MENU
SEARCHPricing is one of the most important business decisions you will ever make as a haircutter. Here are five tips for effective pricing and price management.
Ivan Zoot, licensed barber, cosmetologist, certified personal trainer and author.
Pricing is one of the single most important business decisions you will ever make as a haircutter. Here are my top five tips for effective pricing and price management.
Do the Math – Calculate the REAL cost of delivering a single haircut in your business. Do the math on the profit you need per haircut to achieve business goals and levels of profitability. This data will dictate your minimum haircut price for your business model to operate. Survey the competition to determine where you can fit based on your price objectives and your service delivery expectations. Price smart form the start.
Full or FREE – Charge full price or give it away for FREE. Calculate a proper, fair and effective price for a haircut and stick to it. Or give the haircut away for FREE. A $50 haircut is a $50 haircut. A $50 haircut with a 50% off coupon is not a $50 haircut, it is a $25 haircut. A $50 haircut given away for FREE is still a $50 haircut in the eyes of a consumer. Maintain price integrity and perceived value.
Catch A Lyft – Take a page from ride share services and implement demand-based surge pricing. Charge 10 or 20% more for Saturdays, Thursday evenings or whatever are your overbooked peak times. This is not a discount every other time. It is a demand-based surge.
Time for Tiers – Every cutter in the shop has a different level of experience and a different volume of traffic. Use tiered pricing to manage supply and demand. Use tiered pricing to reward sales growth, success and performance. Be sure to clearly post pricing and tiers. Be sure to denote who cuts at what price. Perhaps an agreement that walk-in traffic is taken at a “shop price” and request traffic falls into the tiers makes sense. Walk-ins are not allowed to request at “shop price.”
Raise by Occupancy – Use rate of chair occupancy as the metric by which price increases and tier promotions are based. When a haircutter can run +80% occupied for six weeks straight they are ready for a 10% bump in the haircut price. They will generate 10% more revenue. If their occupancy falls off a bit they are making more money with air in their book for referrals and growth.
Ivan Zoot AKA ClipperGuy is your haircutter coach.
Connect with Ivan at clipperguy.com for help with pricing and other elements of managing and growing your haircut business. He offers phone coaching as well as his latest book Be A $100,000 Haircutter.
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest
Owner Michaella Blissett-Williams credits her General Manager Gloria Hortua with [salon] 718's year-over-year, double-digit growth and says she's been able to scale the company to eight locations because she can rely on Hortua to manage daily operations.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Despite a slight and predictable decline in client traffic for Q1, resilient pricing power is driving year-over-year revenue growth in salons. The KIM Report's Alain Audet reviews the data and what it's telling us about the state of professional beauty.
Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Hair restoration is entering a new era driven by regenerative science. This paper explores how Exosome technology is transforming treatment outcomes by targeting hair loss at a cellular level. Discover why EXOGROW is leading this shift.
Sponsored by Dermapenworld
A salon brand is much more than a logo. In this thought-provoking blog, Leon Alexander, Ph.D., walks you through the difference. SALON TODAY suggests sharing this article with your team and leading a discussion at your next huddle, asking the team to define your business's brand.
