The barbershop industry is steadily growing, which may be a great deal for the clientele but it also makes things more difficult for the business owners. After all, with more competition on the market, more effort is needed to differentiate one’s barbershop from the rest and make it stand out. Still, there are plenty of different practices that can make your business boom, so keep on reading. Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash Choose a Theme for Your Barbershop Theme-based barbershops seem to do much better these days. Essentially, people invested in their appearances also want to visit barbershops that provide a visually pleasing environment and maybe even something extra. And there are plenty of themes to choose from. For instance, adding a natural touch to your barbershop may be a great option for you, with greenery in every corner and fresh green smoothies served to the customers. Western-style barbershops are already going strong, as well as those that have craft beer as their main theme. Upgrade Your Furniture Vintage-inspired barbershops may be all the rage but that doesn’t mean you can attract customers if the furniture in your shop is old and worn. It’s only natural that new customers, especially younger ones, will pay a great deal of attention to the looks and functionality of your shop, and shabby appearance is definitely not something they’d like. That said, make it a point to replace old furniture in your shop with new pieces. It will also make it easier for your staff to work and move around. Check Up on Your Competition You shouldn’t copy other barbershops but there’s nothing wrong with taking a look at their work motto and things they do differently in order to attract customers. This type of research can inspire you to further specialize in your own services, much like some of the most popular barbershops in Chandler AZ specialize in NYC hairstyles, for instance. It’s all about finding more about what your competitors are doing so that you can pinpoint the unique niche for your own barbershop. After all, this is the quickest way to narrow down your options. Photo by Nathon Oski on Unsplash Boost the Overall Productivity In order to make your barbershop stand out, you can’t work on your own. True success, in this case, comes from teamwork, and you truly need your employees on your side and with the same energizing mindset when it comes to differentiating the business from the rest. That said, it’s up to you to do everything you can to boost the productivity of your employees. As mentioned before, adding a touch of greenery may be a great way to do this. There’s also the appeal of having your own coffee bar within the shop that both your employees and customers would appreciate. Obviously, your demeanor has to be kind but fair if you want your staff to respect you and consider your barbershop’s success their own business, too. Keep Your Social Media Active In this day and age, social media is undoubtedly the biggest marketing channel. Potential customers will turn to your social media profiles in order to check out the feedback from the existing customers as well as your story, branding, images, videos, and so on. In general, you can’t go wrong with Facebook and Instagram for marketing your barbershop. But, if you’re social media-savvy, it might be a good idea to take up TikTok as well, as it’s a fresh and exciting new way to utilize short videos as a free commercial for your barbershop; it might also allow your potential customers to connect to your brand and story even more. Get Your Swag On Great service is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the barbershop’s success, but if you want to remain memorable and maybe even retain some loyal customers for years to come, definitely invest in business cards and swag that’s rather unique to your business. Well-executed and creatively designed business cards are bound to find their place in your customers’ wallets. What’s more, by handing out your barbershop swag to the customers who just had their grooming session will gradually put you in the spotlight. Keep in mind that this swag, while not necessarily expensive, still has to be rather useful for the customers if you don’t want them to throw it away the moment they leave your shop. When the market is continuously growing and the competition is getting stronger, you can’t just leave everything to chance and hope for the best for your own barbershop. Continuous work to better your services, environment, and overall branding are necessary if you want to stay relevant and improve the relevancy of your business. The more ideas you have for making your barbershop stand out, the better; don’t be afraid to try them out and establish your place as a true authority within the industry.

It is important to carry out a content analysis that is going to help you gain an insight on what your competitors are doing. This will help you form strategies for your content that are going to increase and improve your contents quality. If you are thinking about how to create a wikipedia page then you need to ensure that you have gained sufficient amounts of information on your competitors. This is going to highlight your brand and go against the competition too. Do you think its helpful to carry out competitor analysis?

Maintaining a business is difficult enough on a tight budget. The financial struggles can often cause leaders to forget a small yet very important factor: employee motivation. Most business owners know by now that the happier the employees are in the workplace, the more productive they are. This ultimately reflects on all aspects of your business. Simply put, investing in your employees is investing in your business. But investing in your employees might seem overwhelming now amidst the COVID-19 crisis which has left small businesses struggling to survive. However, there are ways to achieve this without spending a lot of money. We bring you 5 ways to motivate your employees on a shoestring budget. Know Your Employees The first step towards increasing your employees’ motivation is knowing what they really want. What would help motivate them? Of course, fair compensation goes without saying, it’s what motivates many of us. However, money is not all they want. In fact, you’d be surprised how many employees would accept a lower-paying position if the job is fulfilling, flexible, and in a healthy environment. According to Forbes , permanent flexibility, a commitment to wellness, and a sense of purpose are among the essential needs and wants of employees nowadays. What does all this mean? It means that a tight budget should not be an obstacle to your efforts. You can offer different kinds of benefits and perks such as flexible hours, remote working, paid sick days, opportunity for advancement, etc. According to a survey on Glassdoor, 4 out of 5 employees prefer perks and benefits over a pay raise. Offering these benefits will help you motivate employees and retain talent. The first step should, therefore, be asking your employees about their wants, aspirations, and ambitions. Once you get a list of things they would find attractive, figure out which of these benefits you are able to offer them. Be Flexible Our needs and wants have evolved and so a 9 to 5 work scheme is no longer acceptable for many of us. For example, Millennials are concerned with the question of flexibility more than compensation, retirement, and finances in general. If you haven’t done that already, it’s time to offer your employees the possibility of remote working for at least one day per month or week, as well as flexible arrival and departure times. What many business owners still fail to understand is that employees have personal lives and kids, and forcing them to be at the office from 9 to 5 every single day is not possible for many of them. They are sacrificing many things for that and as a result, they are unhappy in the workplace. Trust your employees that they will get the job done even if they arrive at 11 a.m. or decide to work from home that day (remote working is not a code for watching TV all day, btw). Remote workers don’t have to commute, therefore, they save time and are well-rested. This reflects positively on your business as they have more energy to focus on work. Become a Good Listener Being receptive is very important as it shows employees that you listen and acknowledge their ideas, opinions, etc. Do your part to help them feel that they can come to you with their thoughts and needs. On the other hand, if employees are in fear of expressing their opinions and feel that they can’t speak freely with you, this will hinder their productivity. Good communication is the key to keeping employees happy and productive. Offer Discounts Another way you can motivate your employees is by offering them discounts on your products. You can go one step further and form partnerships with other businesses that will give them discounts on their products and services. Provide Feedback Complimenting an employee on a job well done will do wonders for their self-confidence in the office. What’s more, it will encourage them to keep going. You are not only their boss but their leader and you have the power to influence their growth and development. Feedback is very important when it comes to that. Give constructive feedback that will help them grow, not hinder their confidence and make them want to slack off in the future. Instead of vague, general comments, the key is in giving specific and useful feedback so that the employee knows what to work on. It’s all in the approach you choose. As you can see, motivating your employees on a shoestring budget may be challenging but it is feasible. More importantly, some of the above mentioned things mean so little to you but so much to them. Your employees will feel more relaxed and satisfied in the workplace and they will value what you did for them. All the effort you invested will pay off.