Working Too Hard?
I find that a lot of barbers who decide to start a mobile service work too hard to find clients who would love the personal attention and freedom it brings to their schedule. Also, some of these potential clients view mobile barber service way too expensive to use for regular personal maintenance. Of course, the occasional out of towner loves the idea of getting pampered in his or her hotel room with a personal haircut and hot towel service but everyday clients may feel different when they find out how much all that pampering and convenience cost.
A big necessity for most mobile barbers is allowing single clients to set appointments far from the center of their service area. But I do understand that sometimes traveling long distances to get to clients willing to spend good money pays for today’s bills. I find myself taking advantage of this service even though my personal mobile barber which happens to be located 15 miles from me. The thought of driving that far and waiting inside a barbershop when I can be in my home office working, knowing that someone’s scheduled to take care of me at my location, on my schedule. But, I’m one of the few clients who have the privilege and the funds to have a licensed barber come to my house for a shave, haircut, and some BS talking.
Fuel + Wear & Tear
So what are we missing? Why do mobile barbers find themselves in financial trouble in their first 3 months? I could tell you that it’s the wide territory they try to cover to get to most of their clients. That would be partially true but that’s only scratching the surface. Filling up your gas tank as well as the wear and tear on your vehicle can eat up some of your daily funds. But fuel is minimal compared to the missed opportunity most mobile barbers never implement and that’s Group Haircuts.
Group Haircuts May Be The Answer
Group haircuts may sound like an “of course, duh” suggestion but hear me out. There is always that one house that is the life of the party. In fact, they ARE the party. People are spending more and more time at home hosting Football and Basketball games with large screen TVs in their homes. Several of their friends are always over to enjoy the games.e Money Can Add Up!
Here’s an example, let’s say you offer the host a free haircut and you’ll reduce your price to half off for their 6 guests. Let’s say with the drastic discount, you make $29 per head. That’s $174 in about an hour or 2. If you made another similar stop that day, that would be $348 in a 4-hour span. The best tip I can give you when you decide to service a hosted event or party is to offer a group rate that includes up to a certain amount of heads to cut not who shows up. This guarantees your full amount if one or two of the host’s guests doesn’t arrive.
If you are having a hard time finding a host for your first event, host one yourself with a friend who doesn’t mind opening up their home or business for your event. Make sure to take care of your host with a free haircut or kick back and have your first event catered with cheap eats like chicken wings or anything else you can get from Costco for next to nothing. Keep the food away from your barbering area and charge accordingly. I’ve seen barbers clean up at these hosted events averaging $250 and hosting 2 to 3 events a day. People who host these events in their homes or backyards get mad props from their friends who will eat, watch the game with their friends and get a haircut all at one location!
Truthfully, any group haircut situation you can come up with will improve your bottom line. Yes, there will always be the occasional client willing to pay $65 for a mobile barber to meet them on their time schedule but the average client for a successful mobile barber will be in group settings.
Here are a few of my favorite examples of Group Haircuts that I find the most profitable for mobile barbers:
- Office Lunch Haircuts – This is easily the best everyday group haircut. Let it be known that individuals will pay the premium price but groups get the drastically reduced group discount if there is 5 or more in a group. A lot of businesses see this as a great perk for their employees and will offer you space or even an office to barber their employees. $150 to $250 a visit.
- Pre-Prom Haircut Party – Prom Night is stressful but a day with your friends getting a group haircut at one of the popular guy’s homes can be really profitable. Sometimes up to 15 prom guys show up to one of these gatherings knowing that there will be food and a group discount on a haircut right before prom. Expect to make between $250 to $400 a visit.
- Weekend Sports Parties – As mentioned above, you can literally clean up and make hundreds of dollars in just a few hours leaving a happy host and plenty of guests satisfied with a full-service barber and a game in a comfortable setting. You don’t have to but if you decide to cater the party, you can charge a premium and rake in some serious cash. $175 to $325 a visit.
- School Events – This takes a barber with his own mobile barber truck or van. Let students know that you will be in the lot before an event and offer a group discount. School events usually happen before or after a major sporting event so you can bundle your day with a Weekend Sports Party and turn a few hundred dollars into several hundred dollars in one day. I’ve seen Mobile Barbers with Vans handle 25 students with help. These vans and trucks have video games on a few screens to keep the students entertained while they wait for their turn in the chair. $200 to $500 a visit.
