How My Local Barber Is Quietly Raking in $1,000s/Month
Maybe we should put our laptops away
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels
“Soldier! How are you today?! Take a seat.”
I hang my coat and walk to the chairs. “All good, my man! Just the usual, please.”
Salman goes to work. He’s quick and careful as he tells me about his latest girlfriend, Gabby.
I smile and close my eyes.
Salman’s been my barber for the past five years, and there’s nowhere else I go. He does a wonderful job at a great price, and he throws in a bunch of freebies. (More on these later).
This got me thinking: I wonder how much Salman makes each month…
As a full-time writer, I know what goes into running a services business, so I ran some numbers.
And they shocked me.
In a world that’s obsessed with online sales, there’s something to be said about the “offline” world.
Before I share the numbers, let’s look at the smart decisions Salman has made over the last five years.
These decisions have helped him build a thriving barbershop.
Smart decision #1: He takes his time
I never feel rushed — even if there are four guys waiting for haircuts.
Salman is Salman.
He chats with customers, has a laugh, and carefully gets to work. And I love the small details, like the free can of Fanta, the dollops of hair gel, and finishing with an old-school razor.
Takeaway for online businesses: When you act like you don’t need the money, it has a way of finding you.
Smart decision #2: He asked for a Google review
What’s the first thing you do when you’re looking for a new barber?
You search “barbers near me” on Google, right?
Salman knows this. This is why when I had my first haircut, he asked me to leave a Google review. To sweeten the deal, he gave me a free tub of hair gel.
I happily provided one:
Screenshot of my review
Five years later, he has 174 reviews and a 4.9-star rating.
Takeaway for online businesses: If someone likes what you do, leave them one call to action. (You’ll find an example at the bottom of this article.)
Smart decision #3: Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for hairdressing
His shop was virtually empty when I first went in. There was no reception desk, no coatstand, no TV, no Fanta, and no magazines whilst you waited.
Oh, and if you wanted to pay by card?
Sorry, I don’t take cards — but there’s a cash point around the corner.
All he had was his chairs, mirrors, and tools.
Crucially, this was all he needed. He only invested in homely touches once he’d proven he could bring in customers.
Takeaway for online businesses: If you want to build a successful online business, you don’t need half the sh*t you think you do (a website, social media, etc.) You just need to find your first customer and serve them.
Smart decision #4: Slowly up your prices
After about 12 months in business, I noticed a price board in Salman’s shop.
The price of my cut had gone up by £3 (about $3.75).
Did this put me off? Not at all.
It’s not because I throw my money around like confetti. I just thought Salman massively underpriced himself when he first opened.
But now I see it was all part of his master plan. (Probably.)
He hooked customers in with great service and made us feel guilty about charging so little.
For the record, his prices are still great value!
Takeaway for online businesses: You might worry about scaring customers away when you raise your prices. I know I did. But doing this is the only way you’ll be able to keep doing what you love without being broke.
Smart decision #5: Reward your regulars
Of course, when you increase your prices, you want to make sure you keep adding value — especially to your regulars.
That’s exactly what Salman does.
Along with the free touches I’ve already mentioned, he gives customers a rewards card. It’s like the ones you see in coffee shops.
When you get six stamps from Salman, you get a free haircut.
Takeaway for online businesses: Remember that everyone loves getting something for nothing. Keep it simple.
Smart decision #6: Hire, hire, hire
Okay, indulge me in a little maths.
I reckon Salman gets through two haircuts an hour. At his current price, that’s around $40/hour.
And he works 9–7 pm every single day — even weekends.
My guess is he takes 30 minutes for lunch. Let’s call it an hour. So if he works 9 hours a day (full capacity), it works out at ~$360 a day in revenue.
(Every time I walk past his shop, he’s got customers waiting.)
That’s $2,520 a week or ~$10,000 a month.
After factoring in all his costs (rent, utilities, stock, tax, etc.), my guess is he takes home 40% of this — $4K/month.
Not bad!
However, Salman doesn’t work alone. There’s usually another guy with him called Mo. (He’s also great!)
Admittedly, hiring someone full-time brings extra costs (training, holiday pay, etc.), but it brings in more money.
Let’s say Salman pays the UK’s “National Living Wage”, which is currently £10.42/hour for those aged 21 or over (around $13). And let’s say the extra costs work out at $5/hour.
That’s an additional $22/hour ($40 minus $13 minus $5).
I suspect Mo works 8 hours a day and five days a week, so that’s:
$22/hour x 8 hours = $176/day
$176/day x 7 days = $1,232/week
$1,232/week x 4 weeks = $4,928/month
In other words, every additional employee could bring in ~$5,000/month. And Salman has three chairs in his shop (with room for at least four).
Assuming he has two employees working for him Monday-Friday, 9–5pm, that could be an extra $10,000/month ON TOP of the $10,000 he brings in by working Monday-Sunday.
Pretty tasty!
Of course, these are rough numbers. They might not be accurate, and I haven’t included the cost of Salman’s training. I also haven’t factored in the costs of upgrading his shop, nor the fact that he doesn’t work at full capacity 365 days a year.
These hours also sound brutal. I’m not sure I’d want to (or even could) be in the same place for 10 hours a day, Monday — Sunday.
But putting all this to one side, this wholesome barbershop could potentially bring in revenues of $20,000/month or more.
And that’s just one shop.
It’s hard work, and it’s taken five years for Salman to get to this point.
But with regular customers, the possibilities are endless.
Takeaways
The online world is crowded, and it’s getting more and more difficult for businesses to stand out.
So maybe it’s worth considering the offline world again. Front-line services. Brick and mortar shops.
That sort of thing.
When you put in the work and make smart business decisions, Salman is proof that you can make $1,000s/month doing what you love.
Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)
