metro FOR MEN Blog
Posts Tagged ‘Best Barber’
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
This year has started off great and what a great way to start it off by being inspired. I attended our industry hair show today…ISSE Long Beach. It’s amazing to be surrounded by incredibly talented people and others who are inspired by them. While the show is heavily geared towards women’s hair, it still inspired me to be true to my craft, stay connected to the indusrty and do great work! I watched platform artists from Johnny B’s, Woody’s, Oster and Andi’s. One of the most memorable moments I had at the ISSE show was the design work on a male model from Babyliss. The design he received on the side of his head which was done with freehand clipper work was awesome.
The highlight of my hair show experience was meeting up with the metro FOR MEN team for breakfast at The Pike in Long Beach, CA before the show. I recommend this place, great food, and strong irish coffee. We enetered the show together and were inspired together. I could not ask for anything more! A team that plays together stays together.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, Irvine, men's grooming, men's hair stylist, men's salons Orange County, metro FOR MEN, orange county
Posted in metro FOR MEN | No Comments »
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
Happy New Year! I can’t tell you how glad I am that 2011 is in the past and for the arrival of 2012. My new year’s resolution is to put 2011 to rest and leave it there…in the past. While 2011 was a good year for metro FOR MEN and the shop was always rated well (we had 4.25 stars out of 5 as of Sept. 2011), going into 2012 its so better. metro FOR MEN has been given 5 stars out of five on Google Places. How did we manage to get such a great rating in 3 months? The shop has been blessed with talented, caring and happy service providers. We have reviews coming in saying “what a great environment. You can feel the moment you walk in the staff staff cares…genuinely cares about the customers and each other”.
Almost a year ago, I was told my dream to have a shop where associates cared about each other and the customer was lofty at best. That people in this industry don’t care about anything else but themselves and competing to have it all for themselves. I disagreed and said I will keep keep trying no matter how many people I have to go through to get my dream team. I was bid farewell with a closing statement of “it will never happen”. For a brief moment I doubted my dream, but forged foward anyway.
I’m glad I did, because I have my dream team and I will keep adding to it with like minded individuals that want to be part of my dream. Thank you to my nay sayers because without you, my dream would have never been realized. metro FOR MEN in 2012 is going to continue to be the leader in men’s grooming and will reach new goals…and dreams. For this reason, it is why metro FOR MEN is a Top 200 Salon in America. Here’s to an AMAZING 2012!
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, Irvine, men's grooming, men's hair stylist, men's haircuts, men's personal grooming, men's salons, men's salons Orange County, metro FOR MEN, orange county, trendy men's haircuts
Posted in metro FOR MEN | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 26th, 2011
Hello MFMers…Great news, metro FOR MEN has just been named one of the Top 200 Fastest Growing Salons in America for 2012! Thank you Salon Today Magazine for recognizing this salon for the past 5 years and naming us a top 200 salon in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, men's salons, men's salons Orange County, metro FOR MEN
Posted in Announcments | 3 Comments »
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Do you think your hair stylist should participate in continuing education after being licensed? I do. I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 23 years and continue to be amazed that the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology does not require licensees to have continuing education hours in order to renew a license. Because the Board does not require continuing education, it is left to salon owners to require their service providers to get outside education in order to stay current on industry trends. At metro FOR MEN, not only do we require our service providers to seek outside education in order to grow within the salon, we also host in salon education. Shawna, with Aveda, recently hosted a men’s hair cutting class where all my hair department team members were present.
It was one of the best classes hosted within metro FOR MEN. We were shown three new haircuts for men and then shown how to recreate them. At the end of the class, the staff was excited, energized and educated. I think it is important to stay educated and connected to my chosen career. In a typical year I receive at least 40 hours in continuing and enjoy it. I lead by example to my staff and show my team at metro FOR MEN that successful service providers continue to be educated no matter how long in the industry. My advice to customers of salons and stylists, entertain salons that require continuing education and in salon education and get services from stylists who regularly attend industry education.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, men's grooming, men's hair stylist, men's haircuts, men's salons, men's salons Orange County, metro FOR MEN, trendy men's haircuts
Posted in Grooming Tips | 7 Comments »
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
I ran a Groupon Daily Deal in October 2010 because I’m always up for discovering a new marketing avenue. Groupon explained to me that they are looking for businesses with a great reputation in their industry who are looking to attract new customers and metro FOR MEN fits their criteria. Well, aren’t we all looking for new customers? To have Groupon run a deal for a business, the business has to agree to a 50/50 split and the business pays 2.5% credit card fees. Our deal was $50 for the purchase price of $25. Doing the math I knew that metro FOR MEN would experience a huge loss on the deal. I ran the deal anyway because I felt it was a great tool to get my brand in front of 65,000 Groupon subcribers. After running the deal, I was asked whether I felt Groupon is killing business. I don’t think it is if it is being used in the manner in which Groupon intended it to be—an exclusive deal for its subscribers.
Groupon called us again to run a deal for Father’s Day because our initial deal was so successful, but I declined. I declined because another deal was just ran with another business like mine in the area. Not a good business move. metro FOR MEN is an exclusive men’s only salon and constantly running deals does not support our brand image. Running a Groupon deal was a reward for our current guests to get such a great deal and to offer new guests a way to experience the shop with little financial out put. I just don’t feel that running a deal every 3 months is a smart business decision.
In order for a business to run a successful promotion under the perameters of Groupon or any other daily deal site, the business must be cash positive and provide an outstanding customer experience so that the customer will return again and again. If the business just wants to run deals frequently, it sends the message that the business is not worth their regular pricing. Like a 2 for 1 deal. That means the customer perception is that the business can afford to offer their product for half the regular price all the time, especially if this type of deal is run consistently. Daily deals are just that—a daily deal…Not a constant promotion. If the same business runs the same daily deal every three months, what does that say about that business and yes I think that approach could kill a business (especially its reputation).
I would run a Groupon again, but as a special opportunity so that prospective customers percieve it just that way.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, men's personal grooming, men's salons Orange County, metro FOR MEN
Posted in metro FOR MEN | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 30th, 2011
Ahh reviews…they bring about a love hate relationship–We love the good ones and hate the bad ones. Giving customers the avenue to rate your business tells you what you are doing right and in some cases, what you are doing wrong. I take all reviews very seriously. I thank those for submitting great reviews and address the challenges a customer faced head on. If a customer did not have a great experience at metro FOR MEN I want to try to make it right, whether it’s offering to fix the mistake or even give them their money back. I’ve always been told, “it’s not just about the mistake, but how the mistake gets handled”. My desire is just to make the customer leave feeling we cared.
How can reviews, whether helpful or hurtful, help business owners? My position on reviews is that they should come from a critical perspective, provide specific instances, and offer suggestions on how to fix or exemplify an experience. That way the business owner has the necessary information to make the right decisions for their business and make it better. My cautionary note to reviewers, hurtful reviews could devastate a business causing it to potentially close down or be forced to go up for sell, and possibly bankrupt the owner. I understand there are bad businesses out there, but maybe just maybe the business could be amazing with the right useful information.
I’m truly grateful that my shop has experienced great reviews and boast a 4 3/4 star rating. We are not perfect and there is no business that is. We really try to make every guest of metro FOR MEN feel welcome and that we cared about him. We desire to stay attentive to the details and offer a consistent service every time. We would love to hear about your metro FOR MEN experience. Please post your review on Yelp.com, Google Places, our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/metro-FOR-MEN/75239173883, or on our website at http://www.metroformen.com/give-feedback.php. I look forward to reading your comments!
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, CA, Irvine, men's haircuts, men's personal grooming, men's salons, men's salons Orange County, metro FOR MEN, trendy men's haircuts
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Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
From there to here…I started metro FOR MEN because I wanted to create something unique in the beauty industry where the focus was on the client. I share my vision of the salon with everyone and what I see for its future. When I first opened the doors in September, 2004 with 100% of my energy being on keeping the doors open. When I told people what I was embarking on, they said, “what are you thinking”, “”what do you know about running a salon”, and “I give it 6 months and it will be closed”. These comments only made me work harder to prove them wrong. All the decisions I made in the first couple years were based on my vision for metro FOR MEN. Along the way, I somehow got distracted and allowed my vision to be secondary. We were growing at a remarkable pace and when I began to realize the salon was not moving in the direction I intended, I decided to work on my business instead of in it. I first revised my vision, established our corporate values, and shared this with my team. Every decision to be made would be based on the salon vision and values. I again encountered those nay-sayers once again. I was told, “your goal is not attainable in this industry” and “you will never achieve what you are setting out to”. Hearing this again made me go “hmm” and made me wonder whether I could achieve my goal. Then I recalled 2004 and someone’s premonition of the salon closing in 6 months. Well it is 2011 and metro FOR MEN is the leading men’s salon in Orange County. During these 7 years, metro FOR MEN has been voted Best Men’s Haircut, Best Barber, Best Shave, and one of the Top 200 Salons in America for 4 years in a row! We are here to stay….
I will not stop pursuing my vision of creating a unique salon experience for men with a team dedicated to the mission, vision and values of metro FOR MEN.
Tags: Best Barber, Irvine, men's grooming, men's haircuts, men's personal grooming, metro FOR MEN, orange county, trendy men's haircuts
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Saturday, August 27th, 2011
I posted a question on our Facebook Fan Page (www.Facebook.com/metroformen) the other day asking our fans “how do you when you got a good haircut?”. For me, I know when I got a good haircut when my hair is easy to style myself. The responses I got were:
“when I leave metro FOR MEN”
“when it takes one try to style”
“when it even looks good wet”
What is your good haircut experience at the leading men’s salon in Orange County, CA–metro FOR MEN? Share your comments at www.twitter.com/metroformen or www.Facebook.com/metroformen
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, grooming tips for men, Irvine, men's hair stylist, men's haircuts, men's salons, metro FOR MEN, trendy men's haircuts
Posted in Grooming Tips | Comments Off
Sunday, August 14th, 2011
Amazing customer service is priceless and teaching new staff this concept is our first priority. metro FOR MEN is known for our outstanding customer service because we go above and beyond the call of duty. The other night we had a client call from Rancho Cucamonga at 6:30pm needing a haircut appointment for an important meeting the next morning because his regular stylist was too busy and referred him to us. We stayed open. We had another client call us for a shave while visiting Southern California. His taxi driver got them lost and showed up 40 minutes late for his appointment. We still got his a shave. We had another client show up for his haircut appointment and really needed a grey blend too. His regular stylist was really busy that day and didn’t actually have time to add a grey blend to his service. She did it anyway and, as a team, we rallied to her side to help keep her day flowing and stay on time. He left extremely happy and grateful.
As the owner of metro FOR MEN and lead trainer of all new staff, I instill in my staff that we always say yes because where there’s a will, there’s a way. Exceptional customer service comes from a yes perspective and willingness to make someone else’s day. I want for our guests to leave smiling every time and so does the metro FOR MEN team. We are often told by clients that they love coming in because they are made to feel welcome by the entire staff, everyone says hello to them, and that it’s evident this team enjoys working together. This is the level of customer service I’ve always wanted and now have. metro FOR MEN is unlike any salon or barber shop around. We focus on the customer. Come experience what true customer service in the beauty industry feels like…visit metro FOR MEN, the grooming environment for today’s man.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, Irvine, men's grooming, men's personal grooming, men's salons, metro FOR MEN, trendy men's haircuts
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Thursday, June 16th, 2011
What makes a service provider exceptional and successful? Service providers that do things that are unexpected make them exceptional and highlysuccessful! As metro FOR MEN gets even more busy, it has become necessary for me to go back behind the chair for a while. Last night, one of my service providers came to me to share a new client is driving to see us all the way from Rancho Cucamonga, has been on the road for over an hour and is still 15 minutes away. He is in need of a haircut for a big meeting the next day at 8:00am! He chose us because of all our great reviews on Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/metro-for-men-irvine). It was 6:30pm and the shop closes at 7:00pm. I expressed we can’t tell him we can’t take him. That would be horrible customer service because he has been driving to get here and then we tell him “sorry your late…” I would never want that to happen to me, so we stayed open and I provided him that necessary haircut.
The entire time he kept saying, “I can’t believe you stayed open just for me”. Doing those unexpected things has put me where I’m at today. I have always happily done the unexpected and know that’s the reason I’ve been successful as a hairstylist. In my career, I’ve been in charge of training all stylists in the east bay for a chain of salon, built a six figure client base, enjoyed at 96% retention rate of all new guests, and being requested to provide men’s grooming training in other salons and cosmetology schools.
Today, I’m the proud owner of metro FOR MEN, the leading men’s only salon in Orange County, Ca. I would not be where I’m at today with out desiring to go above and beyond for customers. I’d love to hear about times when a service provider has gone above and beyond for you.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, grooming tips for men, Irvine, men's grooming, men's personal grooming, metro FOR MEN, trendy men's haircuts
Posted in Grooming Tips | 1 Comment »
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