How to run a successful barbershop : The Standard

If you own a salon or barbershop, chances are that ten other shops near you are doing the same business. The beauty industry is very competitive. But Pamela Omondi, the director of Platinum Scissors Spa and Barbershop in Eldoret town has a trick or two up her sleeves. She boasts of serving high-end clients, including top politicians, award-winning athletes and public personalities. Below are tips from Pamela for those who want to remain afloat in the industry:  Charge pocket-friendly rates At Platinum Scissors Spa and Barbershop, our rates are not too low to compromise on services or too high to keep clients away. We charge Sh250 for shaving hair and give head massage at no cost. Normal body massage goes for between Sh2, 000 and Sh2, 500 depending on customer’s requests. Don’t entertain tribalism

SEE ALSO :Start-ups win Sh1m scale-up capital

Eldoret is a cosmopolitan town and we serve clients from all walks of life. Even though a majority of them are Kalenjin, we do not encourage ethnic profiling. This is one of the reasons we have repeat clients. Consider your location Many people in Rift Valley travel very far for valuable and affordable service and goods. This was the motivation behind Platinum Scissors Spa and Barbershop that was launched in 2011. “My husband I decided to start this business to stop people from this region from travelling long distances in search of better services in other towns like Nairobi. We realised is that a majority of prominent personalities love their privacy, which is one of our selling points here,” said Pamela. Invest in your business Pamela and her husband don’t regret injecting Sh8 million into the business.

SEE ALSO :Man who sells eggs from his Mercedes

“This is a long-term business. We don’t expect much now, as it will take us sometime to recover the money, but what matters is providing the best services to our clients. We love our country and as you can see, we have used locally-manufactured materials in this building. Only a few items were imported because we could not find them locally,” she told CityBiz. Be professional Hire only licensed barbers who have excellent customer service skills, and pay them well, advises the businesswoman. The soft-spoken director says her lowest paid employee takes home between Sh10,000 and Sh30,000 a month depending on position and workload.  “We offer competitive pay to maintain our employees and customers. High staff turnover is the quickest way to lose your clients. Clients are loyal and want to be served by the same people  regularly,” she said. This way, clients are assured of top-notch services, the director adds. Expand your business Pamela revealed that besides Platinum, they also operate two other barbershops in the town. In Platinum, they attend to between 30 and 40 clients daily.

Related Topics

barbershopEnterpreneurship