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Franchising With Pigtails & Crewcuts

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You Don’t Need Salon Experience to Be a Successful Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchisee

Wade Brannon’s young children immediately fell in love with the atmosphere and experience at Pigtails & Crewcuts the first time they visited. They loved the concept so much that Wade decided to come out of retirement and invest himself fully in the business as the brand’s President and CEO.

A franchise industry veteran who retired to spend more time with his children, Wade decided franchising was the best avenue to grow the brand footprint. He brought with him extensive franchising experience but no background in the kids’ salon or broader beauty industry.

Instead, he saw the business as a solid opportunity that would allow its franchisees the family time that seemed to be missing from many existing business opportunities.

Many of our current franchisees fit a similar profile as our CEO – parents who value family time and a work-life balance. The vast majority of them also have no salon ownership or stylist experience, and most importantly, they don’t need it to be successful.

With our comprehensive hiring and training support, franchisees are able to fully staff their children’s hair salon franchise with trained, dependable stylists. This frees up the franchise owners’ time to focus on doing what they love – providing positive experiences for clients’ children while spending more time with families of their own.

Here’s more on why Pigtails & Crewcuts could be the perfect opportunity for you, regardless of career background:  

A Niche Business that Fills a Void and Serves the Community

Not surprisingly, the Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees across our 62 locations and counting all have unique backgrounds and reasons for opening up their kids’ salon franchise.

Like Wade, some of them are parents who took their children to get a haircut at Pigtails & Crewcuts and fell in love with the concept. Others are parents who recognized the need for a specialized kids’ salon in their community after a negative haircut experience with their child elsewhere.

And still, others are business-minded individuals who identify the strong demand and differentiation of kids’ salon concepts within the broader $64 billion hair care industry.

Whatever your reasons for joining our family, Pigtails & Crewcuts offers you the opportunity to open a local business, backed by a turnkey business model and proven framework for success. Meanwhile, you’ll be able to make a difference in your community, serving a strong need and creating memorable experiences for children and parents alike.

Building a Team that Lays the Foundation for Big Business

Unlike other business models, our franchisees also operate within normal working hours, allowing for a strong work-life balance. You’re able to enjoy even more freedom and flexibility than other franchise concepts, since you’ll delegate the service-related responsibilities to a trustworthy, capable, and trained staff.

As part of our comprehensive franchisee training, our franchise support team will provide guidance that helps you find, ve,t and hire qualified stylists and employees. We also provide you with ongoing strategies to motivate, incentivize, and retain top talent. You’ll be in charge of interviewing candidates, giving you more autonomy in the hiring process to create the exact workplace culture you want at your salon.

Later on, we also provide ongoing training for your staff members. This improves employee engagement and satisfaction while helping them hone their skills and stay current on the latest trends and techniques.

If you sign on as a single salon operator, you’ll likely be involved in the management of the salon’s everyday operations, but your stylists will handle all the haircutting, styling, and other services. Because our business model is built to scale, you can also build a team of qualified, trained salon managers to handle day-to-day operations when you’re ready to expand to multi-unit ownership.

For Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees, lack of prior salon or hair care experience presents no barrier to entry – and has no impact on their potential for success in kids’ salon franchise ownership.

Not only are the majority of our franchisees new salon owners, but many of them also have no background in the hair care or beauty industry at all. Instead, they’re all united by a shared passion for providing children and families with exceptional experiences, along with the strong business sense to recognize a solid model for success.

Are you interested in breaking into the kid’s haircut franchise industry with our fast-growing brand? Download our franchise packet today!

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How This Former Stay-at-Home Mom Uses Her Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise to Give Back

Before Jessica Fullwood became a business owner, she was a stay-at-home mom with four kids and taught dance classes during the week.

She realized she and her husband needed another source of income to continue to support their family.

After seeing how much her daughter enjoyed receiving a haircut and exceptional service at a salon in Disney World, Jessica decided to research children’s haircut franchises.

“When I found Pigtails & Crewcuts, a lightbulb went off,” Jessica said. It was kid-friendly and had the feel of a small, local store.

In 2007, Jessica opened her first Pigtails & Crewcuts in Virginia Beach, VA. In 2015, she opened a second location in Chesapeake. Since then, Jessica hasn’t stopped finding ways to use her business ownership to support her community.

Giving Back Through Business

Jessica takes an active role in her community, from donating money to hosting events in her Pigtails & Crewcuts locations. Giving back to her community is something Jessica is passionate about and believes can go a long way.

“I really believe in the idea of ‘it takes a village’ to raise your children,” Jessica said. “I think if we all give back and help out the communities we live in, our whole society could be better.”

Jessica certainly walks the walk and does so through Pigtails & Crewcuts. For example, she has partnered with organizations battling teen homelessness in Virginia.

“Seeing the faces of homelessness is very enlightening,” Jessica said.

But Jessica doesn’t give back alone. Her rock star team of employees share her enthusiasm for being active in the community. For example, they often come in before opening to provide special, private haircuts to children with special needs.

Life Lessons for this Children’s Haircut Franchise Owner

Using her Pigtails & Crewcuts ownership to give back to her community has been one of Jessica’s favorite parts of being a franchisee.

“It’s taught me everyone’s different,” Jessica said. “I’ve met so many people with different stories, and it’s really grounded me. It’s taught me to be more patient with people and made me a better person.”

What began as an additional revenue stream for her family has developed into a much larger part of her life than Jessica ever thought it would. Not only does being a Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee give her another way to support her family, but it also gives her a platform to support her community.

“I came in wanting to bring in a little bit of extra money and be with my children, but I got so much more out of it,” Jessica said. “It makes me feel good. I love working with the children, and we get great support from corporate. It’s just been so much more than I thought.”

Learn more about Jessica’s philanthropic initiatives and how other Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees give back to their community by downloading our eBook here!

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How a Focus on Human Connection Led to Success for This Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchisee

When it came time for Maura Parks’ son with a sensory processing disorder to get a haircut, the experience was a nightmare. Soon after, Maura realized she and her husband needed to find a kid-friendly hair salon for their son.

That’s when Maura found Pigtails & Crewcuts online and fell in love with its family-oriented concept.

Today, Maura is a successful Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee and owner of two salons in the Memphis, Tennessee area (Germantown and East Memphis).

Through her hands-on and empathetic approach to management, Maura has made long-lasting connections with her guests and learned lessons in business firsthand.

Establishing a Human Connection

Maura has two favorite regulars at her Pigtails & Crewcuts locations. They are two young, non-verbal twins. Their mother drives over an hour to bring them through Maura’s doors, and they’ve sometimes needed a therapist present, as well as four stylists at a time to get through their haircuts. But, they get through it.

Recently, the twins came into Maura’s salon and received their haircut with no issues, leaving their mother in tears.

It’s these types of memories that keep Maura motivated.

“We establish real, true relationships with kids and their families,” Maura said. “My proudest moments as an entrepreneur are when I’m able to establish human connections with families.”

Lessons in Business Ownership

A first haircut is a big milestone in someone’s life. For many children, the experience can be frightening. For Maura, it was memorable.

“I still remember the woman who cut my hair when I was a kid,” Maura said. “I remember the way the place looked and the way she treated me.”

Now, as a Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee, Maura sees that moment from the perspective of a manager.

Assembling and managing a caring staff is essential for Pigtails & Crewcuts. Maura encounters all different types of situations and scenarios that she and her team are able to accommodate.

To make her guests happy, Maura needs her team to be happy.

“It’s important to me to feel appreciated, so I assume it’s important to other people, too,” Maura said. “If you work with me, you’re going to feel appreciated. We talk things out and focus on the positive things that happened throughout each day.”

Maura takes an active role in her Pigtails & Crewcuts ownership. She’s direct with her employees and uses her past experiences with managers to inform her own managerial style.

“I’m very unorthodox as a manager,” Maura said. “I’ve taken all the things about all the managers I’ve had in my life – good and bad – and implemented what was good and fixed what was bad. My employees know exactly what they’re going to get from me: honesty and empathy.”

Throughout all her time as a Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee, Maura has learned one important lesson.

“The issue is always going to work itself out,” Maura said. “No matter how hard, or what gets thrown your way, it will work out. Just take a minute, learn from it, and grow. Over the years, problems I thought were career-ending have all worked out.”

To learn more about Maura’s community outreach, download our eBook here!

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From Foster Care to Cutting Hair: How This Franchisee Found Her Purpose with Pigtails & Crewcuts

Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee Angel Putnam doesn’t have a typical business owner’s beginning.

A child of the foster care system, Angel grew up in several different homes throughout her childhood. Though she had to grow up fast, she’s still a kid at heart.

Angel’s experience with foster care has helped shape her into the business owner she is today, particularly in identifying her purpose for community outreach.

Now a mother of three, Angel owns two Pigtails & Crewcuts salons, one in Greensboro, North Carolina, and another in Winston-Salem.

Picking Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise

Angel’s first venture into business was a family-friendly café franchise. But, something never quite clicked between Angel and the brand, and when new ownership took over, the franchise began going in a direction Angel didn’t agree with.

“It lost that passion for me,” Angel said. “It lost what was most important to me, which was the family aspect.”

After searching for other family-friendly franchises online, Angel stumbled across Pigtails & Crewcuts. It had everything she wanted: a  kid-centric business with stable growth.

When Angel met with corporate to solidify her interest, she was left more confident than ever that Pigtails & Crewcuts was the right franchise to join.

“It had that family experience I wanted in a franchise,” Angel said. “Yes, it’s a business at the end of the day, but I wanted to know my passion was going to a company that’s just as passionate about their franchisees as they are about their bottom line. I wasn’t just a number. I was a person, and they really cared about making sure Pigtails & Crewcuts was the right investment for both of us.”

Years later, Angel is the owner of two Pigtails & Crewcuts locations. She attributes her success to the North Carolina communities that supported her efforts and a supportive corporate team that truly cares.

“It’s great to have a franchise with the working tools I need to be successful that also allows me to be creative to continue growing in my market,” Angel said.

Finding a Purpose as a Kid’s Haircut Franchise Owner

Before ever considering business ownership, Angel had one purpose inspired by her time in and out of foster homes.

“I knew working with children is what I wanted to do,” Angel said. “I wanted to make a difference in a child’s life.”

As a Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee, Angel does just that. From providing a safe and welcoming first haircut experience for many frightened children to giving parents of children with disabilities peace of mind knowing their child is cared for, Angel’s business ownership is truly about the children. Her own children are even in her salons with her every day, eagerly helping sweep hair and refill the lollipop jar.

Angel’s effect on her community isn’t restricted to her salons. She leverages her two Pigtails & Crewcuts franchises to make an incredible impact on children’s lives in and around her surrounding communities.

To Angel, giving back is simply part of the job.

“It’s my way of continuing to help our community grow and know that we’re forming special memories and making a difference in their lives,” Angel said.

If you want to learn more about Angel’s charitable community outreach, download our eBook here!

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The Ins and Outs of Site Selection for a Kid’s Haircut Franchise

Finding the right location is one of the first and most important steps you’ll take when starting a kid’s haircut franchise. A strong site helps generate high foot traffic and drive sales while setting the stage for inviting interior design that creates a fun, memorable atmosphere for your young clientele.

Because prime real estate is paramount to run a successful kid’s salon, we offer comprehensive site selection support for our Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees. Backed by industry-leading expertise and data-driven insights, our corporate support team helps position franchisees for success from the very start.

Inside Our Comprehensive Site Selection Support

At Pigtails & Crewcuts, our site selection support follows a methodical process of identifying markets, analyzing trade area demographics, and finally, vetting specific sites for franchise locations. We also take a hands-on, collaborative approach to the process, including franchisees’ input and working to understand their preferences and priorities, first and foremost. Before we begin the search or examine specific sites, we meet one-on-one with franchisees to determine which markets they would like to enter.

Westminster Pigtails Salon

“Many franchisees understandably prefer to open their business relatively close to home, making it easier and more convenient for them to be a hands-on owner,” said Wade Brannon, President and CEO of Pigtails & Crewcuts. “Plus, they’re already familiar with the area and community, which is important when starting a new kid’s hair salon business.”

After narrowing down a local market, our real estate support team moves on to the next stage of the site selection process – analyzing area demographics. We use market research software that provides us with this data, such as median household income, population density and an array of other valuable demographic insights.

Carrying out market research around the chosen location is crucial to help ensure there will be demand for the concept,” said Wade. “For instance, among other data points, our kid’s franchise brand performs best in areas with 100,000 or more residents and at least several thousand families with young children, so those are the markets we want to pursue and move forward with.”

Hitting the Ground Running with High-Traffic Areas That Drive Sales

Given favorable demographics that signal strong demand, we then begin the search for a specific site.

“We generally target several different types of locations, based on what has proven successful in similar markets,” Wade said. “These sites are often located in regional shopping centers with big-box anchors, or in local shopping centers with various service and retail businesses. These centers typically have high visibility, which is key for businesses like ours.”

Most importantly, however, the site needs to be located in an area where parents would regularly bring their children.

“We’ve seen a lot of success in neighborhood centers with grocery store-type anchors because parents frequently bring their children with them,” Wade said. “And because most families grocery shop on a weekly basis, these are high-traffic areas that regularly draw in our target demographic.”

In addition to high visibility and foot traffic, the location should also be easily accessible.

“Strong ingress and egress is crucial, and parking is a must,” Wade said. “Particularly in larger shopping centers, it’s important that the salon is just as easily accessible as it is visible.”

Laying the Foundation to Build a Profitable Franchise Business

Guided by years of experience and expertise, we’re able to help franchisees secure solid locations with high visibility, accessibility and foot traffic – at a price point that ensures they’re still able to turn a strong profit.

“Site selection isn’t just about finding the perfect physical location that ticks all the boxes we’re looking for, in terms of visibility, access, and demand,” Wade said. “We also need to make sure the site is just as appealing when it comes to initial purchase price, build-out costs and/or any ongoing expenses, like rent and utilities. No location is perfect, and it’s more important to ensure your overhead is low enough to allow for profitability.”

In order to secure the most competitive pricing, our corporate support team works with local commercial real estate partners to performs comparative research into the targeted location. Informed by the average sale for comparable commercial real estate in the area, franchisees are well-positioned to secure the best possible pricing during lease or contract negotiations. With industry-leading guidance, expertise and insights, we’re able to help franchisees secure the strongest sites, and put them on the path to success in business.

To learn more about the Pigtails & Crewcuts franchise opportunity, download our franchise packet today!

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How Kid’s Haircut Franchise Owners Benefit From Our Peer-to-Peer Network

There are many reasons franchising is such a popular way to own a business. It gives first-time entrepreneurs a much safer way to enter the world of business ownership. For veteran entrepreneurs, franchising offers a relatively low-risk investment to add to their portfolio. Owning a franchise also offers the benefit of built-in brand marketing, a loyal customer base, and a proven business model. Not only that, it also gives new franchisees the chance to leverage advice, experience, and expertise from people in their industry, as well as people operating within the exact same business model and brand.

At Pigtails & Crewcuts, our franchisees have the added benefit of our peer-to-peer franchise network to ensure their franchise ownership is as enjoyable and successful as possible.

Strong Community of Kid’s Haircut Franchise Owners

Our peer-to-peer franchise network gives new franchisees the opportunity to ask existing franchisees all the details about running their Pigtails & Crewcuts day-to-day. Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees come from all walks of life, from stay-at-home moms to former sales executives. This provides a diverse and experienced group of business owners for our new franchisees to interact with whenever they need.

pigtails & crewcuts franchisee with staff in kids' haircut franchise

For instance, multi-unit franchise owner Jennifer Tribble is one of many Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees who values the support of our peer-to-peer network tremendously.

My favorite thing about the brand is the community of ownership and having the feedback and support of others. I can’t imagine having to do this by myself.” – Jennifer

Franchise owners are all connected with each other through multiple channels. One of the primary ways they communicate and collaborate is through our private Facebook Group. On a daily basis, owners share experiences that others can draw inspiration from, comment on, or learn from. For example, many will share how they’ve gotten involved in their community with their kid’s hair salon franchise, which other franchisees can implement in their locations. Other times, the Facebook Group can act as a forum to share frustrations and seek solutions, whether it be a human resources or marketing issue. In addition to that digital connection, Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees are able to meet face-to-face at a franchise conference every 18 months. These are important opportunities to spend time together with the extended Pigtails & Crewcuts franchise family, a group of like-minded individuals who are all going through similar situations operating their own kid’s hair salons.

Our Network Sets Us Apart

Most successful franchisors offer support to their franchisees, but this usually takes the form of franchise support. While corporate support is incredibly important to us at Pigtails & Crewcuts, we also take pride in providing our franchisees the opportunity to share concerns and solutions among themselves, as well.

Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee Team

We know that being able to communicate with other kid’s haircut franchise owners, who have likely experienced the same situations as new franchisees, better understand which specific tips would best help new owners. We have the information, but they have firsthand experience. When it comes to business ownership, we know experience is everything. Cutting children’s hair comes with challenges, and running a successful children’s hair salon franchise becomes much easier with the right support in place. And, at Pigtails & Crewcuts, we know our franchisees need strong support in order to be successful. Our peer-to-peer franchise network offers a platform for that support, with plenty of advice and guidance from like-minded business owners like you.

Ready to open a business that’s set for success with our peer-to-peer franchise network? Download our franchise packet today!

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How Much Does it Cost to Open a Kid’s Salon Franchise?

Leading the U.S. beauty segment in market share, it’s no surprise entrepreneurs have been clamoring to take their cut of the $64 billion hair care industry by opening a kid’s salon franchise. And, with parents spending record-level sums on their children, there’s never been a better time to break into the fast-growing segment.

However, starting a kid’s salon business from scratch and building it from the ground up can be an arduous endeavor. From creating a business plan to finding the right real estate and generating awareness about an emerging brand, building a startup business requires a significant investment of time and capital. Not only that, unpredictable costs and unforeseen roadblocks can quickly throw even the most thorough plans off course. That’s why so many aspiring business owners turn to the franchise model when starting their kid’s hair salon franchise.

Kid’s salon franchise brands like Pigtails & Crewcuts provide you with a full framework for success in every facet of your business. Plus, our pre-set, transparent initial investment estimates help ensure you won’t be caught by surprise with additional costs that put you in a precarious financial position later on. Here’s a quick breakdown of the top three upfront costs to open a hair salon, and why our kid’s salon franchise model is the right investment:

1. Real Estate for a Kid’s Salon Franchise

Entrepreneurs that buy an existing hair salon generally expect to set aside $40,000 to $250,000 for the purchase of the physical location. That investment range doubles if they’re planning to build a salon from the ground up. At Pigtails & Crewcuts, we work hard to keep real estate and construction costs as affordable as possible – typically ranging from $15,000 to $90,000. This investment will inevitably vary by site, based on its size, condition, location, the local market, and other factors. However, our corporate support team performs extensive comparative research into local real estate options in order to help secure the most competitive pricing in the local market.

And, because our typical layout features a small footprint – usually between 1,200 and 1,500 square feet – we’re able to cut down on the initial purchase price for the space. This also helps minimize ongoing expenses, like utilities and maintenance, as well as insurance and any rent or lease payments. Beyond pricing negotiations, we also guide franchisees through every step of the site selection process, helping them find the most visible, accessible and high-traffic locations. Leveraging real estate software, we also help ensure strong demand for each location by vetting markets with the most desirable area demographics for our concept. This includes everything from median household income to population density and number of families in the area.

2. Furnishings, Equipment and Decorating

Independent salon owners can expect to spend roughly $47,000 on salon equipment and supplies alone. Styling stations with chairs can easily reach costs upward of $1,000 each, and other equipment and supplies like hair dryers, shampoo, scissors, clippers, and other specialty products account for the remaining expenses. Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees generally spend $18,000 to $27,000 for their entire interior design, furnishings, and decor, in addition to the heavy equipment and styling stations. Costs for hairdryers, washing stations, and other opening supplies are typically only $3,000 to $5,000.

Not only will our corporate team provide you with several site layout and design plans, we also deliver all the supplies and equipment you need to get up and running – for a complete turnkey solution. With pre-established, system-wide brand guidelines, you don’t have to worry about decorating the space yourself or spending thousands of dollars buying your own furnishings and décor.

3. Opening Inventory for a Children’s Hair Salon

Many salon owners choose to include a retail portion in their business, which creates an additional revenue stream. However, without the right guidance, expertise or wholesale buying power, it’s easy to overpay for these products or invest in the wrong categories or brands.

The actual cost of initial inventory will vary widely, but a fully-stocked retail section is often several thousands of dollars. For Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees, initial inventory typically costs $5,000 to $10,000. Driving additional sales per transaction, our retail sections typically account for 10 percent of unit revenue. Backed by our guidance and support in every area of business, Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees are able to get up and running quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively – and start reaping the rewards of their investment as soon as possible.

To learn more about the Pigtails & Crewcuts franchise opportunity, download our franchise packet today!

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Our Kid’s Haircut Franchise on Track to Double the Number of Locations

As of 2019, Pigtails & Crewcuts has expanded into 23 states with 62 locations. We currently have 61 new salons in development, which will almost double the amount of operating locations. This includes four new Georgia locations, one of which – Buford – will open later this year. We’ve seen tremendous growth this year, and the future looks even brighter.

Pigtails & Crewcuts fills a need to provide kids and parents alike a positive, necessary service, while ensuring our franchisees are successful. Haircuts can be scary. Many children hate being dragged to a salon or barber shop by their frustrated parent and subjected to an experience they find tense and unpleasant. Cutting children’s hair isn’t easy, but getting a child’s hair cut should be.

Through a focus on making the child’s experience at our salon fun, positive, and pleasant, we’ve turned Pigtails & Crewcuts into a rapidly-rising kid’s haircut franchise ready for explosive growth.

Who is Pigtails & Crewcuts?

At Pigtails & Crewcuts, our goal is to instill lasting confidence in children during our stress-free haircuts – an experience that, anywhere else, can often be frightening. We take the fright right out of the experience with our store décor and amenities. Between the movies, games, toys, and themed car chairs we provide children during their haircut, we strive to make every haircut as fun, exciting, and enjoyable as possible. With an experience that can so often go wrong for families, we know taking the stress and temper tantrums out of haircuts may just earn us a loyal customer for years to come. A happy child means a happy parent.

When Wade Brannon visited Pigtails & Crewcuts with his children, he fell in love with the idea. More importantly, his kids did, too. Despite being retired from the franchising industry, Wade couldn’t resist the opportunity to grow the potential he saw during his Pigtails & Crewcuts experience and is now our President and CEO. More than 10 years later, Wade has grown Pigtails & Crewcuts into a heavily-desired investment for aspiring franchisees.

Why It Works

At Pigtails & Crewcuts, we’ve established a recession-resilient business. Regardless of what shape the economy is in, parents will take their children to get haircuts. This keeps our business steady and out of the grasp of the constantly fluctuating market. We also provide our franchisees a number of benefits to give them a leg up on competition. Franchisees need no prior industry experience to join the Pigtails & Crewcuts family. We provide ample training – both in the classroom and in the salon – to make sure our franchisees are primed and ready to run their own Pigtails & Crewcuts. We also require low overhead and start-up costs, giving franchisees a head-start toward generating a profit.

Our Pigtails & Crewcuts corporate team remains active in providing support to franchisees throughout their journey with us. We also provide all franchise owners with a peer-to-peer communication platform for additional support. This allows franchisees to connect with each other directly, which is helpful in running the day-to-day operations as a Pigtails & Crewcuts salon owner.

Now is the time to join our growing brand. Are you interested in owning a rapidly-expanding children’s haircut franchise? Download our franchise packet today!

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Why Pigtails & Crewcuts was the Perfect Franchise for this Career-Driven New Mom

For years, Pigtails & Crewcuts franchise owner Jennifer Tribble and her husband lived a nomadic life as project managers for a large commercial construction company. With every building they helped design and construct, from federal courthouses to football stadiums, they also built up their professional stature – and soon found themselves securing contracts for upwards of $250 million. However, when Jennifer became pregnant with her first child, the Tribbles decided to anchor their roots in Florida and begin laying the foundation for family life. Still, Jennifer never lost her passion for the professional world, and she set her sights on building an empire of her own. With a well-developed eye for profit and potential, along with a love of children, the new mom soon found the perfect franchise brand to launch her first business – Pigtails & Crewcuts.

Why the Niche Kid’s Haircare Franchise Concept Was the Right Move

“One day, a good friend called me up and told me I had to check out this kids’ salon franchise named Pigtails & Crewcuts as a potential business opportunity,” Jennifer said. “My friend wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for in a business, but she was telling me how every time she went by this salon in her town, there was at least a two-hour wait to get in. I learned more about the brand and business – and the rest is history.” A few months later, in 2013, Jennifer signed on to become a multi-unit owner with Pigtails & Crewcuts, with plans to open three franchises in the Orlando area.

“The opportunity ticked all the boxes I wanted, and it was also a new, niche idea and concept that could really serve the community,” Jennifer said. There was another kids’ salon concept or two in her market, but each one opened and closed within a matter of months. Jennifer’s Pigtails & Crewcuts franchises are the first kids’ salons in the area with staying power. In fact, one of those salons is now the No. 3 Pigtails & Crewcuts franchise location in the country in terms of performance. “Of course, I wanted a very in-demand, innovative concept with strong potential for growth and profitability,” Jennifer said. “But, I also wanted a kid-friendly concept, where I could work with children and have some flexibility to spend time with my own sons.”

A Kid-Friendly Concept that Cuts through the Negativity

Beyond her research indicating the strength of the business concept, the tipping point underscoring Jennifer’s decision to invest in the franchise was much less analytical. It was predicated by an emotional, stressful and negative experience she had when she took her young children to a local barber shop, whose employees were less than accommodating. “A lot of kids have a hard time getting their hair cut because it can be scary for them, and they don’t like sitting still,” Jennifer said. “It’s so much harder for children – and moms – when the stylist isn’t understanding, supportive or patient about it, or just simply doesn’t know how to work with kids.”

Stylist and client interacting at Pigtails & Crewcuts children's haircut franchise

Jennifer says the stress and negativity surrounding her personal experience reinvigorated her drive to open the kid-friendly haircut concept while reinforcing her belief that it would truly serve the community. “Every week, we see moms in tears who have taken their children all over town, and had really terrible experiences at salons that don’t specialize in kids’ haircuts,” Jennifer said. “It’s so nice to be that safe haven for people, and to be able to create a positive experience for mothers and children who can’t go anywhere else, or who have been treated poorly at other places.”

Building a Business While Raising a Family

Jennifer has stayed busy with a child-centric personal and professional life, raising two kids while running two kids’ hair salons.

Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisee Jennifer Tribble with her children

But, with plans to open a third franchise this fall and eyeing possibilities to open even more in the future, Jennifer is also not yet done building her business with Pigtails & Crewcuts. “I really believe that Pigtails & Crewcuts is one of the best franchise opportunities on the market, and its advantages from both a personal and professional standpoint are unsurpassed,” Jennifer said. “Not only is it scalable and profitable with uncapped demand and growth potential, it’s also a business that lets you get out and serve your community, while still spending a lot of time off and with your family. I am happy to keep growing until I can’t anymore.”

To learn more about the Pigtails & Crewcuts franchise opportunity, download our franchise packet today!

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Pre Opening Expectation Dos and Don’ts

The days leading up to the grand opening of your new business are filled with much excitement. Sometimes it might feel a little hectic as you’re making sure all the final details are taken care of, but overall there’s a sense of satisfaction in knowing that the long wait is almost over. To ensure your opening goes as smoothly as possible, it helps to know what to expect as well as some dos and don’ts to help you and your team get started on the right foot.

Engage with the Business Community

As soon as you can, start engaging with the local business community through your local Chamber of Commerce and other similar associations. Michael Spinosa of Unleashed Technologies says these organizations have “tremendous power to help increase your exposure and even coordinate special events on your opening day that help get the buzz around town,” also noting that involvement in business associations is quite helpful for businesses catering to consumers.

Take Advantage of Social Media

To further your efforts in generating a buzz about your business and getting the word out, use social media as it will help expand your reach and build a loyal customer base later on. Be sure to use the social media platforms your target audience is most likely using and start posting even before your business opens. Share news about grand opening events, what customers can expect to experience in their interactions with your business, introduce your staff, and more.

Hire and Train Your Staff

Your staff will be one of your best advertisements for your business, so make it a priority to conduct a thorough hiring and training process. Your customers may interact with them more than you, so you want to make sure your staff knows your expectations, the processes and procedures to follow, how to handle difficult situations, and the basics like  great customer service. This is also a good time to invest in your staff by going through some team-building exercises to remind them that you’re all on the same team so you present a united front when your doors open.

Plan a Soft Opening

Be sure to plan a soft opening before the grand opening. By providing a sneak peek at what’s to come, you can help generate excitement for your grand opening as well as give your team a chance to get a feel for what the environment will be like when you’re officially open for business. After the soft opening, take some time to review what went well and what needs to be changed or improved prior to your grand opening to better your operations.

Focus on the Customer Experience

Remember that providing your customers with an exceptional experience the first time they walk through your business’s doors is crucial if you want them to keep coming back. Create a welcoming atmosphere and small touchpoints that show your appreciation. From coupons for a percentage off on their next visit to referrals and other client loyalty programs, there are a ton of ways you can go one step further than the competition to show your customers how much you value and appreciate their business.

Be Prepared for the Unexpected

As you get ready for your grand opening, expect the unexpected. You may have more people show up than you were expecting, or something may go awry and that’s okay. No matter what happens, have a backup plan in place and keep your patrons happy. If something goes wrong, don’t let it show. Keep things moving and plan a regroup with your team at the end of the day to celebrate the successes and discuss any issues that came up. Make a plan for addressing and resolving any issues, and look forward to starting the next day with a clean slate.

At Pigtails & Crewcuts, our salon owners receive support each step of the way from our franchise support team during the pre-opening process and beyond. From marketing plans to operational support, staff training and more, each owner will be assigned a dedicated Franchise Support Specialist to help ensure the salon has a smooth pre-opening process and a successful grand opening, plus ongoing support afterwards. Our owners never have to go it alone!