, you know, when there's barbers writing down their contacts and sneakily giving it to clients and saying, Hey, you know, you know, next time you come for a haircut, just call me first.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: All those things there, right?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, it's like that is sneaky.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: And do I believe that's the way you should do things?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: No, I don't think you should do that.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even when I left the barber shop that I was working in for like 15 years, when I decided I was leaving, I told the owners and the co-manager straight away.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, many people said to me, No, what you should do is instead work out where you're gonna go, get the lease, do all those things there, and when you're close to leaving, then tell them.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: But for me, I was like, it just feels a bit sneaky, and it just seems to me unethical.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't want to do that.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: And people are like, you know, there's a fear because and I get it.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: What happens if they just kick me out and I'm not ready to leave?
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I knew that, but for me, I just felt like I wanted to do everything above board, but not everybody's gonna do that because I also understand that you I could have been kicked out and left in a situation where it's like, what am I going to do?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: So when barbers do these sneaky things, which I've seen them do, you know, it's like, what do you do about it?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the reality: nothing.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Because what can you actually do about it?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: They've gone around taking people's contacts, now they've got them.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: The only thing you can do is when you find out they're doing it, you could say, okay, listen, pack up your stuff, you're gone today.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: But that's the most you can do.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: You can't un you know get you know, you can't get the contacts back from them and say, look, you can't even force them maybe not to talk to them.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And there is some shops I know, there are some businesses where they make them sign these contracts where it's like you cannot contact a client for like a year.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: So that is something you can do.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: I don't issue those things there.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying that it's wrong to issue those things there.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're in that situation, I get it both ways from the owner not wanting them to take the clients, and from the barber wanting to take the clients.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: And my thoughts on it is just simple.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Of course they're gonna do it.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And as an owner, for me, I just try and be realistic.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, people are gonna do it.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: I understand it, I know it, do I agree with it?
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And knowing myself and how reasonable I am, if any barber was to come to me and let me know what their plans are, I'd say, cool.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Unless they were doing something like, you know, if they said to me, hey, you know, I'm opening up a barber shop next door, can you help me?
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not gonna help you.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just being real about it.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: And some of you might say, Why would you not help them?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: But I have said to my barbers, if you ever want to go on to do your own thing, I will help you.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'll help you find a place, I'll help you give you advice about the contracts, I'll help you with all of that stuff there.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: But what I'm not gonna help you is, I'm not gonna help you become the competition directly to me.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care about you being um way up the road, not up the up the road on another in another area.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Let's help each other.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm not gonna say come and open up a shop next door, which is a whole nother kind of like topic to talk about, right?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I know some people don't like it.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: They when I said to them, when I say to them, look, no, no, no, I'm not for that, right?
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, why not?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: What does it matter?
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not for that.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: And they always say this thing where they say, Well, someone else can come and open up next door.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I say, That's cool.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care about anyone else opening up next door.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do what you want to do.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: But if you've come from my shop, we've worked together, especially that we have no beef.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: My thing is especially that you know, all the help that I'm willing to offer the barbers, why would you want to open up next door?
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Or opposite.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: When I open up my barber shop, I know this is my morals, I decided to go way outside the area than the shop I was in, and people kept on saying to me, You should open up in this area.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you going far for?
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Don't you want to like keep the clients that are in this area?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I just said, Listen, I don't want to be in competition with the shop that helped me.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Why am I going to competition with them?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: I learned how to cut hair properly there.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: I learned a lot of business there.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: I learned so much in that shop.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Why would I go into direct competition with that barber shop?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't make any sense.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I went let's just over like three miles away, different borough, different area, you know, different postcode, you know, different, you know, just different complete location, right?
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: And now me and that shop are still cool.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: I was there the other day, you know, popped in, you know, we're cool.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: I still speak to the owner, everything's all good.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: We're not in competition.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, I wouldn't help someone who wanted to open up directly opposite me or next to me.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: But move out the area and we can work together.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: And when I say work together, I'm not talking about I'm taking any shares or splits of what you're doing.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm talking about I will just help you.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: All good.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, going back onto subject, because I went off on one, went off on a tangent as they say, it's barbers are gonna do what is best for them.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: And as an owner, you just got to understand that.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's not personal.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: They will do it to you, they'll do it to me, they'll do it to someone else.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's not personal against you, it's not personal against me.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna do what's best for them.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: So if they're leaving and they feel like, listen, I don't want to get sacked, or I or I don't want the owner telling me I can't take the contacts, they're gonna do it.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now, am I saying you should accept it?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not telling you to accept it.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying you just got to expect they're gonna do it.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: They want clients.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Clients make them money.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: If they have no clients, they make no money.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: If they go to a new shop, they're gonna have to start again.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: So they're left, they're just thinking, okay, cool.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: If I get my 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 clients, contacts that you know cut with me, then I can move some of them over.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't like it, but it's what they're gonna do.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: And if I found a barber doing that in my shop, I don't know what I'd do.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: I can't give you an answer because it'd be annoying because of my previous history, the way I've dealt with the barbers that have worked in the shop, whether they have left or I've let them go, I've passed on those details, so I can't see why you'd be doing that.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: I guess it may feel like no, this is really sneaky.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I might let them go, to be honest.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I've let them go for the sheer fact of you know my character and you've seen what I've done.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: So now you're just being sneaky, and it's a president I just need to stamp out, or I need to, you know, set a precedent, sorry, and stamp that out straight away to say, look, we don't do that here.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that other people don't do that.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes it's not even about, well, even though I understand, it's all good, but I need to set a precedent to let the other barbers know that this is what's gonna happen if you do this.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: The same way as example, if someone steals in a shop, I have to set a president to say, look, we're not accepting that.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I might have to let you go straight away, or I have to let you go straight away, because I need to set that precedent.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: But owners, barbers come, barbers go.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: I would tell you, don't focus on them and focus on the clients that want to go with them.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: The clients want to go with them, let them go.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Focus on your business and focus on what you can do to actually keep clients coming in and wanting to come.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because what I found with quite a few of the barbers that are not in Slidercut Studios anymore is some of the clients just stay, and the reason why they stay is because they're like, oh, I like the environment.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: I actually want to stay here, you know.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: And some of them have gone with the barbers, but the shop is still busy, and why is that?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's because I am focused on building the business.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: I am focused on doing what is good for the business and making sure that the business is vibrant, the business has got great customer service, we are offering amazing haircuts so that people keep wanting to come back.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that is my opinion on barbers leaving the shop or getting sacked and taking the clients they cut with them.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: One more point I'll say.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: One thing I definitely would not accept, especially.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: I understand if a barber is talking to their clients that they cut and wanting to take them with them, which I'm not saying you should accept, but I understand it.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: But what I definitely wouldn't accept is a barber who starts going to other people's clients or messaging them or going outside and saying, hey, you know what, you know, just let you know if you ever want a haircut, you know, I'm moving and you know, I can give you a better price, or anything like that.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: That would definitely make me say, yo, pack up today, you're done.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: You're done.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because we don't have that at my shop.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: We don't do that.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: You don't like poach customers or do anything like that, you know.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that would be definitely something I would kind of like just cut out.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Slider Cuts podcast, where I talk all things barbering, business, and in between.