“Our two-year-old started sprouting hair, and we thought, maybe we should open a children’s hair salon,” recalled Bonnie Howard, co-owner of Pigtails & Crewcuts in Smyrna, GA. First-time franchisees, Bonnie and her husband Will, laugh as they recall how they discovered and pursued the business opportunity with the Georgia-based children’s franchise.
The plan began to fall into place as Cash, their 2-year-old son, started growing hair, but they found nowhere to take him for a kid-friendly haircut.
Will mentioned bringing their son to his regular barber. Bonnie wasn’t having any of it. She was resolute about bringing him to Pigtails & Crewcuts. When it came to it, the Howards were so dedicated that they waited until their salon was open before Cash got his first haircut.
“Bonnie knew the brand right away,” Will explained. The couple’s nieces and nephews had received haircuts at Pigtails & Crewcuts before.
“There was no place like this in Smyrna,” he continued.
It didn’t take long for the couple to realize it would be the perfect business opportunity for them.
Will had always dreamed of owning a small business, and the more they explored the Pigtails & Crewcuts brand, the more they knew it would become the perfect fit.
Corporate and Peer-to-Peer Support
As the pair got started on their journey as children’s hair salon owners, there were a couple of factors that have helped them make progress.
First, the support the Howards received from the corporate team when they were first getting started helped them overcome their lack of industry experience.
“There was a great family vibe,” said Will.
Additionally, the Pigtails & Crewcuts peer-to-peer support among the network of franchisees has helped the first-time franchisees as they’ve navigated the early stages of business ownership.
“We have more support than we could ever have imagined,” said Bonnie.
The couple, like other franchisees in the Pigtails & Crewcuts family, converse almost daily in the brand’s private Facebook group where franchisees ask questions, share ideas, and understand the ins-and-outs from other business owners in the same position.
A Family-Friendly Franchise
One of the Howards’ favorite parts of owning a Pigtails & Crewcuts salon is the family-friendly flexibility for both them and their staff.
The operating hours, which are typically 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week and reduced during the weekend, help to give both the owners and stylists the opportunity to be home with their families in the morning and during the evening. And it provides the flexibility to be present during important school and family events.
The Rewards of Owning a Children’s Hair Salon
At the end of the day, Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees enter the children’s hair salon space to better the lives of children.
For many kids, haircuts can be extremely traumatic and scary. Pigtails & Crewcuts provides kids with distractions such as tablets, bubbles, and toys to make the overall experience a positive one for everyone involved.
Will recalls a certain time when a child came in for only his fifth haircut, and the dad was anxiously expecting his child’s cries. With the help of the stylists, his son went through the entire haircut tear-free.
“The dad was over-the-moon excited,” Will recalled. “It was extremely rewarding.”