Expert Advice: Have you got your FOCUS on 2023?

  There are many barber shops and service-providing industries, and we fight constantly with new businesses opening, which is great for whatever industry you're in as it shows growth in that field. But if you want to continue to grow, then you must look at what other people are offering and do more or do better.

So, should you find the start of the year a quieter time, you can use this time wisely to vamp up your shop, upskill, and network as much as you can.

Prepare for everything 

Preparation for everything this year is paramount. We have decided to sit down as a team and brainstorm any issue we may face - things like quiet times, no-shows, and late cancellations. Now we have our list of possible difficulties, we will put processes in place like marketing techniques and setting up no-show protection. The key is to make sure all avenues are covered.

Get (and stay) organised 

Staying organised is essential for a well-oiled business and making sure you keep yourself and everyone happy. I like having 30 minutes every morning to create a job list and allocate time to work on these jobs during the day. If I try to do them in between clients I can easily lose track and get lost, so having set times during the day that I block out is better. I always used the acronym FOCUS, which stands for Following One Course Until Successful.

Keep flexible 

Certain jobs take precedence over others and can change as the day or week goes on, so when I do my job list, I often put a star next to the jobs of higher priority. If a staff member becomes ill and appointments need changing or rescheduling this automatically becomes high priority, as our clients are the most important people and it's imperative they are taken care of and not messed around.

Utilise word-of-mouth

Boosting your business in 2023 is about your services and experience. Having an online presence is great and looks fantastic to your peers. More importantly, it's important to have a better physical following than a virtual one, and that's my advice for the year. 

Focus on the people that come into the shop and word of mouth will spread of how amazing your place is and how amazing they were treated and taken care of.

Plan ahead 

I tend to plan as I go as things change constantly. Having a planner and detailed calendar is so important for me to be organised. If an external job comes in and I need to book out my time on Booksy I try to do this as early as possible to make sure I don't have to reschedule many appointments, but should something short notice arrive, I know I can reach my entire client list with the message blast system and get a message to everyone with no hassle.

Alan Beak is an Ambassador for hair and beauty booking app Booksy, and Director of Ruger Barber alongside his brother Reece Beak.