We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Claunch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining 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 biggest challenge to profitability in the barbering industry would be how long you spend on your haircuts. It seems simple, the more haircuts you get done, the more money you bring in, but that’s not always the case. When I first started cutting hair, this was my thought process, I would do most haircuts in 15-20 minutes. At that speed, I was not able to put in enough detail to make me happy with the haircuts leaving the shop, and I did not have a long list of returning clientele. My clients didn’t complain, but it was obvious that they were happier with their haircuts after I started to take more time. I now take 30-45 minutes for a haircut. The detail I can put into my work has significantly impacted my clientele; I have more returning clients and have had to raise my pricing to keep up. Now, I work fewer hours throughout the week, I am happy with all the work I am putting out, and I still have a greater profit than when I was rushing to get in as many cuts as possible.

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?

When I was reaching the end of high school, I knew I needed to either get a job or do some sort of schooling. I was really into doing makeup at the time and figured I could enroll in Cosmetology school to do it professionally (yikes). Long story short, I don’t actually like makeup that much, but I learned that I love to cut hair. In Cosmetology school, the main focus is women’s hair, which I enjoyed, but as soon as they taught us about men’s hair I knew that was what I wanted to do. After I got my cosmetology license I wanted to learn more about men’s hair, so I started working at and eventually managed a Sport Clips. During my time there, I decided that I wanted to go back to school to get my Barbering license, where I learned how to put a lot more detail into my work, and I eventually moved to a more traditional barbershop setting at Mynt. The list of services I currently offer is simple: I offer haircuts, beard trims, and shaves. With each service, I do a consultation, where I figure out exactly how the client wants their hair and what things others have done in the past that they don’t want. I pay attention to each client’s needs and wants so I can provide a personalized and detailed haircut.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

For me, word-of-mouth has been the best source of clients. When a client has a positive experience in your chair, they’re likely to return and share their good experience with their friends, families, and coworkers. It’s pretty nerve-wracking for most people to search for a new barber, and getting a recommendation from someone you trust can mean a lot. It is also beneficial for someone searching for a new barber if they get a good recommendation from someone with a high-quality haircut. No amount of business cards or Instagram posts can match the advertisement quality of a word-of-mouth recommendation.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of cutting hair is the confidence that I can give people. Sometimes, a haircut is just a haircut, but other times, it gives people the confidence they need for important events, such as a job interview, the first day of school, or even their wedding. A good haircut can completely transform how someone feels about themselves, making them feel refreshed and ready to take on new challenges. Knowing that my work positively impacts my clients’ confidence motivates me to continue to give the maximum effort on every haircut.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://getsquire.com/booking/book/mynt-barbershop-westworth-village/barber/emily-claunch/services
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyclaunchh/

Image Credits

Samantha Cooper