Online has changed our shopping habits & the landscape of how we function for some of our needs. When was the last time you received a hair cut online? From social media?

When looking at a business model how the Internet affects our purchasing habits and our needs will be part of the process of measuring the pros & cons of each business. Finding business with a consumer need, a hyper local product that cannot be outsourced tends to have more long term security.

Sharon Powills, author for 1851 Magazine, recently penned a list of the “Top 5 Reasons to Invest in Great Clips”. That personal service is at the foundation of Great Clips, a growth-oriented franchisor with more than 4,200 salons owned and operated by 1,200 franchisees throughout the U.S. and Canada. Franchisees are attracted to this brand because of its industry-leading technology that allows salon owners to run their businesses efficiently, support their staff, and deliver a great experience to their customers—from inside a salon or working remotely.

#1 – It Is Recession Resilient. Great Clips is a value-driven business. Consumers are always looking for good value, regardless of economic conditions. When the economy is strong, customers want to get the best service for their money. When the economy weakens, customers want the same thing-only more so. And practically everyone needs a haircut.

2. Its technology is first-class. Great Clips leads the way in technology tools that make it easy for customers to get a great haircut and make it efficient for franchisees to operate their businesses.

The Great Clips app—specifically, Online Check-In—puts the front door of every Great Clips salon right into the customers’ hands. Great Clips Online Check-In delivers convenience to the customer when they want it most and creates brand loyalty by making it simple to check in before heading to the salon.

For Great Clips franchisees, technology provides on-the-go access to key salon metrics. Through a tool called Styleware™ Vantage, salon owners can view up-to-date salon performance statistics (such as how many stylists are working, how many customers have checked in, average wait times, etc.) from their smartphones or computers.

3. Simple Operations. The Great Clips format is straightforward and simple. As a manager-run business, franchisees don’t have to be in the salon every moment of every day. Great Clips provides extensive training for salon employees, from how to cut hair using the exclusive Great Clips cutting system, to how to deliver the best customer service using a proven multi-step program, to how to run the newest point-of-sale technology tools. And this personal support doesn’t end after you’ve opened your first salon—it’s ongoing and always just a phone call away. Great Clips believes in providing franchisees with the tools and resources to run a successful business so they can focus on their staff and customers.

4. Low cost to invest. Great Clips is a simple concept that focuses on the one thing its customers say they want: a great haircut at a convenient location. That means the basic physical and organizational operations of running a Great Clips salon can be equally simple—which for the franchisee, translates into cost effectiveness to build, open, and maintain a cost-effective salon. Initial Investment: $136K – $258K

5. Strong marketing. With more than 4,200 locations across North America, Great Clips franchisees get the marketing power that comes from a billion dollar brand. The brand’s system-wide media strategy includes traditional broadcast spots, digital marketing, social media, public relations, partner promotions, and more. The system-wide brand marketing plans, combined with market-level trial driving programs like Great Haircut Sales and Short Fuse promotions as well as market-specific sponsorships, all work together to drive customers to Great Clips salons.

Personal service is at the foundation of Great Clips, a growth-oriented franchisor with more than 4,300 salons owned and operated by 1,200 franchisees throughout the U.S. and Canada. Franchisees are attracted to this brand because of its industry-leading technology that allows salon owners to run their businesses efficiently, support their staff, and deliver a great experience to their customers—from inside a salon or working remotely. No haircare experience required, multi-unit opportunity, steady and consistent positive growth.

Great Clips is well established, with salons in 183 markets across the United States and Canada, and they still have markets available:

NEW YORK

o Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

o Syracuse, NY

o Binghamton, NY

o Elmira, NY

o Utica, NY

o Watertown, NY

o Rochester, NY

o Buffalo, NY

o New York counties of NY DMA (not Manhattan, Kings, Queens or the Bronx).

o Long Island, NY (Suffolk & Nassau counties only)

MAINE

o Portland-Auburn, ME

VERMONT

o Burlington-Plattsburgh, VT

CONNECTICUT

o Hartford – New Haven

MASSACHUSETTS

o Boston

o Springfield – Holyoke

MARYLAND

o Baltimore

WASHINGTON, D.C.

VIRGINIA

o Roanoke – Lynchburg

o Richmond

o Norfolk

o Newport

WEST VIRGINIA

o Charleston – Huntington

PENNSYLVANIA

o Harrisburg – Lancaster

o Wilkes-Barre – Scranton

MICHIGIAN

o Flint

TEXAS

o Amarillo

o Corpus Christi

o Brownsville McAllen

OKLAHOMA

o Tulsa

IOWA

o Sioux City

MISSOURI

o Springfield

TENNESSEE

o Memphis

FLORIDA

o South Florida

o Tampa

o Ft. Myers

ALABAMA

o Montgomery

o Mobile

o Birmingham

ARKANSAS

o Little Rock

o Springdale – Rogers

CALIFORNIA

o Los Angeles, CA

WASHINGTON

OREGON

ARIZONA

CANADA

o Winnipeg, MB

o Ottawa, ON

What makes Great Clips stand apart? – the franchise model as there are no corporate stores, so their investment focus is on the franchisees. Accurate data tracking, insight as to how franchisees are performing. This data helps them better understand key growth drivers and gives them the ability to offer an extraordinary level of support to each franchisee.

Reach out to start a conversation on your goals, thoughts and questions. We can outline what is possibly a good fit or if franchising is the right path for you.

Where does a business fit into your plan?

Email me by clicking on the logo below to discuss further…..