When we go to the doctor, we receive services and pay what we owe, either through our insurance or out of our own pockets. Sometimes we have to do both. It's a fundamental part of life we all have to live with, for better or worse. Suppose we don't show up for these appointments without giving our doctor or health care professional advance notice — usually twenty-four hours or more — or show up past the grace period, a time set by the doctor; This is considered a cancellation. In these instances, we lose our appointment, and that's that. Even if we want to complain, we knew going in what would happen and rush and get stressed out, trying to get to these appointments on time because we need to go and don't want to get charged twice! People would rather miss work than miss a doctor's appointment. Sound familiar? I thought so.

No Call No-Show? Still Get Paid

For inexplicable reasons, clients think it's okay to no-call no-show when it comes to their barbers and stylists and get mad and start complaining out loud that somehow they've been done wrong. Time is money for a barber, just like a doctor — even more so for barbers who depend on being booked and busy, charge significantly less for their services, and can't bill their customers through insurance. Why is this so? Why is our profession not respected the way one does a doctor or a dentist when you treat how you look with the same level of importance, if not more? 

Be a Respectable Business

Barbers, you are a business. You deserve respect, but you also need to command it, too. It's easy to respect someone when you see them respecting themselves. I'm not saying many of you out here aren't great business people who aren't crushing it—continued success to you! For the rest of us who may need a refresher or some tips for the first time, check out these five tips on where to start: 

1. Make sure your shop is clean. First, the law requires you to keep a clean shop. Second, social media makes clients much more aware of sanitation and lack thereof. People are Yelping! Third, have some pride in yourself and your shop. Be the best! Don’t be the people are talking about for all the wrong reasons.
2. Make your clients feel welcome. When a customer comes in greet them. Acknowledge their presence, say "hello" and thank them for coming to do business with you. Nothing is worse than when you're a client, and you're standing there feeling like an idiot because a barber you and your son have been coming to for years doesn’t have the decency to look up from what they're doing to acknowledge you.
3. Price your services correctly. This will keep you competitive in your market, show your experience, and your prices dictate the kind of clientele you cater to. Remember, a $25 haircut is not the same as a $75 grooming experience! And probably most important, No Discounts! No exceptions and no handouts. You are a business! Nike and Starbucks don't discount their prices because someone asks them or tells them a sob story. Why should you?
4. Make sure your clients know how to book an appointment with you. Your clients want you! They want to spend their hard-earned money on you because of your skills and how you make them feel.
5. Make it easy for clients to pay you. It’s 2022, not 1996. We are in the digital age, and your clients are a lot savvier than you think. Make mobile pay and a card reader available to clients so they can pay in a snap. This also benefits you because it allows you to move on to your next client quickly and not have to deal with payments in the shop. 

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Your Purpose. Your Passion. Your Profit.

Here at theCut, our goal is to help you pursue your passions as a barber by putting the power of your business operations in the palm of your hand. You can easily set your schedule and your prices, including fees for no-calls and no-shows, and create a clean, easy-to-understand business for your clients to follow. Download theCut today, set up your offerings, and add it to your barber toolkit.

We're getting our popcorn ready, so we can sit back and watch as you continue to grow your business and thrive!

Jah Bless