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We’re here again – October in Trinidad & Tobago – usually a somber period for us. The national budget is read and the people of the country are still trying to get a grip on the new adjustments, particularly the increase in prices for some goods or services. The cry is always the same, “Everything goes up, except salaries.” The barbering industry is no different. The cost of living has gone up, and that includes the cost of doing business as a barber. A most basic example is the hike in the cost of fuel, which means that the cost of getting to work has gone up. The cost of products have also gone up, especially during and coming out of the pandemic.
So right now everyone is thinking of ways to make more money, including barbers. So let’s get in to these six tips that barbers can do to increase their income.
1. START TAKING DIGITAL PAYMENTS
Barbers should consider their career as a business instead of a hustle. If a barber were to switch their mindset to thinking like a businessman, new opportunities to earn more money will come along. One such method (which I got from Keron Rose’s Digipreneur podcast) just like businesses do, is to offer multiple payment options. In Trinidad & Tobago, and some Caribbean countries, far too many barbers and barbershops still only have cash as the only payment option. In 2022, that is unacceptable. Many barbers are losing potential clients on that one simple factor.
In recent years, the number of people walking around with cash is reducing for various reasons. Some say it’s to safeguard themselves against potential robbers. Some just find it more convenient as it’s a hassle to go to the ATM to withdraw cash. Some just don’t like walking around with bulky wallets. So this growing group of cashless clients may turn away from barbershops that only accept cash if there isn’t an ATM nearby.
Barbers need to provide a variety of payment methods to cater to the cashless client’s preference of payment, with the most basic one being credit/debit card payments. So how do you do that? Easy… Get your barbering business registered as a sole trader, and open a business bank account with one of the local banks. From there, your bank’s representative will give you instructions on how to get the Point of Sale (POS) terminals. In Trinidad & Tobago, First Citizens Bank has made it easy with their M-First option, for example. Republic bank has now upped the ante with its new Endcash app which eliminates the need for a POS terminal altogether. WiPay has also made it possible to accept credit/debit card payments without a POS terminal as well. So check out your options and decide which is best for you. Just don’t make cash your only payment option.
If you’re not sure how to register your barbering business in Trinidad & Tobago, contact Nekeisha from NSJ Services. She’s really good and will get it all done quickly for you.
2. START SELLING PRODUCTS
So you’re at the shop and you cut and style your client’s hair. They’re in love with it and are singing high praises to you for such an awesome job you did. But they don’t want to only keep the style for the day. The client wants to wake up tomorrow and maintain the fabulous style you did for them. So they ask you for the product you used in their hair. What do you do? You send them to get it at the store you bought it from. Nooooooo! You’re missing out on an opportunity to earn some extra cash. If you know you are using a particular product to style your clients’ hair, buy at least six of that product. Sooner or later, your clients will ask you for the product you used, at which point, you can offer it for sale. If you buy six bottles of the product and you add a markup of 20% minimum, most clients will gladly pay the little extra you are charging instead of driving to where you bought it, find a park, get out of their vehicle, go into the store, find the product and line up to buy it. So now imagine if you sold five products per day. What if it was more than that? Are you seeing how quickly and easily that extra money will add up? None of this takes away from your time spent cutting hair.
3. LEARN NEW SKILLS TO OFFER
Most barbershops have fixed prices on their services – adult haircuts, kids haircuts, shape-ups – they’re all fixed. The variety of services is limited to what is listed on the wall in most cases. But what if you added new services to your offerings? What if you did a course on how to dye hair and started offering that? As it is now, if a client wants part or all of their hair dyed, a lot of barbers tell the clients to get it done by a hairdresser before they come to the barbershop. So why not learn to do it yourself and start offering it as part of your catalogue of services? A word of caution though, make sure to read and follow all safety protocols when using these chemicals and be sure to have a plan in place in case someone has a negative reaction to it.
4. LEARN TO CUT FASTER
This point here is simple maths. The longer you’re taking to cut hair, the less clients you can cut per day, the less money you take home. It’s that simple. So how can you increase your speed? One way is to get more efficient. Keeping your station organised will help increase your speed. Keeping your guards, scissors, duster, etc, in the same place all the time, will make it become automatic to find. A barber apron also helps with organising your tools while working. A lot of time is wasted trying to find the right guard during each cut; it adds up. A great tip is to get the Wahl Coloured Guide Combs, that way you know which colour represents which number guard, making it easier to find which saves you time.
Another way to cut faster is to get better tools. If you are using a mediocre clipper, it’s going to take longer to get a decent fade, or to cut through bulk. Same for your trimmers/liners. Far too much time is wasted trying to get a good lineup with mediocre trimmers. If you were to invest in something proper, you can cut down the time it takes by half, and get a sharper edge too. So invest in some good, top-quality machines. Here are a few suggestions for some of the best machines available locally that will allow you to work better and faster.
Top Clippers: jRL 2020C, Stylecraft Saber, Stylecraft Rebel, Babyliss LOPRO, Kiepe Fuel, Gamma+ X-Ergo
Top Trimmers/Liners: Stylecraft Saber, BaByliss GoldFX Boost+, jRL 2020T, Andis GTX-EXO, BaByliss SnapFX, BaByliss LOPRO, Kiepe Fuel
Top Clipper/Trimmer Combos: jRL Gold Combo, BaByliss LimitedFX, Stylecraft Rogue Combo, Stylecraft Protege Combo
Top Electric Shavers: Stylecraft Rebel, Andis reSURGE, Kemei TX-3 Gold
5. CHARGE EXTRA FOR DESIGNS AND ENHANCEMENTS
Most barbershops have a price list that dictates how much the barber charges for basic services. In recent times, barbers have leveled up the quality of their haircuts by using enhancements. But this doesn’t come cheap to the barber. The price range for a bottle of premixed enhancement is about $140 to $150 TTD. Prices for the airbrushes to apply the enhancements vary but a portable one can run you about $1000 TTD. So if you are a barber that wants to do enhancements, consider offering it as an additional service where the client can choose if they want it or not, for an additional cost.
Doing designs is another great way to add that variety to your catalogue of services and the price for the designs will vary depending on the complexity and time taken to do the design. Plus it allows you to bring out your inner artist and get creative.
6. RAISE YOUR SKILL AND DEMAND, RAISE YOUR PRICES
Last, but not least, on today’s list is to raise your skill by intentionally practicing and trying to get better at what you do. In addition to getting the best tools you can afford, make it your duty to get better at each aspect of your craft. Do better drop fades, better lineups, better tapers, etc. What you will find is that your clients will be walking advertisements for you and pretty soon you will be booked up more.
If you are consistently getting booked out, then you know it is time to raise the prices of your services. That’s right. That is the position you want to find yourself in. Because two things are going to happen when you raise your prices: 1 – you will lose some clients who don’t want to pay the new price asked. 2 – some will be okay paying the higher price because of your excellent service and superior skill. The clients who stay on will fill in the lost income for the clients who left, and then some.
To conclude, don’t be discouraged and lose focus every time the budget is read and the cost of living goes up. Instead, focus on the only thing you can control – yourself. Do what you must to stay consistently ahead of the pack and always make it your goal to do what is reasonably necessary to continuously grow your income as your barbering career progresses.
BONUS TIP
Be sure to listen to The Cut Spot podcast with @CutsByAntonio and @KrewKutz as they share more tips, tricks and insights into the barbering industry here in Trinidad & Tobago.
@cutsbyantonio
Antonio is a professional barber/hairstylist in Trinidad. He is known for creating memorable transformations with his cuts and helping clients to regain and maintain their personal style and confidence, starting at the head.
