CosmoProf got all my money!!

So this past weekend me, the wife and kids hit one of the Fresno,CA. CosmoProfs. I went in mainly to look at the wife's Christmas present. What do you buy your wife who does hair...the Paul Mitchell / Tarina Tarantino collaboration blow dryer. A new blow dryer is always good if your old one is starting to spark when you plug it in!

So while I am wandering around the store I look at the Paul Mitchell travel pack that has all the products from "Mitch" men's line but no matter how cool the packaging is I did not have the 65 bucks it was going to cost me so instead I decided to grab a single can of the "Barber's Classic" pomade (moderate hold /high shine). So I will review the individual products as I am able to not only hit the store but decided to buy more of the products.

I am not sure how to approach this one because I do not want to get tons of hate mail for smashing on Paul Mitchell products, by the way I like Paul Mitchell products. Got to  work today and grabbed the can and like any new can of pomade I take a whiff to see the what it smells like. This pomade has a cool lavender smell to it which I really did like. Stuck my fingers in and I did not find it overly greasy  and went in easily. Even though it is a moderate hold pomade I was a bit disappointed that within a couple of hour at work I had to reach into my drawer and pull out my can of Murray's Light to kind of add a little more to my hair.

Please do not get me wrong, I am not hating on this pomade I just know that if you are looking for something with a heavy hold this will not be it but do not be afraid to try and mix it with some other products to make it work better for you.

I Think It Is Time For A Contest

You heard me right a contest!!! So here is what is going on, I am currently at 3446 views here on the blog and what I am going to do is as soon at I hit 4000 pages view I am going to be giving some stuff away.

I am going to pick 3 random people from the Frankie The Barber facebook page and they will receive a pomade gift pack. Possible from some of the companies we have recently reviewed. So lets get some traffic and comments coming to the blog!!

Also do not forget that I am still trying to hit 100 likes on Frankie The Barber fan page!!

Try to seperate yourself from the rest!

   Ok so as I have posted I am working in a brand new barbershop which really is what is leading me to write tonight. This is not about me but this is about all of us barbers out there who are working hard to build a reputations for ourselves as professionals and not just "haircutters"

    So I went to the yellowpages.com website and looked up barbershops in 3 random cities and this is what i found on the first two pages of the site:

1.       Long beach,CA 53 barbershops
2.       Sacramneto,CA 55 barbershops
3.       Dallas,TX          53 barbershops

Ok so this was not the most scientific research known to man but when you look through the phone book and see what I saw when I used the yellow pages website it is an idea of what the average customer sees when they open a the book looking for a barber. The truth is most people find there barber in two ways either word of mouth or they have seen the same barber for years.

    In Long Beach there are several barbershops that I personally know of because of the reputation they have developed for themselves. So here is my question to you, what seperates you from the rest of the shops and barbers in your community?

    The truth is I think this question is a little more difficult then you would think it would be. There are so many things you have to look at when answering this question.

1. The Shop- How does your shop reflect you? Is your shop clean or do you and your barbers stand in piles of hair between haircuts? This is important becuase I know for myself I hate going into a shop that is dirty and looks like no one ever cleans up.
2. The Service- Do you do a quick haircut and get them out the door or are you working hard to give your customers a good service and  a reason to come back. Please remember the haircut needs to reflect the service.
3. The Specialty- I heard a story about an old barber that when the 60's hit and everyone started growing there hair long he had to figure something out to keep his shop going. It was at this point he became know for his "Mac Curtis" aka flat top with fenders. Find something and get good at it. let your name be synonymous with that haircut. It is part of branding yourself.
4. Marketing- What are you doing to get your name out there.....Take advantage of your neighborhood. Cross marketing with other local business can do wonders just make sure you are working with the right business. Are you using Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter...etc. Social Networking/social media is one of the most important tools around.

      Listen I am not a business mogul but these are just a few observations I have made in just my own experiences and seeing other barbers and barbershops. Give me your opinion and let us know what you are doing to separate yourself from the rest of the pack!!

Metro v. The Dude Who Gives A Crap

    This is going to end poorly, I can already feel it!!

    I remember the first time I hear the word "metrosexual" it left me a bit confused cause when you hear the definition you are basically describing a gay male. It was probably 1994 maybe 1995 when I first heard the term and all of a sudden salons were opening up that were catering not to men as a whole but this special kind of guy who wanted his butts waxed and eyebrows tweezed along with a haircut. What sucked was there were actually some good places that after the "metro" trend passed to the side of the road some places were forced to close there doors.

    Now here we are in 2011 and we are seeing a growth of barbershops opening up because guys are wanting something that is there. To put it in the words of Don Hawley "A place for a guy to be a guy". Shops are opening up and offering services like a shave and a haircut some are offering things like manicure while they sit and watch football. Do not forget the chance to get your shoes shined.

    The shop I work at we had a couple of guys swing by to check out the shop and was stoked by the fact we sold a certain product and that by appointment they could get a manicure while we had sports on. One of the guys worked at the local hospital and the other I think may have been a medical rep. Both dressed sharped and took care of themselves.

    So back to the question...is there a difference between metro and the guys who just take care of themselves and the answer is...YES!!! Guys just need a place of there own to be a guy, get a haircut and maybe have a beer. Metro is a trend that hopefully is done because the term creeps it's ugly head everynow and again when I am talking about mens products to people and it annoys me!

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