barber shop

moggie4000

Hey,
I have a couple of ideas in my head at the moment but really want to start up my own business, really sick of making money for someone else.

I was thinking about setting up my own barber shop, I think there could be money made at it. I would like to hear from anyone who has one or knows of someone who has one, all advice would be greatly received. Also anyone who has done the 6 week course in knights, I would like to hear from you.
Cheers

Lplated

Have you done a trainng course/apprenticeship as a barber/hairdresser? I thought these courses took a few years.

Some significant set up costs here imo, property to buy/lease, fit out etc...

moggie4000

Well according to knights, their 6 week intensive course is enough to set up your own shop.

shoutman

moggie4000 wrote: »

Well according to knights, their 6 week intensive course is enough to set up your own shop.

They would say that though wouldn't they. Maybe it might be better for you to try and invest in someone else's barbershop first. You'd be able to see how they operate and if you still want to go for it you could always go out on your own after a few years.

moggie4000

Good idea but I'm back to the whole idea of giving time and money to someone else's business!

niceirishfella

Well, its a better time to take a unit now for rent and to fit it out then 2 years ago thats for sure.
As a fella, i like certain things from a Barber shop - atmosphere..........nice staff, skilled, understand what a man wants in a cut.
I'd like a cuppa if i'm waiting too long and a quality Mans Mag or todays quality paper to read. And prices, well, I'd like it done for no more than €10 for a dry cut. Even better @ €8 if poss in these recessionary times.
Look closely at all of the above, going for a harcut to me and many blokes should be an experience and I want to go back.
Many fail at this.
Its a service bizz tho - long hours, hard work, on your feet,no paid hols for you, you got to make it work to pay you, think it all through.

moggie4000

Thanks for that, good feedback. Anything else you like, how many times a year would you get your hair cut?

DubTony

I brought my 4 year old to get a haircut on Saturday afternoon. I took him to the barber where he's been 3 times before. Seemed like a busy shop to me. One girl running it on her own and doing, what seemed to be, quite well. The window still had Christmas decorations, and a solitary sheet of white A4 with the word CLOSED printed on it. This is in Atboy in Meath. I can't imagine she just takes extended holidays at this time of year. I was surprised.

As for qualifications? I'm of the opinion that hairdressers and barbers apprenticeships are simply a money saving excercise. In Boston a gazillion years ago, I got a fine haircut from a girl who'd done a 3 month cutting course. The girl I brought my kid to on Saturday needed to do a 3 month cutting course (ah, he's 4, he doesn't care. As long as he can spike it like Sam (his 17 year old cousin) he's happy ).

Bandara

moggie4000 wrote: »

Hey,
I have a couple of ideas in my head at the moment but really want to start up my own business, really sick of making money for someone else.

I was thinking about setting up my own barber shop, I think there could be money made at it. I would like to hear from anyone who has one or knows of someone who has one, all advice would be greatly received. Also anyone who has done the 6 week course in knights, I would like to hear from you.
Cheers

Hi Moggie

I hope you don't take this thr wrong way but jumping into a business you know nothing about is the quickest way to lose all your money, especially in the current climate.

Last night you posted here that you wanted and "had your heart set on owning a Pub", this morning its a Hair Dressers. I'm not knocking your ambition but you really can't just decide on some random business and open it. Its a recipe for definite disaster, by all means open a business but you have to have a knowledge about it before doing so, your making it infinitely harder for yourself going in without any idea how it operates.

I know nothing about hairdressing, but like all business I'm sure it can difficult to run, I'm sure there are tricks of the trade you have to know otherwise you will cost yourself money, and I'm sure that its got a lot of problematic situations that crop up again and again and you as the owner have to be in immediate control of them and know the way they need to be handled.

Also, I know of no hairdressers where the owner is not a fully qualified hairdresser who came up through the ranks. How will you expect to know if staff you interview are able to cut hair etc? You will have no quality control and will not know if your doing a good job or not etc etc.

Your only solution would be to hire a experienced hairdressor to run the place for you, thats going to cost about 35k (or whatever the rate is), so your profits are slashed right off from the bat as you have to hire someone to do your job.

Even if it was a success I think you'd end up working your ass off for 50k a year tops. Its a waste of your time.

sorry I know I'm knocking you down, but I just don;t like seeing people with a good backround jumping into something thats never going to work.

Take your time, get your stake money together, there is going to be LOADS of opportunities out there in the coming year.

niceirishfella

Hammertime wrote: »

Last night you posted here that you wanted and "had your heart set on owning a Pub", this morning its a Hair Dressers. I'm not knocking your ambition but you really can't just decide on some random business and open it.

OP, why not do both? - like I'd love a free cold beer whilst waiting for a trim:D

delllat

think serously before jumping into that

most of dublins busy streets have a place offering €5 euro cuts

talbot st
liffey st
the quays
parnekll st

also ive noticed loads of barber shops are empty all week except for peak times like thur or fridday afternoon

most have 2-3 staff standing around chatting

theres no way they can keep going at that rate

if your serious about it theres a hairdressers that closed on 15 wellington quay and theyve been trying to rent the premises for the last couple of months

kilbrides are handling the lease but it looks like theyre having trouble shifting it

shoutman

moggie4000 wrote: »

Good idea but I'm back to the whole idea of giving time and money to someone else's business!

Working as a trainee will mean that you will be doing nothing but taking from their business. Don't tell them you only want the experience so you can set up your own place.

I think you are a bit naiive really. Cutting hair is harder then it looks, and its not just about having it positioned in a good place.

I only go to one barber, the merchant barber in Temple bar. Even in this day and age it is a near certainty that you will be waiting for a few minutes. I don't go there for the experience or decor but simply because I know that I can go there and get a good cut every time. I can say here I'm looking for something a bit different and they wont just take out a electric razor and cut it all off and ask for a tenner. I believe the place has won awards and stuff, but it is still reasonable price (not €5 but more like €15).

I really think if you are serious about this you are going to have to put in the groundwork by starting from the bottom and earning your stripes. Otherwise you will find yourself in a barbershop, with huge debts and infreqent customers a lot of whom wont be return customers.

If you look at the market, you won't get your base by undercutting the likes of just cuts €5 per dry cut is cheap. And you obviously aren't going to be competing with Peter Marks etc. because lets face it you don't have the skills. I just don't see where you are going to get your gap in the market that allows you an above average wage doing something you enjoy doing.

moggie4000

Ok ok ok... So i don't have the experience, i take all your advice on board, thanks very much.

I still think i can make this work.

Maybe stubborn & stupid...

betonit

hire someone. Give them min wage and a small share and hire an apprentice. You can make tea and chat to the customers while they queue or play some funky music. Make it a cool barber shop??

niceirishfella

moggie4000 wrote: »

Ok ok ok... So i don't have the experience, i take all your advice on board, thanks very much.

I still think i can make this work.

Maybe stubborn & stupid...

Hmmmmm, in any business entry, know your game.
Stick to what you know.........I only heard Ben Dunne saying it the other day on the radio stating along the lines of "if you're in retail, and you're not a retailer, GET OUT of it"
He used the superquinn mess as an example saying the crowd who bought it out were property developers and not retailers and now its in trouble.
He's not wrong, i know personally one of the consortium who invested in Superquinn and he's not a retailer by any measure.
Stick to what you know!

moggie4000

HA HA... Can't afford to be paying someone, even min wage...

niceirishfella

moggie4000 wrote: »

HA HA... Can't afford to be paying someone, even min wage...

Thats that then.

stepbar

niceirishfella wrote: »

Hmmmmm, in any business entry, know your game.
Stick to what you know.........I only heard Ben Dunne saying it the other day on the radio stating along the lines of "if you're in retail, and you're not a retailer, GET OUT of it"
He used the superquinn mess as an example saying the crowd who bought it out were property developers and not retailers and now its in trouble.
He's not wrong, i know personally one of the consortium who invested in Superquinn and he's not a retailer by any measure.
Stick to what you know!

Ben Dunne is starting to annoy me. If he's not talking about drugs and addictions, he's talking about Dunnes and has a fairly retarded / "I've heard it before" opinion on all of them.

Anyhow, Simon Burke (CEO of Superquinn) is a retailer. Mr Burke ran Hamley's in London before coming to Superquinn. It's the other problems Superquinn have coming down the road which I'd be more concerned about. It's unfortunate that Mr Burke is limited on where he can take Superquinn now because of the massive amount of debt the SRH consortium hold. They paid crazy prices for some property. 12mil for a pub in Ranelagh, 50 mil for the Montrose. Another 12 odd million for a place in Terenure. On the otherhand SRH sold a lot of the prime property they held -

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/superquinn-rebounds-with-sales-of-8364620m-1277085.html and got good money for same.

niceirishfella

I was referring to the investors, not the CEO.
I do like Ben Dunnes rants tho' - he tells it like it is sometimes.
It's all a mess anyways at SQ.

stepbar

niceirishfella wrote: »

I was referring to the investors, not the CEO.

He's an investor too

Lplated

moggie4000 wrote: »

HA HA... Can't afford to be paying someone, even min wage...

If your budget is that tight then i would reconsider my position. I would also reread Hammertime's post above, and when i had reread it, i would reread it again.

Setting up a business is not simply deciding 'i want to be a...' or 'i want to do...' - you need planning, skills, finance etc.. I wish you luck but for your own sake hope you think a hell of a lot more about it.

salysol

there's no way you are gonna become a qualified barber, gents or ladies stylist ,on a six week course. i have been doing hairdressing ,for the past 35 years ,worked in a lot of countries,gained more experience ,than i can remember,and still i am learning from each client that comes in.
so i suggest you do an apprenticeship ,the same as the rest of us.