024 The story behind building ‘Just Cuts' a successful salon franchise.

“Can you imagine expanding your brand beyond your wildest dreams?” If that is something you think about, listen as Antony and his guest, Denis McFadden, founder of the Just Cuts group, chat about how he did just that. Denis shares with us how he went from having only a full-service salon to also opening up four Just Cuts salons in a matter of years, and the growth after that has been astounding.    Listen in as we discuss: The story behind the Just Cuts brand. The important steps in building a franchise for both the franchisee and the franchisor Some of the challenges involved in expansion on that scale. How do you find and keep good people?   Denis tells us about the early days as a salon owner and how that evolved to become the owner of 231 franchises. He shares why they don’t have chemical services, the cost of a haircut, and the fact that their clientele is about half and half women and men. Denis discusses training new stylists, the technology that allows them to manage salons from different countries, and whether franchisees are hairstylists or if they looking to invest.   Listening to Denis talk about a business that he is passionate about makes you ask, ‘why haven’t I done that’? He shares the steps to building a franchise, the challenges involved, and how to find and keep great people. When you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life, and when you are listening to Denis, you can sense the truth in that statement.  In This Episode: [01:48] Welcome to the show, Denis! [02:25] Listen, as Denis speaks about his journey from a hairdresser to founding a franchised brand. [06:23] Denis talks about how he started the Just Cuts brand without really knowing he was building a franchise prototype. [07:45] He chats about one of his stylists wanting to have a Just Cuts salon, which was his first franchisee. [10:26] Denis speaks about the early days being more about sponsoring people than actual franchise fees. [11:41] He details how he used to collect franchise fees, not through haircuts per week instead of percentages. [14:10] His salons only do haircuts, and the price is the same for men and women. [14:55] Why don’t you do chemical treatments like color or perms? [19:00] The clientele in his salons is split down the middle, 50% women and 50% men. [20:30] There are no receptionists, clients check themselves in through an IPad, and they have the option of adding ala carte items like a shampoo or a blow-dry. [25:21] Denis tells us the salons have about a 7% growth each week. [26:04] What is the number of haircuts each stylist does per day? Is there a benchmark? [28:28] Business is growing; they now have 231 salons. [29:11] Denis speaks about embracing technology so they can run salons from different countries. [30:30] How do you train your staff? Online or in-person? [32:18] A lot of the franchise owners are not hairstylists, and they get reports from managers that run their salons. [34:10] Denis says that some owners are more dedicated, but others don’t do as well because they are managing remotely. [34:48] Are they all franchised, or are there any company-owned salons? [36:12] Denis explains how they train franchisees, especially if they are not stylists. [38:27] What apps do you use? Are they for the owners, stylists, or both? [40:09] He shares that all salons have a POS system with the ability to keep track of all transactions. [42:46] Denis that the total yearly sales in his salons are approximately 90 million dollars and his goal is to have is retail products “Justice” be 20% of that total. [43:25] He encourages his franchisees to embrace local charities; he describes some of the charities they support. [45:45] Denis chats about some of his stylists that have saved a client’s life because they noticed issues on their scalps. [46:42] Denis, what drives you? What keeps you going? What challenges do you face? [48:01] He shares about the Olympic games and how many athletes his stylists gave free haircuts too because another company pulled out at the last moment. [50:27] What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned while growing your business? What advice would you give new business owners? [52:22] Denis discusses how he retains his 3500 stylists and how they recruit. [56:29] There are no appointments, and you can’t request a particular stylist at Just Cuts. [57:15] Denis, thank you so much for being on the show today! Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business  Find Denis Denis McFadden LinkedIn | Facebook