We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Crystall Gardner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Crystall, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
The barbering industry is so diverse ,not only in different parts of the country but in different parts of the world as well. In Tennessee the going rate for a solid service is $30-$60. You look at larger cities ,such as Las Vegas or Austin and you see rates ranging from $80-$100 for ,essentially ,the same services just polished up a bit more. In other countries like Asia or Europe,the price of services vary tremendously. Speaking personally about being a business owner and a sole proprietor, I can say it is hard to be profitable but it is possible. The biggest hardships I have come across doing what I do is that you make money, as a barber, by volume and not by services offered. For example, I spend about an hour on a haircut and beard trim and get roughly $65. A cosmetologist can make about $300 on a 3 hour cut and color. Even though I am a duel licensed barber/ Stylist, I stick with precision cutting and men’s grooming because it sparks joy the most and has since I was introduced into the industry. On top of everything else, unfortunately, small local businesses get the short end of the stick when it comes to overhead and inflation which does play a huge role in your profitability. Between taxes, gas prices and general inflation of the supplies and tools we need to operate, you need to have an understanding on how to be financially responsible which comes with time and we are not taught that initially in school. At the end of the day you should choose to do what you love because it doesn’t always feel like work.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am Crystall ,master barber and I own the Painted Lady Barbershop of midtown Memphis. I love to have a hand in making someone’s day or week by simply making them feel good about themselves. Always loving attention to detail and being able to portray that in my work feels amazing. Men’s grooming (or short hair specialist) is a specialty in the HUGE spectrum of the beauty industry and I strive to bring notice to such a craft. I provide precision haircuts, beard detail and razor work for anyone looking for a calm and inclusive environment. I’m proud that I was able to experience multiple realms in the industry but was lucky enough to be able to open my own shop and build a brand I am proud of.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My mentality has always been “dont just talk about it, BE about it” . Anytime I am out and about ,sometimes I see people who have heard about me or have had someone come to me for services before. It’s amazing to me that memphis is such a big “small town” and word does travel. But the key point is to make sure every single person that walks out the door is praiseworthy. They should be your walking-talking billboard. I have been in the industry for almost 15 years and have the skills to back up that dedication.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I wouldn’t call it a lesson, but it was a lesson learned and how I’ve grown from it. We all are familiar with the movie Mean Girls. The first few years after school, not knowing where to go from there, I experienced some time in full service at a salon and then some time at a fast pace men’s shop. Both places taught me something valuable, from honing my skills to how to talk to people. What wasn’t of value to me was the mentality of other people who guided me through those years that had me thinking that others in our line of work, were essentially a threat. Being on my own and not having the chatter of persuasion in my ear, I honestly have never loved my job more than I do right now. In this industry, it is a community not competition.
