A chance encounter on an airplane more than five years ago led Paul Hogan
to Sport Clips Haircuts. Heading to a franchise meeting for a different
brand, Hogan struck up a conversation with a fellow traveler. As it turned
out, the fellow traveler was in franchise development for Sport Clips.
After learning about
the brand and its growth, Hogan became intrigued by
the business model. He stepped off the plane and immediately began the process to become
a franchisee.
“The brand got me right away,” Hogan says. “It is a unique
concept. I was very impressed with everything I learned about Sport Clips,
especially their marketing and leadership. I wanted to be a part of it.”
In 2013, Hogan and his business partner opened their first store in Albany,
New York. Within three years, they opened four more and are looking to
develop additional stores in the near future. “This market is underdeveloped
and has a ton of opportunity. We are excited by all the possibilities
to scale our business even more,” states Hogan.
However, their rapid growth did not come without any growing pains. Hogan
explains, “Our first store took a little while to get off the ground.
It was a learning process. We were not following the system as we should
have. Once we opened our second store things improved. That is when we
learned to trust
the support systems available to us. And, once we got to the fourth and fifth stores, we had more flexibility
in staffing, and landlords were wanting to work with us more and more.
Things have really taken off from there.”
He goes on to say, “The system works, it is up to you follow it.
Sport Clips’ national marketing is incredible. Brand recognition
is high, even though this market is underdeveloped. They are always working
on creative and innovative ways to advertise and we reap the benefits
of that diligence.”
According to Hogan, another example of the excellent support systems is
the Real Estate department. Hogan says the department is focused on finding
optimal space to help set the store up for success rather than opening
as many stores as possible.
With five successful stores in operation and a few more on the horizon,
Hogan has some advice for other Team Leaders. “The main thing I
wish I had done from the very beginning is make sure you are doing everything
you should be doing inside your four walls,” Hogan says. “Follow
the system, which leads to great client service, high quality haircuts, and a personal
connection that transforms a haircut to a Championship Haircut Experience.
While it is important to drive in lots of customers, if your store isn’t
the best it can be, you are not going to keep them coming back. It will
show in your metrics if you are following the system.”
With more than 50 Stylists in his employ, Hogan also has some tips on working
with a team: “Make sure you hire a good crew and take care of them.
It is also important to remember everyone is unique and so are their motivations.
Look at everyone as an individual. It is as simple as following Sport
Clips'
core values: Treat people the way they want to be treated. It all falls into place from there.”
With the help of Sport Clips’ support systems and scalable business
model, the brand is experiencing increasing momentum in the Upstate New
York market. This emerging market is essentially untapped, presenting
opportunities for Hogan and other Team Leaders who want to grow with a
tested business model and established brand.
For more information on opportunities available,
click here.
This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by
a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New
York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.
