If you’re an indie barber or a barbershop owner, your income is directly related to your efficiency. In other words, the freedom of running your own business also comes with the responsibility to manage your own time. 

However, barbers can often fall into a few patterns that cost them both time and money—and this inefficiency doesn’t always look like a barber sitting on Instagram during breaks between clients. In fact, even the busiest barbers and shop owners can waste time and lose out on money without even realizing it. 

That’s why today, we’re breaking down the most common costly habits cutting into your revenue stream—and how to fix them. 

Why You Need to Fix Your Time-Wasting Habits

Whether you’re an indie barber, a commission barber, or an owner, your pay is directly proportional to the number of people walking in and out of your booth or shop. 

This is both a blessing and a curse—you can control your fate by being smart about your branding, increasing your skills, and managing your time well. On the other hand, even small, unconscious habits can lead to costly inefficiencies. 

In order to fix these shortcomings, you have to identify them first. Take a look below at the most common ways barbers waste time and money. 

#1: Insta-Scrolling In Between Cuts

It’s tempting to fall down the social media rabbit hole during downtime between cuts. But social media scrolling doesn’t have to be a waste of time. During between-cut breaks, take advantage of social media by: 

• Following content creators in your field and building your digital network
• Working on your own business profile or barbershop marketing strategy
• Learning about the latest trends within the industry

If you can’t resist the urge to scroll idly, then setting time limits on your phone during work hours might be a solution instead to keep you focused. 

#2 Booking Longer Appointments than Necessary

As a barber, your time is your most valuable asset. While it’s tempting to book longer-than-necessary appointments to make sure each customer is well taken care of, too much time for appointments is leaving money on the table.

Trust your skills and abilities. As you gain experience cutting hair, you'll likely get faster and faster. So, be sure to occasionally reassess your speed and update your regular appointment slot times, allocating just the time you need and no more. This lets you schedule more appointments during the workday, leading to happier clients, increased revenue, and a better work-life balance. 

More money in less time is an outcome any business owner would be proud to achieve. 

#3 Manually Running the Numbers

As a barber, you should be focused on providing sharp haircuts and even sharper customer service. Any time you spend manually tracking business data like taxes, commission payouts, and revenue is time away from the chair.

Use a barbershop management solution to track all of these numbers in one place with just a few clicks. You’ll be surprised at how much time one simple change can free up. For some shop owners using Auto Payout to manage commissions, they're saving up to 10 hours a week.

#4 Chasing Barbers for Rent

If you’re renting out booth space, chasing down barbers for money can strain your working relationships. Collecting rent manually can also take up your valuable time and energy. 

Luckily, there’s a technological solution. A platform like SQUIRE can automate rent collection, reducing the time-consuming back and forth of asking barbers for rent and making sure all loose ends are tied up each week. 

#5 Scheduling Through Calls or Texts

Booking through phone calls or text messages is a hassle for everyone involved. Interestingly, most barbershop clients find that using booking software is much more accessible and efficient.

Not only is a booking software more accessible, but it also allows you to focus on your clients rather than on answering the phone or responding to texts. The time you or your receptionist spend on the phone booking appointments is time that could go toward taking on more clients or improving the shop.

Consider signing up for a software that lets clients book directly from Google, your website, or your app for a maximally seamless and convenient experience. 

#6 Waiting for Late Arrivals and No Shows

No-shows are a leading cause of lost revenue for small barbers and shops. With an informal call- or text-based system, a client gone AWOL is simply money down the drain. If you pair clearly-worded late and no-show policies with automatic charges for no-shows through your booking software, you can get back some of that otherwise lost money. 

Are your clients showing up a little too late for your busy schedule? Fix that with automatic text message reminders and make sure your barbershop runs like a well-oiled machine.

Establish Efficient Habits with SQUIRE

While the above time- and money-wasting habits are common, they’re not hard to break—especially if you use SQUIRE. 

SQUIRE is an all-in-one barbershop management system that helps you run your business more efficiently with features like online booking, automated rent collection, real-time revenue dashboards, client notifications, and more. 

Let SQUIRE cut down your time-wasting habits so that you can focus on what matters most: building your brand and growing your business. Request a demo today!