Business advice w/ Luke Munn

TAKE A RISK, BITE THE BULLET AND JUST GO FOR IT

BUSINESS ADVICE W/ LUKE MUNN

Luke Munn is a barber who barely needs an introduction. Having been named the global winner of the 2020 American Crew All-Star Challenge, only to be crowned ‘Men’s Hairdresser Of The Year’ at AHFA last year, Luke is a rapid-fire success story. However, Luke’s meteoric rise has been a lesson in taking business risks and biting the bullet. The young barber has just swung open the doors of his first barbershop back in his hometown in Adelaide. If he could give one piece of advice for anyone starting out it’s ‘just go for it’, so we had a chat to Luke to get into the depths of how to open a barbershop for the first time.

Can you tell us about your journey from starting out in the industry to opening your first salon?

Early days started at The Barbery Academy here in Adelaide where I was mentored by some of the best in the industry. That was back in 2017 and since then it’s been a crazy journey. After completing my barbering certificate, I made sure to dive headfirst into doing anything and everything I could to allow myself the best opportunity in becoming the stylist I wanted to be. From those early days I always knew that one day I wanted to have my own salon. Fast forward to 2020, I was crowned the AllStar global winner which has been an amazing experience and still to this day it sounds weird saying it. 2021 was another crazy year working with some of the best in the industry and focusing more on educating and creating content. It was then that I won the AHFA 2021 Men’s Hairdresser Of The Year.

And now I’m here finally starting that journey as a salon owner. February 1st, 2022, Havachat Barbershop opened its doors. It’s a small, two chair studio nestled away in the beautiful suburb of Dulwich in Adelaide.

What were your biggest apprehensions about opening your own business? I think the biggest apprehension for most people when starting their own business is actually just doing it and getting to the point that you can open the doors and trade. I found that once I reached that first day of trade everything just felt natural. There are always those fears with new business in regards to client retention and so on but I feel like you need to trust in your ability.

LUKE’S TIPS TO GET YOUR BUSINESS NOTICED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

1. POST POST POST, get your content out there. The more content you’re creating the more engagement you’re going to get back. 2. Don’t over-think your content, or doubt that it’s good enough. 3. The more you post, the more you’ll learn what people enjoy seeing, and what they are engaging with more.

What about the importance of branding? Do you think salons need to have something that makes them unique? Absolutely, I think it is really important for salon owners to make sure their salon stays unique but without trying too hard to be different from others. The most important thing is to stay true to yourself and the brand you’re trying to build. In doing that you will inherently become unique and stand out. What about your salon? What makes it unique? Self-expression and exclusivity underpin the concept of my salon. I wanted to create a space where I feel like I can express myself and where others feel comfortable opening up. It’s all in the name really - “have a chat”. From an aesthetic point of view, I wanted to create an environment that’s contemporary but that still has that barbershop feel. I only have two chairs in my salon and we are entirely appointment based. This allows me to create more of a community and exclusive feel within the shop. I have the time to properly consult with each and every client to make sure they receive an outstanding service and walk out feeling their absolute best. What have you found is the best way to market yourself or your salon to reach new clients? Social media in this day and age is so important for a business, it’s the first place people go when they are looking for something. Creating a strong presence digitally is your portfolio, it’s how you can show people what you do and who you are. But at the same time, I’m a firm believer that old school ways work too. Getting involved in your local community is still one of the best ways to build and market yourself. Word of mouth is massive. What’s next for Havachat? Do you have a plan for growing your business? Opening in quite a small suburb, I look forward to being able to become part of the community and, in doing so, creating organic growth. To be 100% honest, I definitely didn’t have a very thought-out business plan before opening. My mindset was to create a space that represents me as a person and allows all my clients to be a part of that. It was only once I started trading that I started to work behind the scenes on ideas for business growth.