Bring sport into your hair salon

A hair salon with a sporting theme is an idea I think is bloody good. If you run a business that is hard to distinguish from competitors, think about whether a shared interest could make the experience more interesting for customers. It could be a hairdresser’s, but I can also see the idea working at a medical practice or a dentist’s.

It is an evening in January 2010, and I am reading Entrepreneur. It is actually a great magazine that I can recommend. I come across a hairdressing franchise with a sporting theme, and it gets me thinking.

A hair salon with sport on the screen

The concept is that you come in, sit in the chair and get your hair cut while watching football matches or other sport. The entire salon is built around that subject.

I normally think: Why the hell should I bother spending time going to the hairdresser? But a great many people like sport. I do not get it myself. I think sport is boring as hell, but fair enough: Almost all my friends find it interesting, and so do their friends.

So why wouldn’t they choose a hairdresser where they can sit and watch a football match? It could also be American football or something else they are interested in. You make more of the time customers need to spend getting their hair cut anyway.

Could a medical practice use the same idea?

I have also thought about my good friend Sten, who is a doctor. What if you created a medical practice with a sporting theme?

I know you might be saying goodbye to half your customers. But think about the other half. Think how easy PR could be if you said: We show football, handball, tennis and whatever people want to watch in the waiting room and in the doctor’s room.

When you go to the doctor or dentist, you often end up waiting in a stupid waiting room. Imagine instead sitting with other people who are also interested in sport, with eight flat screens showing different things.

It could be old football matches, live sport, Eurosport or skiing. The point is to fill the waiting time with something the chosen group of customers actually cares about.

PR and something customers pass on

First, I think it would be great PR. Second, I believe it would appeal to a lot of people. Perhaps you could also charge a little more for the experience.

Going back to the hairdresser, though, I am not sure how big that advantage is. It hardly costs that much to cut men’s hair, for heaven’s sake. Who knows? But I am sure some people would want to pay extra to go somewhere like that.

It would also be something people told one another: Did you know my doctor or hairdresser has eight flat screens where I can sit and watch sport?

Make an ordinary business different

I think the idea could work in more places than a hair salon. If you have a business where customers normally experience the same thing as everywhere else, consider whether you could build a special experience around an interest.

You do not have to share the interest yourself to see the opportunity. I am not a sports fan, but I can see why others would choose a business that took their interest seriously. Think about it. Sleep well. I share my own experiences of developing businesses in Iværksætter til jeg dør.

If you are a hairdresser, doctor, dentist or have another business that is hard to distinguish from competitors, watch this…