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In the time it takes to drive to a customer, park, and set up, a barber could probably do 3 or 4 haircuts if he were working in a shop. Are customers willing to

In the time it takes to drive to a customer, park, and set up, a barber could probably do 3 or 4 haircuts if he were working in a shop. Are customers willing to pay 4x or more for that convenience? Probably some are, but enough to sustain the idea? I could see the food truck approach maybe working better. Set up for the day or a few hours in a commercial area, and let local customers come to you.

jedberg 8y ago
It's only about 2x because their overhead is cheaper (no rent, only car maintenance). But yeah, what you suggest is exactly what happens here in Silicon Valley. We have the haircut group that spends one day a week at eBay, one day at Google, one day at Cisco, etc. Same with the dentist and the car wash folks.
YeahSureWhyNot 8y ago
he is saving around 4 haircuts kind of money because he isnt renting a seat in a salon. worth it for higher end clientele who doesn't want to waste time driving to barber shop
ChuckMcM 8y ago
I think your analysis is incomplete. What does it cost to rent a chair in a salon? (what is the operational expense (opex) of the current method) What percentage of time that the salon is open, is the chair in use? (what is the haircut operational time) What percentage of customers don't use your chair because they can't get to your location? (substitution value of stylists in a free market) What percentage of your customers are 'regular' versus 'walk in'? (opportunity cost vs monthly recurring revenue (MRR)) I haven't done the research but I could certainly imagine in places like the Bay Area where rents are high that this could be a better system for a stylist than the traditional one.
- ams6110 8y ago
  Agreed, all of that matters. Also, another big difference from Uber is that the vast majority of adults can drive, so their pool of potential drivers is large. Barbering is a niche skill and in many areas is regulated. I can't just download an app and start working unless I'm already a trained and licensed barber. Then I'd need to own or rent the van outfitted with the chair and other equipment. The scaling model is vastly more constrained than Uber.
onlyfortoday2 8y ago
"Are customers willing to pay 4x or more for that convenience?" yes have you been to an Afro Caribbean barbers before?

jedberg 8y ago

It's only about 2x because their overhead is cheaper (no rent, only car maintenance). But yeah, what you suggest is exactly what happens here in Silicon Valley. We have the haircut group that spends one day a week at eBay, one day at Google, one day at Cisco, etc. Same with the dentist and the car wash folks.

YeahSureWhyNot 8y ago

he is saving around 4 haircuts kind of money because he isnt renting a seat in a salon. worth it for higher end clientele who doesn't want to waste time driving to barber shop

ChuckMcM 8y ago

I think your analysis is incomplete. What does it cost to rent a chair in a salon? (what is the operational expense (opex) of the current method) What percentage of time that the salon is open, is the chair in use? (what is the haircut operational time) What percentage of customers don't use your chair because they can't get to your location? (substitution value of stylists in a free market) What percentage of your customers are 'regular' versus 'walk in'? (opportunity cost vs monthly recurring revenue (MRR)) I haven't done the research but I could certainly imagine in places like the Bay Area where rents are high that this could be a better system for a stylist than the traditional one.

ams6110 8y ago
Agreed, all of that matters. Also, another big difference from Uber is that the vast majority of adults can drive, so their pool of potential drivers is large. Barbering is a niche skill and in many areas is regulated. I can't just download an app and start working unless I'm already a trained and licensed barber. Then I'd need to own or rent the van outfitted with the chair and other equipment. The scaling model is vastly more constrained than Uber.

onlyfortoday2 8y ago

"Are customers willing to pay 4x or more for that convenience?" yes have you been to an Afro Caribbean barbers before?