You don’t need experience in the haircare industry to be a successful Sport Clips Haircuts team leader. In fact, we prefer you don’t! With more than 25 years of experience, our simple franchise business model has been tested and proven to work. We have found that for a business model to work, it must be a good fit for the business owner. So, we have assessed what makes a good team leader, and it is why Sport Clips has one of the most rigorous selection processes in all of franchising.
We have identified some of the top characteristics that make successful team leaders. And none of them involve being able to cut hair!
1: Goal-oriented and hardworking-Like any business venture, you need to be clear on your goals and then put in the work to get there. This offering is not a get rich quick scheme, it is a business that is built over time. Sport Clips provides the tools, guidelines and resources to help you reach your objectives, but success comes down to your ability to stay on course. Expect to invest time up front to learn best practices and to really understand the business operations; this is not something that happens overnight.
2: CEO mindset- Strong leadership and management skills are important to Sport Clips’ effective manager-led business model. You need to be able to empower managers to run the day-to-day operations of the store. A team leader spends their time managing the managers and looking at the big picture, working on the business rather than in it.
3: Strong communicator- Being an effective communicator is essential to team leader success. Communication is the foundation to solid relationships and a strong team culture. This requires being engaged and attuned to the needs, goals and motivations of your entire team. Communication allows a team to work together to achieve common goals, and this starts with the team leader.
4: Supportive family and friends- Owning a business is truly a family affair. You are building a legacy for your family. It is essential that your spouse/family members are on the same page. While they may or may not be involved in the business aspect, their support and encouragement is a good indicator of whether you will be successful. For this reason, we encourage spouses to attend Discovery Day with franchise candidates, even if they will not be taking an active role in the business.
5: Passion for community involvement- Community plays an important role the success of a local business. Beyond boosting visibility and brand awareness, community involvement is about relationship building. It is at the core of Sport Clips’ values and giving back is a big part of its culture on every level.
6: Willing to follow a system– Sport Clips’ business model is proven and has easy-to-execute operations. Over the past 25 years it has built a strong foundation, providing comprehensive training and support for all aspects of being a team leader. To be successful with this model, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but rather follow the established framework.
7: People-first business approach- Sport Clips promotes what is called the “Heart of a Champion”. It sums up how team leaders can expect to be treated, and how team leaders should treat their team members and how team members should treat clients. These simple principles are at the core of how the brand interacts and conducts business:
- Do what’s right.
- Do your best.
- Treat others the way they want to be treated.
8: Team building skills and a desire to develop team members- A successful team leader takes a servant leadership approach to their role. Recruiting and retaining quality team members is the foundation to a high-performing store. This requires investing in your team members’ development and growth – both personally and professionally. You will not be successful if you cannot make that mental shift.
9: Business management and marketing skills- Sport Clips team leaders come from a diverse background but one thing most have in common is business experience. Understanding key performance indicators and formulating a plan to achieve those objectives, as well as executing a marketing plan, are both transferrable skills from the corporate world. With the support, resources and tools provided by Sport Clips, the team leader devises and implements a business plan based on the best practices of a proven system.
10: Team player- As a team leader, you are in business for yourself but not by yourself. You are part of a team and a network of other like-minded business owners. The brand’s strong team culture is one of the things that sets it apart in the franchising world. Team leaders support and encourage each other, celebrating each other’s successes and helping to problem solve. Many will even say one of the most rewarding aspects of this journey are the relationships they have built.
Sport Clips is dedicated to the success of its team leaders. We believe this begins by determining whether this offering is a good fit for the individual. We have found team leaders who possess these characteristics go far in achieving their personal and financial goals with Sport Clips.
Learn more about the journey to success with Sport Clips here!
For in-depth details about the Sport Clips franchise opportunity, download our Free Franchise Opportunity Report. You can also learn more by visiting our research pages!
