BLOG SPOT. Return The Favour by James O'Brien

Wow, the year has been going so fast! It’s almost the halfway point of 2023. Thank you to the team at Barbershop Magazine for having me back again to talk business. I hope everyone is ready for the new financial year, and in saying that… sales vs wages. How are they looking for you?

I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but this is the most important part of your business. Having a business plan, having a great accountant and a great cash flow, all these things lead to success.

The greatest thing that Covid taught me was how to balance the books. When you have no money coming in and money going out, it becomes hard. You really learn new skills, understanding, cash flow forecasting and overall, you learn to pay attention to what’s going on around you and your business.

Last year was a great year for us as we put on 15 apprentices. I was going through Facebook groups looking for apprentices and people were DMing me about how do I train, and how I deal with the complaints. Look, in training apprentices, you are going to get complaints.

It is your role and responsibility to work next to your apprentice while they’re cutting and watch over them, be a mentor. It is also the perfect time to put on an apprentice if you’ve been thinking about it. With the run into Christmas, you need to be on the lookout now. If you can have someone up-and-cutting by then, this will help with extra staff over the holiday periods. It’s not rocket science guys!

If you want to create an industry, if you want to have a busy shop, if you want to be a famous social media barber… It all begins as an apprentice. Someone gave you a chance and now it’s time to pay back that favour. Train Train Train! It’s what Jimmy Rod’s was built on.

If you haven’t put on an apprentice before, reach out to training organisations in your area. They can guide you through the steps on how to put someone through their apprenticeship program although they won’t find the apprentice for you, that’s your job.

I use the Barber Academy to help train my apprentices, I’ve got a great relationship with the owners and the trainers, and they understand what I require from them to make sure my apprentices have everything they need. So, reach out, make some phone calls, and help create an industry we all can be proud of.

Till next time….. Live Fast-Look Sharp…. I am Jimmy Rod.

@jimmyrods