Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maria Endrikat. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maria, appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Yes! I do take vacations & I encourage my employees to take them as well. In a barbershop that is commission based when you are not physically there cutting hair you are not making money. With taking that into account, I really try to make my employees understand that we aren’t made to work our lives away. Everyone needs a reset. As hard as it may be to step away from your business and totally disconnect it is something I feel you, and everyone needs to do to be able to reset and come back refreshed and keeping a positive outlook on things. Sometimes when you take a step back is when your best ideas come to you. Being over worked and/or overtired isn’t beneficial to yourself or your business. So take the vacation!

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?

My name is Maria Endrikat and I own a barbershop, The Garage of Raeford, in Raeford, NC. In March the shop will be 3 years old. I have been cutting hair for almost six years, and while I went to school for cosmetology it was only shortly into it that I realized men’s hair was my passion and that was what I wanted to focus on. After moving to North Carolina in 2019 I worked at a previous shop where I then decided to open a shop of my own. Raeford was in need for a barbershop that really catered to and listened to clients’ needs, as well as somewhere everyone feels comfortable going to and that’s really what I focused on when opening the shop. We provide haircuts, traditional hot towel shaves, facials, beard details, facial waxing and men’s hair systems. My employees, as well as myself, all pride ourselves on making sure your experience in the shop is exactly what you want. Somewhere you leave feeling pampered, and with exactly what you wanted..all while you have the opportunity to enjoy a cold beverage in hand (alcoholic and soft drinks complimentary)! I pride myself on a friendly and enjoyable environment both for clients and my employees. You should enjoy going to work every day and feel appreciated for the work you do. We also strive to make sure getting a haircut never feels like a chore. We sell different pomades and hair care products as well as t-shirts, cozies, sweatshirts and different styles of hats.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My advice would be to make sure you show your team how much you appreciate them. When employees feel seen and acknowledged in their work they are more likely to keep striving to do better and continue to make strides within the company, as well as feel more comfortable coming to you with an issue if one arises and not feeling like they will not be listened to the problem will not be solved. Keeping a positive work environment is not something that is always easy but something necessary.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing a clientele in a business like a barbershop is word of mouth, especially in a military town. When haircuts are something required for work and when we have clients that care about their appearance they will tell their peers about experiences they had. Word of mouth/client referrals have been the most common and successful strategy we have seen so far.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thegaragernc.com/
• Instagram: @thegarageraeford
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/thegarageraeford
• Tiktok: thegarage_raeford

Image Credits
All photos taken by Hector Santiago of Hector Santiago Photography