Business partners with deep experience in foodservice franchising find something different with Floyd’s 99 Barbershop
Courtney Lindley and Bob Gregg are no strangers to franchising. Together, they created the franchise program at Potbelly Sandwich Shop. They’re multi-unit franchise owners at a national chicken chain franchise. But when the two Floyd’s 99 Barbershop customers started looking for something new, they realized what a great prospect Floyd’s was. They opened their first Floyd’s shop in 2018 and currently have 17 shops in Texas, with three more under construction and the rights to develop Northwest Arkansas and Oklahoma. They share their story in this Floyd’s franchise review.
How did you find out about Floyd’s and what attracted you to the brand?
Lindley: My business partner, Bob, and I had been clients of Floyd’s, and I’ve always loved the business model. And I always look for things where we can make a difference every day. And I knew that for us, creating a leadership dynamic and creating a true family and team, we could impact stylists’ and barbers’ lives.
Gregg: I think the brand standards are incredibly high. The support team behind the brand has been very strong. It’s a relatively low per-unit investment compared to many other businesses, especially to be a part of a franchise program. When the volumes are built and developed the right way, there’s a very strong return scenario for each unit.
Did you take a look at other franchises in the salon industry?
Lindley: We had looked at different business models, but I liked the idea of doing something where we could make a difference every day. It’s about who we stand for and what we are, versus just knocking out a 12-minute haircut. That’s not what I’m about. That’s not what Bob is about. And it’s about experience. And in this world, Floyd’s is one of the few places that you get a consistently great client experience. Having staff at the front desk was critical for me to help manage that experience. Having stylists that actually are stylists and barbers allows for a better haircut than just somebody who could get in the industry and start doing cuts.
How does it stand out in the marketplace?
Gregg: We provide a top-notch experience from a quality standpoint, similar to a higher-end haircutting experience, but we don’t carry the same price point. We are above the discount cutting places from a price standpoint and also create a better experience, a higher-quality experience, and a more energetic environment.
How many employees do you have among your 16 shops?
Lindley: Just over 300.
What does your management structure look like to handle all of that?
Lindley: We have a small office with specific functional leaders in place to support the day-to-day needs of the business. This includes payroll, accounting, recruiting, marketing, finance and training. We also have above shop level leaders for every 7-9 shops.
How do you and Bob divide up the duties?
Lindley: Bob and I, we’re involved in everything. We both have the ability to manage and lead each aspect of the business. But from a focus standpoint, Bob is more the day-to-day operations-focused leader, and I lead the office team and back-end support of banking/finance and development functions. Our goal is that both of us have personal relationships with all our shop leadership teams and they see us on a regular basis.
What do you think predicts success with Floyd’s as a franchise partner?
Gregg: The ability to build a great team and find the right talented people that can create a culture that is service-forward and can meet the quality standards of the brand. You must bring the energy to the environment from a service-level standpoint at all times.
With Floyd’s, I know that the client experience for customers is a really big deal. How do you keep your workforce motivated to provide that exceptional service?
Gregg: Just living the culture every day in our shops. We’re present and active inside our business every day. Every week, we have regular meetings where we reinforce the values that we have within our business and the expectations that we have for our team, for both clients and also each other. We have regular management leadership and development meetings in order to make sure that everyone’s on the same page, and that they have the right skills required in order to manage and lead people.
Lindley: For us, it’s about developing leaders, developing people that can grow, educate and make work a fun experience. We spend a lot of team meetings talking about the difference between leadership and management, talking about how you develop as a leader, how you manage people, how you control the environment. We all spend time connecting to the team and talking about our Floyd’s family. That is absolutely critical to who we are. That way, everybody fundamentally believes no matter what we’re going through, we all are there together.
And it has to be every day, all the time. Saying “do more haircuts” is not a connected message to who we are. We teach how to do more, how to get better. We teach the right types of haircuts, whether it’s an ethnic haircut or whatever the type of haircut that people need. That’s how we drive an increase in top-line revenue. It’s about making everybody better at their job. That’s a true connected message instead of saying “sell more, do more.” That’s not inspiring. We believe in creating an environment and culture that we all want to see and that we all need in order to have everybody be financially winning.
How has corporate helped you as a franchisee?
Lindley: They work hard to give us the tools and the information to be successful. In regards to the systems that they’ve put in place, I would tell you their number one thing that they’ve got is great people in the corporate office. They’re very responsive. When you have a question and they come back with an answer, it’s not a day, it’s within minutes, or at worst within hours. They’re very connected to the vision and the mission of who Floyd’s is and what they’re trying to accomplish.
Gregg: They offer development, drawings, marketing plans, marketing materials, social media platforms, IT support and systems training and understanding. We’ve also worked with them in partnership, developing an education program on skills required to teach and train stylists to grow their skills and build an education program within our teams. They’ve been supportive in all of those functions.
Is there anything else that you think a prospective buyer should know about becoming a Floyd’s franchisee?
Gregg: We have an amazing brand. We have a unique experience within the right category of the industry to target. From a quality and value perspective, I think that our blended quality and value proposition is better than anyone else, along with a relaxed, cool and energetic experience. I think it’s wrapped around all of that.
Lindley: We love the brand. We love the theme and we love what’s going on inside the shop every day. It doesn’t mean it’s not challenging sometimes, but we care so much about this crew and the team and the family there.
Gregg: I think that you have to want to be involved in the people business. If you want to own a barbershop or salon as something that will generate revenue for you without being intimately involved with the people, then this is not the right brand and concept for you.
Learn more
Franchisees with hospitality industry experience tend to be a good fit for our brand. Find out more about Floyd’s 99 Barbershop franchise opportunities. You can download our free eBook by filling out the form below.
