Barber Shop Business Plan

Executive Summary

Jonpaul’s is an upscale old-world gentleman’s barber shop that offers today’s progressive gentlemen a haven where he can sit back, relax and experience the “World Class” art of grooming and services in a gentleman’s club atmosphere, which is masculine and therapeutic. Jonpaul’s is aimed at an exclusive market and a discerning customer base, and will add tremendous value to our community while offering a combination of “World Class Services” not currently being offered by any competitor in the greater Franklin, Tennessee area. We intend to be profitable by increasing our client base through becoming a highly sought after destination.

Our goal, beyond becoming a profitable business, is becoming a trusted destination whereby the clients in our community can come to refresh their minds and bodies, replenish their energies, and network with their colleagues and friends. We provide a comforting, yet stimulating, old world gentleman’s club atmosphere in which customers can relax both body and mind through a wide range of services, establishing ourselves as a world-class service provider to which clients always return.

• Create a service-based company whose singular goal is to exceed customer expectations.
• Grow sales substantially by the end of Year 2, and nearly double Year 1 revenue by the end of Year 3.
• Increase the number of clients served by at least 20% per year through superior performance and word-of-mouth referrals.
• Reach a clientele return rate of 90% by the end of Year 1.
• Become an established community destination by the end of Year 1.

1. Location — an easily accessible, high-visibility location for clients.
2. Environment — an atmosphere conducive to relaxing, professional service.
3. Convenience — a wide range of services in one setting, with extended hours.
4. Reputation — the owner's and staff's reputation for superior personal service.
5. Effective advertising — reaching the corporate professional audience where they actually are.

Opportunity

Problem Worth Solving

The traditional barbershop has largely been replaced by unisex salons and spas focused mainly on women. Professional men are more health- and style-conscious, especially those who have achieved a modicum of professional success. They are willing to pay for products and services geared specifically toward men, but struggle to find an environment that consistently offers quality service, masculine atmosphere, and convenience in one location.

Grooming-industry research consistently shows a large share of professional men have personal hair grooming services performed during the workday — yet no high-end gentleman’s barber shop exclusively for men exists in the greater Franklin, Tennessee area near CoolSprings Galleria. Jonpaul’s addresses this gap by offering world-class men’s grooming in a gentleman’s club atmosphere: an environment that consistently offers quality service, products, and camaraderie — a gathering place where clients can discuss politics, watch sports or market news, read the newspaper, network, enjoy a cup of gourmet coffee, and get a shoe shine, all in one visit.

Our Solution

Jonpaul’s is a full-service gentleman’s barber shop that allows a man to have all of his grooming needs met in one convenient visit — haircuts, shaves, skin and nail care, and relaxation services — rather than piecing them together across multiple businesses.

There are many “quick salons” and unisex shops in our market, but most, like the national quick-cut chains, provide only the minimum service. Upscale unisex salons and spas can deliver quality, but scheduling requirements, wait times, and an environment built around women leave professional men underserved. Cathy Leskie identified this unfulfilled need directly through years of managing an upscale salon: a genuine gap for a low-hassle, high-quality salon built specifically around men. Jonpaul’s services are priced reasonably for the quality delivered, and we maintain a direct relationship with a U.S.-based importer of our London product line, which keeps our retail product costs — and client prices — at their lowest sustainable point.

Looking ahead, we plan to explore branding our own private-label product line as our client base and reputation grow, and may add complementary wellness services such as chiropractic or acupuncture on an as-needed basis if client demand and space allow. We will stay closely engaged with the best men’s grooming and wellness techniques as they emerge, adopting them when they’re a genuine fit for our clientele — using this strategy to build significant market share and long-term client relationships.

Market Overview

Jonpaul’s will focus on the professional male. Grooming-industry research consistently shows the large majority of professional men have personal hair grooming services performed during the workday. The space at CoolSprings Galleria fits the demographics for our business: Applied Geographic Solutions estimates that 59,251 people live within a three-mile radius of our facility and 42,759 work there, with 161,848 living and 109,867 working within a five-mile radius. There are 15 business parks totaling 6,206 businesses within a seven-mile radius.

Retail health and beauty has traditionally split into four categories: salons (hair styling only), day spas (body health and relaxation services), combined day spa-and-salons, and pure health-and-beauty product retailers. The industry is increasingly recognizing that the traditional barbershop deserves its own category. Europe has catered specifically to men since its first barber shop opened in 1805, and traditional European barbershops have expanded into massage, facials, manicures, and pedicures at the request of the “progressive gentleman.” U.S. professionals who travel abroad regularly experience these services and are actively looking for a comparable option at home — a gap no local participant currently fills, since no salon or spa operator in our market has focused specifically on men.

Based on internal research, roughly 80% of our target customer's service spend goes to hair, color, shaves, and shoe shine; 15% to facial, massage, nail, and tanning services; and 5% to retail product. We target male professionals and retirees age 25 and up with household incomes above $75,000 — members of this segment have discretionary income and demanding professional schedules, but still make time and budget for grooming regardless of income level, because it's part of maintaining their professional "look."

Within our trade area, income-and-radius segments have grown at a steady ~4% annually, consistent with an area that has significantly outpaced statewide population growth since 1990. Our addressable market across the $75K–$100K, $100K–$150K, and $150K+ household-income bands within a 1-, 3-, and 5-mile radius totals roughly 122,000 households in Year 1, growing toward roughly 143,000 by Year 5 at a ~4% compound annual growth rate.

The surrounding area of CoolSprings Galleria and Williamson County has become a bastion for the successful, consistently ranking among the fastest-growing, most affluent counties in the state — a community of wealth, mobility, and growth. Despite this residential and corporate growth, a genuine gap exists in the local retail trade and entertainment landscape; CoolSprings Galleria was itself the catalyst that brought high-end restaurants and commercial support services to the area, and it remains the only large-scale shopping and entertainment center within an 8-mile radius. Several corporate headquarters (not just administrative offices), along with hotels and office buildings, are located within a short drive, giving us a broad and growing daytime professional population to draw from. Jonpaul's is positioned as the only gentleman's shop exclusively for men in the area — a strong, durable competitive position as the trade area continues to grow.

Competitors

The main competitor is VanAstorBilts, located across town. Its strength is a wide array of spa services; its weakness is a limited number of services dedicated specifically to male clients — hair grooming, shaves, and shoe shines — since its services and products cater more toward the female professional. We don't consider Jonpaul's and VanAstorBilts to be direct competitors of one another.

There are many salons in the CoolSprings Galleria area, but no direct competitors. There is no one place in the greater Franklin, Tennessee area that offers a high-end gentleman's barber shop exclusively for men in a masculine, therapeutic environment. Beyond VanAstorBilts, any real competition comes from unisex salons or combination unisex spa-salons — clients generally choose a men's grooming provider based on proximity to home or work, reputation for quality, and fair pricing, and none of the current options compete directly on all three the way we do.

Our market advantage is wide open: there's a large population base of professional males in this area that isn't currently being well served. Our competitive edge is the combination of unique services, an outstanding location, and genuine interaction with our clients — a gentleman's club atmosphere and world-class service that builds real relationships of trust, not just a transaction. Considering that no other competitor offers our range of men's services, our level of staff training, or a barbershop of our type anywhere in our target trade area, we're positioned to automatically become the top, exclusive gentlemen's grooming destination in the greater Franklin area.

Our value proposition goes beyond the service menu: we bring a genuine mode of relaxation and fulfillment to the discerning gentleman. When clients are relaxed, comfortable, and cared for, they work harder, concentrate better, and carry that balance back into their homes, workplaces, and community — which is, at its core, how we believe we make our community a better place to live and work.

Execution

Market Plan Overview

Jonpaul's markets itself as a hair and grooming destination for men, women, and children — but our positioning, channels, and voice are built specifically around the professional male client, since that's where our real differentiation lives.

Our primary channels are digital, matched to how our target client — a busy, affluent professional — actually discovers a new service provider. We run a consistent Instagram and TikTok presence built around short, visual before/after grooming content (a straight-razor shave, a precision fade, a full "gentleman's refresh") — this category is inherently visual, and video content of the actual craft outperforms text-based advertising for a barbershop by a wide margin. A well-maintained Google Business Profile, kept current with photos and a steady stream of client reviews, is arguably our single highest-leverage channel: most new clients search "barbershop near me" or "men's grooming CoolSprings" before they ever see an ad, and review volume and recency directly affect how we rank.

We run targeted paid social (Meta and Google Local Services Ads) geo-targeted to the CoolSprings/Franklin trade area and to the corporate campuses and business parks within our 7-mile radius, rather than broad-reach print or broadcast buys. Appointment confirmations, rebooking reminders, and personalized offers go out via automated text and email through our Squire platform — a client who hasn't booked in 6–8 weeks gets a gentle, automated nudge rather than a generic mailer.

We build direct relationships with local businesses, corporate offices, and hospitality partners who see our client daily: concierge relationships with nearby hotels, referral arrangements with local menswear shops and tailors, and corporate wellness partnerships with the office parks and headquarters in our trade area. We also maintain relationships with local barber schools for both recruiting and community goodwill, and with nearby spas for referrals in services we don't offer.

Referral is core to our growth model, not an afterthought: every client who refers a new client receives a service credit, and the new client receives an introductory offer on their first visit. Because our category has genuinely low switching costs, referral-driven trial converts far better than cold advertising — a trusted recommendation from a colleague matters more to this client than any ad ever will.

Our website and Google Business Profile serve as the definitive source of information on our services, environment, and pricing — comprehensive enough that a prospective client can make a booking decision without ever needing to call. A polished brand identity (logo, signage, business cards) reinforces the exclusive, old-world positioning in every physical touchpoint. We maintain a modest print and sponsorship presence targeted specifically at our audience — placement in local business journals and sponsorship of professional/corporate events — since our target client, while digitally engaged, is also a demographic that responds to this kind of targeted, credibility-building visibility in a way a broad consumer audience would not.

Marketing execution is owned by Cathy and Jonpaul Leskie directly, with our advertising budget weighted toward the digital channels above and reviewed quarterly against actual client-acquisition results rather than fixed year-over-year.

Pricing Strategy

Our pricing strategy is to price in line with the market — not substantially over or under standard rates for comparable quality — while paying our barbers and specialists a straight percentage of their individual client sales plus a bonus, more generous than what competitors typically offer. This lets us recruit and keep the best talent in the market, with a built-in motivational structure that rewards them for growing their own client relationships.

• Shampoo, Cut, Style, Blow-dry — $38
• Hair and Scalp Treatments — $20
• Colour Blending or Highlights — $40 and up
• Moustache and Beard Trim — $7
• Moustache Trim — $5
• Stately Shave (hot towels, balm, 30 minutes) — $30
• Hair Style and Stately Shave — $60
• Eyebrow Shaping — $12
• Natural Nail Grooming — $15
• Royal Pedicure — $38
• Essential Facial — $65
• Deep Tissue Massage (1 hour) — $75
• Laser Hair Removal — $85 and up
• Shoe Shine — $5 and up

• London line — $20 and up
• United States line — $18 and up

Sales Plan

Our umbrella sales strategy is to sell Jonpaul’s to the male professional as a uniquely desirable destination that will enhance their lives. We will sell Jonpaul’s through each employee’s skill, courtesy, and warmth, creating a trusting impression on all clients, and establishing loyalty and return visits. We will ensure each visit to Jonpaul’s is a relaxing and memorable experience, so that clients can always depend on our brand of service when they arrive — our website and Google Business Profile give prospective clients everything they need to make that first booking decision (see Market Plan Overview for our digital acquisition strategy in full).

Locations and Facilities

Jonpaul’s is located at CoolSprings Galleria, a large enclosed shopping and entertainment center in Franklin, Tennessee. The suite is 1,950 sq. ft. at $24.50/sq. ft. with a 3-year lease. This site is a very high profile area with easy access and ample parking.

CoolSprings Galleria is anchored by a major theater chain with a large, state-of-the-art multiplex. In addition to specialty retail and service shops within the center, there is a food pavilion anchored by well-known national restaurant and coffee brands.

CoolSprings Galleria is located on the corner of a highly traveled state highway and a major metro road in the high-growth, affluent Cool Springs area of Williamson County. The center’s primary trade area serves the burgeoning country club communities and exclusive neighborhoods located within a fifteen-minute drive from the site.

Technology

Jonpaul’s runs on Squire, a booking and point-of-sale platform built specifically for barbershops — managing appointments, client profiles and grooming preferences, checkout, inventory for our retail product line, and commission tracking for each barber, all in one system.

Clients receive automated text and email appointment confirmations, and a same-day reminder before their visit, cutting down on no-shows without requiring staff to make manual reminder calls. A short thank-you and rebooking prompt goes out automatically after each visit. Our Google Business Profile is actively managed for reviews and local search visibility, which matters as much for a destination shop like ours as word of mouth does.

Guest Wi-Fi is standard throughout the shop, letting clients handle email or a call while they wait or between services — a small convenience that fits our target client's schedule-driven, professional lifestyle.

Equipment and Tools

Start-up equipment and tools include professional barber stations, styling chairs, straight-razor shave equipment, nail stations, massage tables, shoe-shine stands, point-of-sale hardware, and inventory display fixtures.

Budgeted start-up costs:

• Leasehold improvement construction — $115,000
• Expensed equipment — $17,000
• Equipment order/installation — $45,000
• Start-up inventory — $10,000

Jonpaul’s runs on Squire, a barbershop-specific booking and point-of-sale platform, to manage appointments, client profiles, checkout, inventory, employee records, and payroll — see Technology for details.

Milestones

Key Metrics for Success

Our most important Key Financial Indicator is when each barber averages seven clients per day and each specialist averages three clients per day.

Additional metrics we track:

• Net profit margin — tracked monthly against forecast, with the goal of steady improvement as our client base and chair utilization mature.
• Revenue mix across our three lines — hair services, ancillary services (shave, shine, color), and retail product — tracked separately so we can see which is driving growth and where there's room to grow attachment (particularly retail).
• Break-even monthly revenue — calculated against our actual fixed costs and blended variable cost rate, reviewed monthly rather than treated as a fixed, one-time target.
• Client return rate — our objective is a 90% return rate by the end of Year 1, tracked per barber to catch retention issues early.

Company

Ownership and Structure

Jonpaul's is organized as a privately held S corporation co-owned by Cathy Leskie and Dr. Jonpaul Leskie.

Cathy Leskie brings 10 years of hair and spa industry experience, including six years as a stylist and four years managing 16 stylists at an upscale salon. Dr. Jonpaul Leskie is President/CEO of Jp Leskie & Associates, a technology consulting firm, with over 30 years of experience launching businesses and directing operations for Fortune 500 companies.

After spending several months searching for an existing high-end, exclusive gentleman's barber shop to purchase, the owners decided instead to build an exclusive barber shop and men's grooming service from the ground up — confident that a purpose-built concept, designed around the gap Cathy identified through her own industry experience, would outperform retrofitting an existing business. To achieve our objectives, Jonpaul's is seeking loan financing paid from business cash flow; see the Financial Plan for full start-up funding requirements and use of funds.

Management Team

Cathy Leskie, co-owner, president: has 10 years experience in the hair and spa industry. She studied in the U.S. and Europe and continues to stay on top of the latest styles, trends and products. Cathy has worked as a stylist (six years) then as a manager (four years) – managing 16 stylists in a prestigious upscale salon.

Dr. Jonpaul Leskie, co-owner: will not be directly involved in daily operations, but will assist Cathy in general organizational/business planning and operations implementation. Currently Jonpaul is President/CEO of Jp Leskie & Associates, a Technology Consulting Firm. Dr. Leskie is a pioneer and innovator with over 30 years experience in the computer, e-business and telecommunications industry, with a proven track record of success launching new businesses and directing operations for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

Our service staff is split into two commission-based groups, matched to our two service lines: barbers (roughly 7 at maturity), who deliver our core hair services and are tracked against our seven-clients-per-day benchmark, and specialists (roughly 3 at maturity), who handle shaves, facials, massage, and nail services and are tracked against our three-clients-per-day benchmark. A receptionist manages the front desk, booking, and point-of-sale, and a shop assistant supports day-to-day operations.

We believe the combined experience of Cathy and Jonpaul covers what's needed to make Jonpaul's a successful reality — Cathy's direct salon-industry and management background paired with Jonpaul's business operations expertise. We'll review the talent and structure of the shop regularly and adjust as the team grows, and we plan to outsource payroll and benefits administration rather than building that function in-house.

Advisors

Jonpaul's does not currently maintain a formal advisory board. The co-owners — Cathy Leskie (salon industry) and Dr. Jonpaul Leskie (technology and business operations) — provide the core strategic leadership. The company plans to engage legal, accounting, and banking professionals as needed for incorporation, loan financing, and ongoing compliance.

Financial Plan

Revenue

Expenses & Costs

Profitability

Use of Funds

The start-up capital will be used for the design, leasehold improvements, and equipment for the shop. The start-up cash has been marked for the estimated amount needed to cover operational expenses for the first two months.

Sources of Funds

Jonpaul's requires $250,500 in total start-up funding, funded through a combination of long-term debt and other liabilities.

Projected Statements

Key Assumptions

The key underlying assumptions of our financial plan are:

1. We assume access to equity capital and financing to support our financial plan.
2. We assume our financial progress based on realistic sales to minimum sales against highest expenses.
3. We assume there will not be an economic crash that would greatly hinder our target market's access to their personal luxury spending.