'More Than a Barbershop' ESQ. MALE GROOMING -

By Guest Editor Matt Clarke

Full disclosure: there may be some bias in this article, but it’s hard to overlook the success of Esq. Male Grooming, one of Australia’s premier barbershops. This multi-award-winning establishment, which also happens to be my workplace, has weathered global economic downturns and pandemics. This coming November, the shop will celebrate an impressive milestone—20 years in business—a feat few small businesses achieve.

Founded in 2004, Esq. pre-dates the Barbershop revival of the late 2000s. Opened by industry heavyweight and all-around nice guy Mark Rabone, Esq. laid the groundwork for the vibrant Australian barbering scene we know and love today. With an ethos of being “more than a barbershop,” Mark has cultivated an environment that fosters creativity and education.

We all know the challenges of working back-to-back appointments, standing on our feet behind the chair all day. It can be easy to lose that creative spark and fall into a monotonous routine. At Esq., regular scheduled education events encourage the staff to share emerging techniques and styles with one another.

Additionally, the team participates in photoshoots, where they have the opportunity to plan, style, and curate editorial hair shoots. This allows them to flex their creative muscles and design haircuts for themselves, not just for clients.

With nearly 20 years in business, this focus on creativity and education has fostered an unmatched standard of service and skillset among all of Mark’s barbers. So rather than just listening to me ramble on about how much I love my own workplace, I thought it best to hear it from some of our staff, I was fortunate enough to sit down with not only Mark Rabone himself but also three of our staff, all at different points in their careers and hair journeys.

I sat down with Jess Benton, Esquire's longest-serving staff member. Calum Craig; Esquires newest member and second-year apprentice. And Lauren Thomson AKA Loz, Esq.’s mature age apprentice. I wanted to gain some insight into how Mark Rabone’s Esquire has not only remained in business for 20 years but also stayed at the pinnacle of the world of men’s hair.

Mark, can you take us through the early days of ESQ. and what was the barbering scene like in 2004? And what made you venture into opening your own barbershop?

Mark: I started Esquire back in 2004 like most Barbers I’m sure, I always had dreams of opening my own store. At the time the barbering scene in Brisbane was a much different landscape to where it is now. Back then the majority of barbershops were somewhere guys went for a short back and sides, walk-in, no frills 10-15 min haircut.

If you wanted something more advanced or on-trend, most guys would go to the hair salon. I wanted to bring a hair salon type exclusivity to the men’s hair space, basically giving Men the same level of service, refreshments and quality of haircut the unisex Salons offered but in a masculine environment of a barbershop

We started off with two chairs, a minimalistic vibe, great products, beers & appointments... it wasn’t long before we added another 3 stations, started taking on apprentices and really started to grow as a business.

With Esq. celebrating 20 years in business this November, a feat very few businesses achieve, what do you attribute to the success of the business? And what advice do you have for other emerging or struggling barbershops?

Mark: There have been a few reasons behind the success. For anyone looking to open their own shop, I would say first of all be prepared to have plenty of ups and downs, do lots of hours but learn from your mistakes!

Secondly, make sure you are very aware of the business side of things, knowing how to Price for profit, have accurate Breakevens, KPI’s, policies & procedures and all aspects of administration. This is the part of running a business most barbers learn on the job and like anything else, requires time to learn. Invest in training to understand all these aspects - a business mentor or coach will give you the knowledge and I would say the right one is invaluable.

Thirdly, and for me most importantly, the real success of the business lies in having the right culture. An environment where people enjoy their job so much that they actually enjoy being there... Every team member is different and finding out what motivates them and makes them shine is the first thing we do. Training, frequent meetings, photoshoots, and in-house competitions are some of the key ingredients to our team culture.

Basically, treat your team how you would expect to be treated yourself, give them an environment to flourish and watch them grow!

You seem to have a hand in every aspect of our industry, how do you find balance in all your endeavours? and still find time to run your two shops?

Ha ha yes, I love to keep myself busy with work, and I believe doing things within the industry but away from the shops keeps my passion so high.

For me, the secret has been down to the culture again. Trust the management and seniors to make the right decisions, and make sure there is an open line of communication if there is a new issue that can arise!

I spend one day a week on the floor in each shop and every second week I have 1 on 1 meetings or team meetings. The rest of my time is planning, administration and of course education, without the right culture and the right people within the company this would be much harder to achieve in the long term.

Stepping away from cutting hair full time can be the most daunting part for many shop owners as we directly create revenue, usually, the most in the store, but with the right people, training and culture that they believe in, the business will grow as you focus on the business side of it.

Lastly, what’s next for Mark Rabone and Esquire Male Grooming?

Mark: For me personally it is to keep on educating & sharing with my American crew, 4Barbers team & Wahl, as well as some private in-house education sessions.

Myself and fellow Milton director at Esq have a little Side project in the works which will really come into fruition in 2025, and as for Esquire, watch this space because it’s 20 years coming up and we’ve never been one to rest on our laurels…

Tell us a bit about you Jess, how did you first discover hair and what brought you into the industry?

Jess: I was one of the lucky ones who knew from a young age I wanted to be a hairdresser, be creative, and make people feel good. I guess I’m a natural people person

As Esquire's longest-serving staff member, what do you attribute to Esq’s long-running success?

Jess: Esquires longest serving staff member...makes me sound like a dinosaur. I was brought up to treat a workplace as if it was my own. Working for Mark and being a part of such a unique team has made that easy and helps create a successful mindset.

It’s clear to see that Esquire is much more than a typical barbershop, can you give us a little insight into the other creative endeavours of the shop and its focus on education?

Jess: Esquire definitely isn’t your everyday barbershop. Mark allows the team the opportunity to work creatively on yearly photoshoots, lots of further education, and everyday guidance on anything in-house we need as employees to better ourselves as Barbers. The team work together to help support each other and further advance our knowledge and skillset in the barbering industry.

So, Calum, as one of Esquire’s juniors, walk us through your hair journey so far. Some highlights and opportunities you’ve had in your career so far.

Calum: Being a Junior at Esquire has been nothing but full of opportunities! I’ve been able to work alongside some very talented barbers/ mentors and work under Mark Rabone. Some big career highlights I’ve had are participating in photo shoots, and assisting Matt Clarke and Ryan Poole, in turn learning the ins and outs of how they work. Going to events such as the recent Barber Expo in Gold Coast and getting to participate in workshops has also helped in expanding my skillset.

Tell me about your journey with Esquire. How do you think your training has been different from other shops?

Calum: Being at Esquire has given me opportunities and connections with more than just the barber industry, such as the makeup artists, stylists and photographers.

Plus being able to have access to a diversity of events and look n’ learns such as American Crew, Heiniger and more! Also, having access to in-shop and out-of-shop training has been a great help in my journey so far.

Lastly, with fresh eyes in our industry where do you see the future of men’s hair going? What styles are coming in?

And what’s had its day and is time to go?

Calum: Men’s grooming is finally catching up with the hairdressing industry in terms of self-care, styling and service. It’s started from having one product to do everything, to now three to four separate products! Service has been getting increasingly better over the years, walk-in shops being left in the past as bookings seem to be the go-to nowadays.

As for incoming styles, I have no clue! But I want to start seeing more dudes embracing those longer scissor cuts or for the edgier cats trying some sweet micro fringes. As for a style that feels like it’s time to put to rest, I think super high-side taper trims on those heavy texture fringes have got to go! Those tapers are getting way too high ha-ha.

So, Loz, you’ve only recently come into the hair world, and already have another career under your belt, what sparked the move into hair?

Loz: well being in a creative industry previously I knew I wanted to do something where you could put your creative touch on things to make people happy and feel good in their own skin, also getting to know new people on the daily is awesome, building relationships. Also having a better work-life balance for me is great!

What’s life like as an apprentice at one of Australia’s premier barbershops?

Loz: Having life experience in a service industry and tailoring personal experiences is already within my repertoire but it was very overwhelming in the beginning. Now having found my feet it’s great but you can definitely feel the pressure to deliver consistent high-end service to all our clients in a very busy shop. I have to think on my feet and work hard but nothing I’m not used to already. Haha

So, you’re based at the Sunshine Coast, and commute to Brisbane? what is it about Esquire that makes such a commute worth it?

Loz: I knew that when Mark gave me the opportunity it was certainly one I couldn’t pass up and would have done anything to make it work. His shops are renowned, and he is one of the best educators in the industry so especially being new to the industry having the best mentorship and environment to learn in is very important to me.

Clearly, you’ve got a long and successful career ahead, so what’s the future in hair look like for you Loz?

Loz: Thanks, I hope so, I want to learn all I can to one day be an educator of some kind, but until then I want to do photographic work and maybe earn myself a title at the Barber Awards! That would be epic

@esqmalegrooming @the_sophisticated_scumbag @mark_rabone_hair @jessaben17 @calum.cuts @_laurenthomson