How to maximise your profits and streamline your day
Published
09th Nov 2020
by charlottegw
Founder of Beu app Ben Fisher speaks to the owners of Hounds barbershop about building a community and growing their business in 2020 with the help of Beu software.
Ben: As soon as I met with Elliott and Barry, it was immediately obvious that despite the 30-year
age gap between them, they were very alike. Elliott is younger with numerous tattoos adorning his arms and neck, and he has the natural confidence of someone who truly understands his own identity. Barry is a retired professional skateboarder who competed in the Vert World Championships in the 1980s. He speaks with humour and has hundreds of great stories. The barbershop is an extension of the two men with a rustic interior and locally sourced art covering the walls, which rotates on a bi-monthly basis. A faint buzz from the needle of the in-house tattooist underlies our conversation. The atmosphere is authentically cool.
Elliott and Barry met during their barbering apprenticeships and had an immediate connection. Whilst walking home after a shift they saw an empty shop and joked they should take over the lease and set up their own shop. In less than a month, the shop was fully furnished, and the first clients were walking through Hounds’ door. The barbershop has been open for a few years, but in the last few months it has transitioned from being a strictly walk-in business to taking online appointments with some help from Beu. After speaking for a few minutes about their business I notice one word keeps cropping up – community.
Elliott and Barry met during their barbering apprenticeships and had an immediate connection. Whilst walking home after a shift they saw an empty shop and joked they should take over the lease and set up their own shop. In less than a month, the shop was fully furnished, and the first clients were walking through Hounds’ door. The barbershop has been open for a few years, but in the last few months it has transitioned from being a strictly walk-in business to taking online appointments with some help from Beu. After speaking for a few minutes about their business I notice one word keeps cropping up – community.
Beu: How has serving the community benefited your business and how have you maintained such a strong following?
We are finishing every day completing more haircuts but feeling less tiredElliott: We never sat down and said we want to drive community – it just happened organically. Most of the people we collaborate with are our clients and what we do with them just stems from the friendly chats we have when cutting their hair. We introduced a membership for unlimited haircuts and beard trims which now has 80 members. Our regulars come in every week and we get to know them on a very personal level. Barry: We are definitely therapists. Over the years we have built up great relationships with our clients so they feel they can talk to us about anything. Our clients know they can get any issues off their chest, which means they leave the shop feeling and looking good. There is a real positive community spirit of looking out for one another. For example, a lot of our members voluntarily kept up their subscription during lockdown to support us whilst we couldn’t work, which really helped us out. Beu: How has your business changed since you started using Beu? Elliott: Since we started using Beu, we have been able to maximise our profits and organise our day. We are finishing every day completing more haircuts but feeling less tired. Barry: That’s your strapline there! I can’t imagine going back to just taking walk-ins again. This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Beu. Visit beuapp.com to set up your salon with Beu!
