Just like women go to beauty shops to relax and get “beautified,” men enjoy that same type of experience when they go to the barbershop. The feeling of being able to sit in the chair, get “chopped,” and walk out looking like a new man is unmatched. On top of that, it’s a place where you can just be a guy, among other guys without the scrutiny and judgment of our female counterparts.

But what most men don’t realize about the peace that comes with a barbershop is that it doesn’t just come from nowhere. The peace men get to enjoy in a barbershop comes from having the right policies in place.

Everything from young kids running around your shop to no-shows, your shop is your livelihood and without proper policies in place, it wouldn’t be the relaxing oasis men feel comfortable coming to. Because of that, you need to have the right policies in place and make sure they’re being adhered to.

Just look at all the great hair salons in Colorado… They all have great characteristics in common, and professionalism is one of them… which includes running your barbershop in a professional manner. To ensure your shop runs like a well-oiled machine, take a look at the policies you need to have in your barbershop for it to run professionally and efficiently.

Best Policies to Enforce in Your Barbershop

Refund Policy

Just like in any other business, you’re not going to be able to please every single customer you have, and that’s okay. Maybe they come in for a beard cut and you cut it too thin; They may get upset to the point that they want a refund…

The question is how will you handle refunds? How will you determine if their refund is necessary? It can be hard to tell when a refund is due but it can be better determined if your shop outlines the services you provide. That way if there was a particular aspect that was unsatisfactory, you can refund that particular part.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you how you customize your policy. The important thing is that you have a refund policy in place.

No-Pet Policy

As much as you may love dogs, you have to take into consideration that not everybody is a dog lover like you are. People are scared of dogs, and more importantly, people are allergic to them. According to healthline.com, a rash on the neck or face, swelling and itching around your eyes, and coughing or wheezing are all symptoms of allergies to dogs.

What if a client comes in and has a bad allergic reaction to a pet that either another client brought in or that one of your employees brought in? That could prove to be “bad for business” for your barbershop. To prevent any type of confusion, it’s just best to enforce the no-pet policy for fairness all around.

Late Policy

You’ve been late to appointments before--everybody has… that’s just part of being human. But when you have clients that are consistently late for almost every appointment they have with you, that’s when you have to make some changes and start enforcing a late policy.

That’s not saying that you have to be the “time police” for every client you have but a single client that’s late can completely throw off your appointment schedule, and your other clients shouldn’t have to wait or be pushed back because another client was late.

A good policy to have is to give each client a 10-15 minute grace period, but anything over that, they will have to reschedule for a more convenient time for them.

Cancellation Policy

As a barber, time is money, and when no one is sitting in your chair, that means you’re losing money. That’s what happens when a client cancels on you last minute. To help reduce this from becoming a recurring event, you can implement a cancellation fee and require clients to cancel at least 24 hours prior to their appointment.

Ready to Open Your Shop?

To implement these policies, you need to make sure they’re clear, your clients and employees know them, and make sure that everyone adheres to them. It’s important to do this because you just never know what could happen.

If one of your clients brought their child with them and the child is running around your shop and slips on hair that hasn’t been swept up yet, that client could try to sue you for negligence. The same thing applies to one of your barbers accidentally cutting a client because he wasn’t paying attention…

Both of those instances are very real scenarios that could play out in your barbershop. To protect your barbershop from certain liabilities, you need to invest in barber insurance.

With the proper policies in place, as well as your protection with barber insurance, you’re indeed ready to open up shop from a legal perspective.