Get to know Karen Roby

Karen Roby - Andis team member - cosmetology educator - talented and passionate about learning about hair.
Profile in Modern Salon mag. Way cool. Way to go Karen.
Read it here.

Honored to meet you

Trevor Mitchell... the man who held the Guinness World hair Cut records before me stopped by to meet me at the show at salon international in London last week. He is a legend in hair cutting. His was gracious, but has vowed to reclaim "his" record. I hope he does. Nice to meet you sir! ( he is also in his late 70's.. still has plenty of energy and quite a few good hair cuts left in him. I can only hope to try to keep up with him.

MK in the UK design and graphics clippering

See the video featuring the big hits of MK in the UK clipper cut hair art designs. It is always inspiring to spend time with MK and learn from him.
Video link here.

Breaking up with service providers - a How-to

The article linked below ran in USA Today as I was leaving the US last week for a overseas show. It is a powerful piece of information for service providers like hair cutters. YOU should read this.
Link here.

Trends spotting 2011 London UK

Another fashion trend spotted at salon International 2012.

Shorts with tights. I saw lots of these on attendees on the show floor. Sure to be a popular look here in the US next fall, maybe even this fall if it gets here in time. Definitely a cold weather fashion as the shorts have always been worn in warm months. The tights or leggings give the shorts the ability to work through the winter. In some cases the shorts were VERY short. Some were longer, event to the knee.

I will state that this trend will NOT jump from females to males when it makes the jump to America. I hope and pray!

Modern Salon dot Com - Andis clipper cut technical Bradley Cooper hangover 2 look - How to cut it

Bradley Cooper in the Hangover 2 movie. Have a look at the link. This is a NEW ModernSalon dot Com clipper cut technical featuring the Andis Sonic+ clipper and me doing the cutting. Link HERE.

BGRc - The Andis Barber emial... are you a subscriber?

You should be. Here is the newest, latest edition. Have a look and subscribe today.
Link HERE.

Trend watch 2011

Every time I go to salon International, London, UK I am on the lookout for trends in hair , clothes, shoes, etc. So far I have a pretty good eye and track record. I see something. I comment on it here and then it shows up in America 1 year or so later as a serious fashion trend... I will surely see a few more... but one if the first to catch my eye has been harem pants... FLASHBACK... as fashion frequently is...
Here is 1 pic form the show floor... get ready. Either scrounge up an old pair or be ready to buy them when you see them soon on a store shelf. and... bad news... I saw them on guys as well as on women. Like a few other trends... this one might jump the Atlantic... but might not make it to the guys... We shall see. Remember you heard me say it here first.

What it takes to be a barber...

Next installment. What it takes to be a barber.
It takes a sense of humor, on many levels.
The days are long, the clients can be tough. They will throw all kinds of things at you. You have to be able to take it all well, brush it off, and move on.
You will see and hear things that will amaze you, scare you and most of all, if you are looking at it all in the right frame of mind they will make you laugh.
You should be able to tell a good joke, too.
You should be able to laugh at a good joke, even if the joke is directed at you.
There is a world of barber humor out there as well. Much if it critical of barbers and some of the things we have been known to do.
Some barbershop humor can be off color, inappropriate, sexist and downright wrong. You may not want to laugh at the joke itself... but you need to understand the situation and be able to move on.
That is not to say that you should tolerate hurtful comments, and insensitive behavior. Have standards and stand up for them... more on that next week.

Andis comes to Charlotte, NC

2 days of solid action packed Andis education are coming to Charlotte, NC this weekend. The BSG Fashion Focus show at the convention center downtown will be the place to be for clipper cutting education and training.
Andis and I have 3 classes and we have 4 classes co-oped with Woody's men's grooming. The latest cutting trends, classic barbering and hot deals on state-of-the-art tools will be shared. Come see me there. mention this blog post and ask for your FREE Andis gift! Safe travels. See you there.

Jason is in the game!

This past weekend was the hair show debut for Jason Potchen. I told you a few weeks back that he would be joining the Andis team. This weekend at the Indy show we made his debut. Jason cut on stage in a few classes and put out some really great cuts. He shared his deep base of clipper cutting knowledge and his enthusiasm for the clipper hair cut game. Nice job Jason. We will see more of him in the coming months.

What it takes to be a barber - C

Another post in the series... what it takes to be a barber.
Consistency
Consistency in your service delivery.
Consistency in your technical quality.
Consistency in your behavior.
Consistency in all aspects of your professional persona.

Can you deliver the same cut the same way every time?
Can you provide the same client experience time and again?
Can you be the same person all day, every day for client to get to know, count on and expect?

It is not easy. It requires keeping an eye on the goal. Putting the needs and expectations of your customers ahead of your own.

From a technical standpoint consistency is one of the BIG keys to long term client retention and satisfaction.

Even being consistently BAD is better then being hard to pin down with clients not knowing what to expect. Many consistently bad cutters are busy based upon relationship and the worry that no matter how bad things are here... they could be WORSE elsewhere.

Whoever you are and whatever you decide your barber business offerings are to be... just be consistent about it.