Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicholas Howard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nicholas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Professionalism, consistency, and reliability are three things that I would say are the keys to my success. Professionalism has a lot to do with customer service. It includes understanding who your clients are and their interests. I have personal relationships with most of my clients and I practice “Barber Client Privilege”. Barbers are sometimes wearing many hats, but the most important hat I wear is to create a professional environment where people can be comfortable. Consistency means being able to deliver the same service every time they come. A lot of times I gain new clients from barbers who were not consistent. Too often some barbers don’t deliver consistent cuts and their clients are not happy and end up in my chair. I have maintained a high retention rate for the last 25 years. Reliability means the world to my clients. It is one of the biggest reasons they prefer me. Most of my clients are busy professionals and time is important to them. Knowing that they can get in and out on time is precious to them. I run a tight timely and strict schedule, my late fees are to encourage promptness My longtime client and friend, Mathew Knowles author of, “The DNA of Achievers” speaks of ten traits of highly successful professionals. In this book he talks about passion, vision, work ethic, planning, and learning from failure. I believe each one of these traits were imperative to my success.
Nicholas, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
To all my future clients and followers I will always try my best to meet your needs through professional, consistent and reliable service. I’m continuing to learn new trends and honing my skills. I appreciate the opportunity to give me a chance to earn your business.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Word of mouth has always been the greatest source for new clients for me. Clients are walking advertising for you. And now that we have social media my clients will tag me on their pics. When that happens I always gain more followers and new clients as a result. Google business page and Yelp has also been a vital source for me. And Its free. I encourage clients to leave reviews on my google page. Over the years I have accumulated many positive reviews, and in today’s climate, people really rely upon those reviews to determine whether they will patronize your business. When I get new clients I always always ask….”how did you hear about me”. That helps me determine what platforms are working best for me. And 9 times out 10 they always reply ” I read the reviews and decided I would try you or you had good reviews. So what’s most important is keeping that client in your chair and returning often.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think my name recognition has been a big factor “Barber To The Stars” says a lot to people. Often times people corelate success with other successful people. People in the public eye have to look good all of time, and if there’s someone they are familiar with or can relate to, they figure if they trust him, I can too. So lots of times people I don’t know refer clients to me that I haven’t even met before. All they know is there’s someone called barber to the stars and he’s so and so’s barber, so he must be good. I know for a fact that some of my high profile clients visit Houston and ask around looking for a new barber, and that’s when the name recognition/reputation serves me well.
Contact Info:
- Website: barbertothestars.com
- Instagram: @barbertothestars
- Facebook: @barber to the stars @barbertothestars
- Twitter: @barbertostars
- Youtube: @barber to the stars @barbertothestars
- Yelp: @barber to the stars
Image Credits
ThePhotoFirm Tanya Rawlins