metro FOR MEN Blog
Posts Tagged ‘men’s grooming’
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
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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
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Thursday, December 15th, 2011
Ask the men’s grooming expert…I was speaking with a customer today during his haircut about shampoo and he said to me, “all shampoo is the same”. What he said has some merit. All shampoo cleans hair, but not all shampoo is created equal. What I explained is what separates drug store shampoo and professional shampoo bought in a hair salon or beauty supply is the quality of ingredients. Non-professional shampoo contains alcohol, detergents and polymers that can build up on the hair and scalp. They are generally watered down and easy to overuse because of its concentration. Professional shampoos contain water so they are soluble, do not build up on the hair and scalp, and are heavily concentrated. The more concentrated the shampoo, the less you need to use, thus saving you money.
His other argument was professional shampoo is expensive. It is more expensive than drug store shampoo because you are buying better quality and ingedients. As I mentioned before, professional shampoo is highly concentrated requiring less to go farther. A professional shampoo will last two to three times longer than a drug store shampoo of the same size. Drug store shampoo is so watery that most of it goes down the drain as you try to apply it to your hair. Where as professional shampoo stays in the palm of your hand until its applied to the hair. That is why it lasts longer and therefore costs less over the lifetime of the bottle.
Tags: grooming tips for men, Irvine, men's grooming, men's personal grooming, men's salons, metro FOR MEN, orange county
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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 »
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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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 »
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
metro FOR MEN has partnered with Help Me Grow Orange County to celebrate Dads for the month of June. Help Me Grow connects children and their families to developmental services to enhance the development, behavior and learning of children birth through five years. By calling the toll free number 1.866.GROW.025, (1.866.476.9025), parents, caregivers, child care providers, early educators and health care providers have a single point of access to developmental services for all young children who live in Orange County, CA. To learn more about Help Me Grow Orange County visit www.helpmegrowoc.org.
Every Saturday leading up to Father’s Day, metro FOR MEN is offering father/son duos for $50 on June 4, June 11, and June 18. Proceeds will go to Help Me Grow Orange Countyand our goal is to raise $1,000 by Father’s Day. In order to make this a reality we need your help and are asking for monetary donations, as well as hosting a raffle to win cool prizes for Dad! Prizes include tickets to local sporting events, men’s body care products, men’s hair care products, men’s shaving products and tools. Raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20.
Please join metro FOR MEN together with Help Me Grow Orange County to celebrate Dad and raise money for a great local cause. Make an appointment today to have dad and sons look great on Father’s Day by calling (949) 450-0150 or stop by to enter the raffle to win Dad a great gift or make a donation at 15382 Alton Pkwy., Irvine, CA. Thank you for your support….Happy Father’s Day!
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, Irvine, men's grooming, men's hair stylist, men's personal grooming, men's salons, metro FOR MEN
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Thursday, May 19th, 2011
How do you pick the right product? Many factors should be considered:
1. What is the style you are trying to achieve;
2. What is your hair type; and
3. what is your hair texture.
A qualified stylist can answer these questions for you and help you select the right product for you. I had a new client the other day and he showed me a picture of the hair style he wanted. I then asked him what product is he using to style his hair. He explained it was a paste of some kind. While a paste is a great universal product, it wasn’t the right product to achieve the style he wanted. I suggested grip wax by m from metro FOR MEN which is a low shine wax. I suggested this product for him because he had a lot of dark course straight hair and a paste will dull his hair color. In contrast, a wax will add a little shine while still showing texture and controlling his course hair. I also showed him how to use it to achieve multiple styles for day or night. His comment to me was, “why has no other stylist ever explained this to me?” and gave metro FOR MEN one of the best reviews ever.
We treat all of our customers like this and this expert approach is what sets us apart from the rest. This expert approach to service is why metro FOR MEN is the leading men’s only salon in Orange County, CA.
Tags: Best Barber, best men's haircut, grooming tips for men, men's grooming, men's salons, metro FOR MEN, orange county
Posted in Grooming Tips | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 9th, 2011
I conducted a haircutting class today with two new hair stylists and it reminded me why I continue to hire, train, and develop our service providers. Most often service providers are hired and placed behind the chair too fast. The problem with that is the customer suffers the consequences from a less than great service experience. During class today, I had the opportunity to take a new male guest who wanted highlights. This male guest had very very dark brown hair and highlights on this natural color would turn orange with out heat. His hair was too short to foil and place under the dryer to lift the hair to a beige. The bottom line is that highlights would not look good and I, as a professional stylist, want to ensure every guests leaves looking his best. I explained to the new guest that it would not be his best choice to highlight, why it isn’t a good choice, and acknowledged he wanted something new. I suggested a new hair style that would compliment his style, his head shape, and give him something new. He agreed with my direction and I gave him a haircut instead after showing him a picture of the style I wanted to give him. After about 30 minutes, 2 shampoos, a scalp massage, and a styling lesson later, he looked in the mirror and said, “wow, you made me look younger”. With that being said, he walked out of the shop with a whole new level of confidence and that made me feel GREAT!
I tell you this story because this is an example of what I educate our service providers to do as well. While we are in the business to give guests what they ask for, we are also in the business to make sure what we give a client looks good too. I asked my trainees what they would have done had this man sat in their chair. Would they have highlighted his hair knowing it wouldn’t look good had they not gone through my training before? They said yes they would have given him what he asked for because they were not trained to do otherwise by anyone else. This is why hiring service providers and placing them behind a chair instantly is not a good idea. Service providers need to be given expectations and guidance on how to be an expert in their field. I train our service providers to be experts and give them the tools to be so.
This practice has not always been in play at metro FOR MEN and am guilty of placing service providers behind the chair too soon. I came to the realization when we had a lot of first time guests and our retention of them was not so great. I asked those guests why they didn’t return and was provided a lot of insight. In the past 2 years, I’ve instituted The metro Men’s Academy where our service providers are placed in a 6 month program before being able to provide services on metro FOR MEN guests. Since adopting this program, our new guest retention has gotten sooooo much better and our satisfaction rating improved ten fold. I am proud of this program and our guests are too.
If you haven’t been to metro FOR MEN in a while, please come in again and experience this expertise for yourself. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Tags: Best Barber, Irvine, men's grooming, men's personal grooming, men's salons, metro FOR MEN, orange county
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