How to Make More Money as a Barber

As an online scheduling app built for barbers, we hear one common question from our businesses:

How do we make more money?

Bringing in the revenue you need to run any small business isn’t easy. It takes a lot time and hard work. 

In other words… it takes hustle.

And while we know barbers are chock full of hustle, any small business owner can always use fresh ways to grow and boost revenue.

To help you do just that, we gathered up six creative ways you can grow your barber business and make more money.

• Increase Tips
• Sell Products and Gift Cards
• Work on Your Upselling Skills
• Up Your Social Media Game and Online Presence
• Maximize Your Hours Worked
• Charge What You’re Worth

6 Simple Ways to Make More Money as a Barber

1. Increase Tips

Gratuity can be a nice perk for barbers, and while tips aren’t necessarily expected all the time, there are ways you can increase your chances of gaining more tips.

Cater Your Services to Individual Clients

Making each client’s experience unique can go a long way! 

Since each client is different, you’ll want to treat each appointment as a unique opportunity for you and for them. 

This sometimes involves reading verbal cues and body language — which isn’t always easy. But asking questions and getting to know new clients is an easy way to start learning what each client expects.

Auto-Calculate the Tip 

We get it. Tipping can’t be a little awkward for both parties involved. 

But a simple way to avoid that awkward tipping moment is by using a payment processor that automatically calculates and displays the tipping option for clients.

Keeping the tipping step in checkout is just one of the ways a solid payment processor can help you increase revenue. 

💡 Pro Tip: With Schedulicity, you can even customize the tipping options you want displayed for your clients! Want 15% / 18% / 20% displayed? Or 18% / 20% / 25%? Build the tipping options that work for your business! 👇

2. Sell Products and Gift Cards

Stocking up on products and gift cards for clients to purchase can be a simple way to bump up your revenue. But before you start selling, keep these pro tips in mind.

Choose Your Products with Purpose

When looking for hair and beard products to sell at your barber shop, take the time to do some research.

Seek out more specialized products that clients wouldn’t be able to find in local stores. 

By having a unique selection of products, clients will know you’re the only spot in town to get the products they need!

Sell Gift Cards

Gift cards are a fantastic way to boost revenue, so if you aren’t already, now’s the time to start.

They give you a revenue boost and up-front cash. Win win!

Just be sure you have your gift cards visible for clients to see them. That means in your shop and on your barber shop’s website. 

3. Work on Your Upselling Skills

You may already be implementing this technique without even knowing it, but if you’re not familiar with upselling, it’s the art of encouraging clients to add extra services or products to their total ticket — which, of course, means more $$$ in your pocket!  

Of course, you don’t want to come off as pushy when making your sales pitch, so keep the following tips in mind.

• Be Confident: Since you’re the expert, clients will trust your opinion on what products or services are for them. 
• Upsell During and After the Appointment: Simply chatting with your clients and learning what products they currently use can give you some helpful insight into what products they might need. So keep the conversation light, while also trying to learn where you can help.

Bonus: Don’t forget about your scheduling app! Online scheduling apps like Schedulicity (wink wink) have tools built right into your account to help with upselling, such as Suggested Services at checkout and Product Management. 

4. Up Your Social Media Game and Online Presence

Gone are the days of barbershops relying solely on word-of-mouth marketing. These days, a good business website is important. Plus, there’s Instagram, Facebook, and now TikTok to help spread the word as well.

Website 

Hair and barber services are visual services, so having a website that showcases your individual style — as well as your work — can help you stand out from other barbers in your area.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to design your site to be just as sleek on mobile. With most clients booking from their phone, you want to be able to catch their attention that way as well.

Social Media

Social media marketing is a powerful tool for barbers. It’s an easy way to get in front of clients and showcase your work.

But there’s a strategy to getting the most out of your social media platforms. 

Here are four areas to focus on when building your social strategy. 

• Know your target audience: What are they into? What are their interests? What do they like to see on Instagram/TikTok?
• Choose your platform(s): You can’t be on every app, so be sure you research the social apps that are best suited for your business and your style.
• Stay engaged: Show up every single day and be sure to reply or comment if a client reaches out to you.
• Automate your efforts: There are plenty of tools out there these days to streamline your social posts, like SproutSocial or Hootsuite.

5. Maximize Your Hours Worked

By maximizing your hours, we don’t just mean working more hours. Instead, think more about maximizing the right hours.

This means maximizing the time that your shop is busiest.

And of course, do your best to keep your schedule full. A no-show or late cancellation is money lost, so stay in communication with your clients by setting up email and text reminders. 

You can also take the time to set up newsletters, promotions, and automatic Thank You emails after appointments — like Schedulicity does! — to keep clients coming back.

6. Charge What You’re Worth

This is a tough one for a lot of barbers and stylists, but always — always — charge what you’re worth. 

Setting your prices can no doubt be tricky, but think about it less as charging for a haircut and more like charging for your time and skills. 

A simple trick to help ensure you’re charging the right amount is to… 

Keep track of how much time you’re spending per appointment.

Here’s the play: Set a timer before each haircut, so you have a grasp of how much time you’re actually spending per appointment. By knowing how long your haircuts take, you can find areas to improve your efficiency — ultimately earning you more revenue by saving time.