Barber & Beauty Industry Consultant
Co-founder, Hair Skin Club
Something extraordinary typically happens when you gather growth-minded barbers together. There’s a certain energy that leaves you feeling inspired. After spending six days in New York City for an exclusive multi-day barber summit, I’m certainly feeling that type of way right now.
GG, or Good Game, is a multi-day summit that gathers barbers from 12Pell, Paradox and Prax. The first GG was hosted by Paradox at Educo Academy in San Jose. The second GG was hosted by 12Pell at various locations throughout Chinatown, New York City.
Without getting into all the details, GG NYC was designed to highlight various brand elements of 12Pell. The goal wasn’t to leave and try to replicate 12Pell. It was to spark inspiration that leads to creatively applying those ideas to your own unique context.
Here are a few ideas I’m bringing back to apply to my own.
Collaborate
Our one-year anniversary for Hair Skin Club is on the horizon, and we’re going to throw a party. 12Pell’s motion got me thinking about ways to collaborate with my clients who own local businesses.
I quickly thought of a client who runs the most popular boba shop in town. They’ve done many pop-ups. I’m picturing a collaboration where we’ll offer drinks to the first 50 attendees. It drives brand awareness for his business and adds a fun incentive to show up early to the event.
If we’re going to spend money on drinks anyway, why not spend a little more to elevate the experience while collaborating with another local business?
Collaborative events should be part of every barbershop’s marketing strategy. An easy way to brainstorm ideas is to simply think about your clients and what they do for work.
If you have a client who is a realtor, you could hold a small class about buying your first home. If you have a client who is a photographer, you could host a professional headshot event.
The key is to think about your loyal clients and find natural ways to collaborate that create a win-win.
Consider the Final Look
There was a barber competition during GG NYC that was judged on the final look, not just the haircut.
The final look includes the haircut, hairstyle and outfit. A haircut and hairstyle can transform from black and white into 4K colour through the outfit. It might sound simple, but I’d never really thought about it that way.
It’s true, though. Often, haircut transformation videos do something subtle but significant.
The before shot shows the client pre-haircut, pre-hairstyle and draped in a cape. The after shot shows the client post-haircut, with a hairstyle and no cape.
That is the final look. It reveals all three elements. It was wild to see hairstyles take on new life after the models were styled in tailored outfits.
“ We’re all fatigued from screens. We want real life. We want to be in person with people.
IRL Is Winning
We all feel it. We’re all fatigued from screens. We want real life. We want to be in person with people. There’s something extremely energising about being in a room full of people we respect. We need to seek those rooms out.
When we do, it’s important to remember that the programme isn’t the full experience. It’s the unscripted moments that happen throughout.
There can certainly be memorable quotes from educators, but often the most valuable moments are the conversations that happen outside the scheduled sessions.
It’s the game exchanged over meals or outside in the streets.
In a career where we’re constantly serving others and pouring ourselves out to make sure our clients look good and feel good, it’s critical and rejuvenating to be in spaces with people who understand what we’re going through without needing an explanation.
There’s so much more I could say about GG NYC, but for now, a huge shout-out to 12Pell, Paradox, Prax and everyone who was there.
For those reading this who weren’t there, these lessons are for you just as much as they are for me. You know your unique context better than anyone. How can you apply these lessons to your block?