Julie Hatcher is a Serial-Entrepreneur, Artist and Owner of Main Street Hair Design, Main Street Barber and Post Pumpkins in Half Moon Bay California | Ep. 44- Special Edition Half Moon Bay Business Podcast
Summary
Julie is a packed with passion and energy Entreprenuer who runs three businesses in Half Moon Bay, California: Main Street Hair Design, Main Street Barber and Post Pumpkins.
She shares her story and drops tons of HTP’s for fellow Entrepreneurs who are starting and scaling their companies. A few made me realize some mistakes I’ve been making!
Her passion for entrepreneurship is natural along with her kind heart to help mentor other entrepreneurs in Half Moon Bay. You’re sure to love this episode.
Find Julie at Main Barber, Main Street Hair Design or Posh Pumpkins .
More Information
- Build a Business Homepage
- How to Write a Business Plan in 13 easy to build slides
- How to be More Productive
- 7 Quotes to Inspire Success in Your Life and in Business
- How I Build an Online Business of my Dreams
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Hello, friends.
Brandon:
Welcome to build a business success Secrets. I am your host, Brandon. See, White. And today we are on part two of our Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Brandon:
Where I live Siri’s on all our local businesses.
Brandon:
And today I am excited because we have Julie Hatcher who is a, I think, the best ways to describe it.
Brandon:
Serial entrepreneur who has three businesses here in Half Moon Bay, California and all are really popular and really well run and she drops. Um, amazing H p t s that even caught me off guard with all my experience, but she really cool H p t s high percentage tips that you’re gonna enjoy. Julie has Main Street hair design, main Barber and Posh Pumpkins.
Brandon:
And since we recorded this episode about a week ago, two weeks ago, I had been cutting my own hair during co vid, and you need to go to a business meeting and my wife said you absolutely need to go get a professional haircut.
Brandon:
Looks horrible. So I went and made an appointment at Maine Barber with Megan and got my first fade and have to say it is without a doubt the most incredible haircut I have ever had. And it’s growing in after two weeks, and Meghan said it is gonna grow in perfect. And I was like, Yeah, right. It’s growing in perfect. I can’t even describe it. So you’re gonna love this episode? Uh, Julie is a real inspiration and a real asset to our community, helping other entrepreneurs get started. So I’m not gonna waste another second. Let’s get to Julie with Main Street air, dinner name Barber and Posh Pumpkins.
Brandon:
Hey, Julie. Thanks for joining us today. How are you? I’m good. Thanks for having me. You’re welcome. You are come highly recommended from another young entrepreneur in town. Helen from coastal would designs.
Brandon:
And as I was learning about you, she said, Well, you’ve got to talk to Julie because she owns a barbershop of which I am embarrassed to tell you that I did not know we had this hip cool barbershop for guys here.
Brandon:
But then, as I’m researching, it turns out that you have a hair salon, two barbershops, posh pumpkins and now you have risked before we got on you tell me you have ah, cosmetology schools.
Brandon:
Could Can you It’s actually a barber and cosmetology apprenticeship school.
Brandon:
And that’s here in half a day.
Julie:
Mhm. So actually, it’s actually at my I have Ah, it’s at my salon and barbershop.
Brandon:
So I hold hold class in there and on Mondays. Yeah, it’s state, its state board certified. You know, I’m go. It’s run through the state board.
Julie:
So So it’s really Yeah, it’s really And it’s, um it’s just like if you went to a different you know, like a electrician’s or sheet metal apprenticeship, our carpentry apprenticeship, it’s It’s for barbers and cosmetologists.
Brandon:
So here’s where I would like to start.
Julie:
How did you become an entrepreneur?
Julie:
I mean, I got a million questions because it’s very hard to run for businesses, I would think. But how did you get started?
Brandon:
So I graduated from high school. I did some college and then I sort of dropped out of college because I thought, you know, I just I really wanna work for myself. I don’t want toe sort of be on a hamster wheel. I don’t want anybody Tell me what to dio. I’m not very good at that. So I decided Thio I was gonna be a dental hygienist and then I thought, Well, then I would be working for the dentist. So then some friends of mine who are 10 and 15 years older than me we’re opening a salon and they’re like, Why don’t you be our barber? And I said, That was 23 I said, Okay, that’s not great. Can I make my own schedule? And you won’t be telling me what to dio like exactly, because I mean, I was responsible. I was very responsible 23 year old. So I went to Barbara School knowing I had a job, you know, right when I got out and they put a barber chair in there and I became a barber and I built my built A full clientele within six months, right in half of bay, and then they all they sold the business. And then I I actually raised three kids, and I still have my license and everything, and but I I didn’t work in a salon.
Julie:
I had access to a salon, but I just would go around, do home visits and stuff for about while I was raising my kids and then once my my oldest daughter, my youngest daughter was like in first grade, I decided to work again part time.
Julie:
And that’s the other reason that I love this this, you know, industries, because you could just enter in and out of it. You can work part time. You work full time, you can work anywhere.
Julie:
So can I just go back for a minute? Because you like a whole bunch of stuff that entrepreneurs they’re gonna want to know. So you’re like, you went real quick like, Hey, I got my I got my barber’s license, I became a barber, and then I just built my book in six months, I think is what you sow. So, like, how do you do that? Like, what do you do you Were you sending direct mail out or you knocking on doors?
Brandon:
Were you didn’t have email back then? This was in 1985 so I would just I had some cards printed up, and I still tell people to do this. I’m like, you know, there’s social media, but you know, barbering and causing doing hair is just like a personal relationship, right? So I don’t know. I mean, it’s a small town. I knew a lot of people. So I, you know, just tried to do everybody that I knew all the generations that I know.
Julie:
Our parents, friends, my sister’s friends, my friends, my kids, friends, parents, my kids, friends, friends. And I mean then I only had one child. But so and then I always had cards with me. And, you know, somebody had nice hair. I would say, Hey, you know, I worked at harmonies and I come in and I’d love to cut your hair really like your hair. So I would like, you know, compliment them and then give them my card and either give.
Julie:
I gave a lot of free haircuts out in the beginning because I’m are you from half Monday?
Julie:
I am sort of.
Brandon:
I grew up here and Pacifica. I went to school in Pacific about my dad lived down here, so I really grew up in both places. And then, as as an adult, I lived in half a day, and you just leverage the people, you know.
Julie:
And you said you gave away free haircuts.
Brandon:
Yes, just to get him in my chair. And I tell people that all the time, I’m like, you know, in the beginning. You have the only thing you have this time. Like don’t be so fussy. Just get them in your chair. Don’t charge him and do a good job. You know, be really nice. I mean, I always I also tell people in this industry you don’t have to be great. You just have to show up and be consistent.
Julie:
Just, basically, you have to show up. You have to be there and hair grows and I get a lot of free haircuts away. And then I just built my clientele like that. Built it, built it, built it. And Petzold, I would be in line at the grocery store. Whatever. I mean, in the produce department, like anywhere.
Julie:
Just no rules. Always have your cards on you, right?
Brandon:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And now and now it’s different, but it’s it’s really just getting the person. However, you can get them in your chair the first time.
Julie:
And, you know, once people get in your chair, they’re gonna probably stay if if you have a you know, if your decently good, you don’t have to be great.
Julie:
You just have to be started.
Julie:
Good. Yeah. How does the uh, barbers and hairstylists are effectively really many entrepreneurs, right?
Julie:
Like somebody owns the store, but you rent the chair.
Brandon:
Is that how it works?
Brandon:
That’s how it goes in my salon. There’s different things. You can rent the chair or you can go on percentage now, just so everybody knows we’re actually recording this in Half Moon Bay.
Julie:
We are in Half Moon Bay and it’s very dry. And I was telling Julie before I got on, got on here. I was like, I thought I had Cove it, But there’s no way I’ve had Covic because I’ve basically been holed up in my house and riding my bike, and there’s just no way that I have it, but it’s sort of crazy, isn’t it, Julie?
Brandon:
Yeah, it’s nuts. It’s It was super windy last night. Senator died down, so I’m gonna have to think a lot of water because my throat sue particularly.
Julie:
Yeah, let’s go back. So, in your business model for your hair salon and your two barbershops, you get a you do you charge? How does that work again? You charge.
Brandon:
Either I either charge full a rent for a chair or a charge percentage most people if they’re starting out in their career, you know they don’t want to come up with full rent when they don’t have a clientele. So I just take a percentage of their income until they build up.
Julie:
When they’re paying me, you know?
Julie:
So say, Say it’s E mean The numbers could be whatever say it’s $500 and for richer rent a chair.
Julie:
I mean, it’s a little bit more than that, but so when they start, they don’t have a clientele, so they’re not gonna plop out $500 so they will give me a percentage, usually 60 40.
Julie:
I get 40 they get 60 and then they pay me 40% of their income. And when that 40% of the income reaches the rental, the chair rental price, then they start renting. So you’re you’re almost like an investor, because do you do you screen these people like e mean?
Julie:
I would because you just let anybody in there, You giving away the rent like so how?
Brandon:
What do you What do you look for? Do you interview them? Do you watch how they cut here?
Brandon:
I interview them. It’s more of a feeling for May. I also really like to give people who are sort of haven’t had a lot of success in their life Or, you know, and people in my business I mean, you know, a lot of them.
Julie:
It’s like a default.
Julie:
It’s a default career to a lot of people. Like you gotta do something when you get out of high school, you got to do something. You better do something so some people will just like Okay, I’ll be a barber. But, you know, I’ve been lucky. That are I’ve found barbers in this town who have been cutting hair since they were like, you know, in great in middle school. They’ve been cutting their friends hair. And so for them, they’ve been cutting hair in their garages, and I know who they are. My daughter is also in the industry, and she has friends, and she’s like, you know, so and so has been cutting hair in this garage for since the seventh grade, you know, you know, So you know, Ricky, you played soccer or whatever, So I like to sort of go out in the community and saying, Hey, you guys, you should get your license like you’re not gonna be a garage Barbara, like for the rest of your life. So I’ve given them.
Julie:
I’ve encouraged them. Thio get their license. I didn’t have a school in the beginning, but I encourage them to get their license and get their state board license and get and become a Barbara. And then I actually didn’t have a barbershop.
Julie:
So that’s kind of how I started with this one. Barbara Ricky Rodriguez. And he was my first barber. And I created a little barbershop in my salon like hair salon for him.
Julie:
And then I said, Hey, you know, I really just So I understand that.
Julie:
Is that like you you created when we say barbershop barbershop really applies to men?
Julie:
Is that fair to say that barber chair and just different?
Brandon:
Yeah, it’s just a little bit different, but and I created a little spot in a one chair barbershop in my salon for him, and I’m a barber, too. So and then I said, Hey, you know, I want you to go. I’d love for you to a school. So he signed up another school, not my school, and he got his license, and I I was looking for a barbershop location for about five years on.
Julie:
I found my one, the one I own my own I have now. I opened it at 765 Main Street and so that he was my first barber. And then my niece was also Barbara there and myself and my daughter. So Ricky and three girls all started cutting hair. I opened a barbershop in 2015. We were so busy, it was crazy. I mean, we worked every single day all day long.
Julie:
It was nuts. And I was running back and forth to the Swan to the barbershop, and Ricky was working all the time. And then I said, Hey, I need some new barbers, you know, Tell me he was cutting hair in this town, and so he introduced me to a couple barbers. One of them was going to school, and so I got him to come to the shop. And it’s just kind of word of mouth when I first opened, and then I thought, Okay, I need some more barbers and how. And I don’t wanna deal with these really sort of Jiang Qi Barbara apprenticeship program, So I just thought, Okay, I’m gonna open my own and create my own barbers.
Julie:
Well, that’s an interesting You know, that word Jinky is a is a North is that’s an East Coast word. No. So here’s a question rewinding It took you five years to find a spot like we don’t have a town.
Brandon:
Why? Why does it take five years?
Brandon:
Because I wanted a spot that wasnt downtown because there’s no parking now, right?
Julie:
When I grew up here, you could just park anywhere.
Julie:
And when I director, there were four barbershops like in the seventies, therefore barber shops on Main Street. So there were small, but I just took me I just wanted the perfect location before I decided to jump in and spend a bunch of money and create a shop. But I kept looking and kept waiting and waiting and waiting and finally found when I wanted the shop to be for, you know, our community like a community barbershop.
Julie:
I did not want it to be for, like, tourists, so I didn’t want it down on Main Street.
Julie:
So I wanted it somewhere, you know, And I found I really honestly found the perfect spot.
Julie:
It’s down on the south end and it’s the Farm Bureau building underneath.
Julie:
It’s about 7 to 800 square feet, and I can put six chairs in there.
Julie:
It’s just the best size little barbershop.
Julie:
I mean, it’s a pretty it’s a It’s a nice one. So it was gutted when I got it. The farm Bureau really worked with May. I got them to really do a lot of improvements, and I designed it and everything myself, and it’s just a huge hit.
Julie:
Well, I have not been there, but I am going to get go there because as I think I told you before, I way were getting on here.
Julie:
My wife said that my cove, it hair cutting is not up to standards and that people could easily tell because I try to fade the back myself.
Brandon:
What you could imagine. It’s hard, but, you know, you watch some YouTube videos, you think you’re good now. Can you explain a few things for May and look, this could I’m not that old, but apparently, maybe I am or I don’t go to barbershops enough or haven’t is.
Brandon:
What’s the real difference between a cut of fade.
Brandon:
And what other? There’s some. Yeah, Taper. You have these three options, and I’m just trying to book protection. You, right? I was trying to book a appointment. And how do you know the difference?
Brandon:
Well, I mean, you could just book a 30 minute haircut if you don’t know what you know you want and then discuss it with your Barbara have in your consultation on your first appointment. But so, like, you know, some people get an all scissor haircut where there’s, you know, they used scissors all over the head and then just edge it up with the edges. And then what’s the advantage of that?
Julie:
By the way, I see the also a longer hair cut, like a longer hairstyle.
Brandon:
Longer hair. So and then a fade is goes from short, so long so it could be like a bald favorites completely to skin. And then it fades up. It looks gradually, more hair e. That makes sense. And then a taper is more hair on top. And then it’s just like short.
Julie:
So long, just on just on the bottom. It could be like this e. I don’t know where they can e interest like they have, you know, low fade mid stayed high, stayed and then the tapers are usually just like, right around the edges.
Julie:
I see all the all the all the young people, they have all this terms.
Brandon:
But are you implying that I am old?
Julie:
I mean, they didn’t really have that.
Julie:
I mean, I’m I’m much older than you know.
Julie:
I’m 59 So yeah, I gotta I gotta get once you get there, you’ll just discussed with them and then they’ll figure it out.
Brandon:
And how do you know who to pick?
Julie:
Well, actually lost a couple of barbers over co vid because they Yeah, because they I wanna cut here and there, garage like they were doing the three months of co vid and not pay rent a chair, which I’m not saying if I was that age, I wouldn’t do the same thing.
Brandon:
So not I’m not holding it against him, but I missed them on.
Julie:
But it’s not that I miss, you know, them paying me rent. I missed them personally. I mean, we’ve we’re kind of a big, you know, one big family there, so, you know, maybe they’ll come back maybe they won’t. So But I’m starting to create some new barbers out of my my school now.
Julie:
So So you have barbers there. So, like, I just booked the appointment and hope for the best.
Brandon:
Yeah, so just I mean, you know, anybody there right now is you can do it. And then I’m not on the barbershop schedule cause I actually work out out of my salon because we’re trying. We’re trying to do some social distancing was I took one chair out of the barbershop, and I were my salon is set up so that we could really have social distancing. And then I have a four chair barbershop, which only two barbers air in it next to my salon. So right now, I’m not on the barbershop shed schedule. So you can always text me if you want a haircut. But, you know, if you want to go into the barbershop, just anybody could do your hair.
Julie:
It’s I was just curious.
Julie:
That’s for there.
Brandon:
Are there are trained our listeners would.
Julie:
And look, I looked at your barbershop. It looks absolutely gorgeous. And I really liked what you said. You said I created a man cave. It looks like a man cave to May and look super cool.
Brandon:
Yeah, it’s pretty cool.
Brandon:
I mean, I just You know, I did visit every single barbershop in San Francisco in the Oakland area E o before I, you know, while I was looking and I was just getting ideas and I kind of knew exactly what I wanted it to look like. And that’s exactly what it looks like, actually.
Julie:
So you in doing your research to build your shop? You actually spent a lot of time. Sounds like Yeah, well, I knew I knew, You know, you have to pick the chairs.
Brandon:
I have, um, antique chairs.
Julie:
And I had to find those, and I had to find enough of them actually found a guy that I’m really good friends with now.
Julie:
It’s been, like, five years, so I get all my barber chairs from him.
Julie:
I purchased nine barber chairs from him, and they’re all the same.
Julie:
Which they’re Belmont chairs.
Julie:
They’re very nice. They’re very heavy duty. A lot of the chairs that are made now are you have a lot of plastic parts and they are looking at the picture.
Julie:
They look like solid real. That was it. Just I’m looking forward to going in there.
Brandon:
Now.
Brandon:
You have a hair salon, which is for ladies, but I think some men go to hair salons. But, I mean, all of my clients, even the clients that I gathered up at the barbershop.
Brandon:
So I used to work at both then and then I said, You know what? You guys, there’s no room for me at the barber shopping for, So I’m gonna go back. I’m gonna work. I’m gonna do all my clients at the salon and my clients don’t mind going to the salon. It’s fine. It’s not. It’s not super girly or anything, so we you know. So So we have both, but we but women don’t usually go to the barbershop unless they need, like, a fade or something.
Julie:
A shorter, super short haircut.
Julie:
Yeah, modern. I know somebody have the modern because do you think it’s smart to bring a picture of what you envision?
Brandon:
Radio?
Brandon:
Yeah, I’ve found that.
Brandon:
That’s helpful because sometimes your vocabulary isn’t the same as our professional vocabulary, and it might be like the complete opposite, So it’s really a good idea to have a picture.
Julie:
Yeah. Now tell me you’ve built up these businesses. I mean, I would guess you really don’t need to work because you’ve created this lack of a better word pipeline that’s working when you’re not there, do you do it?
Brandon:
You just seem like you. It seems like you enjoy it.
Brandon:
Yeah, I still really enjoy cutting hair.
Julie:
So I do work behind the chair. Um, and now, since I was off for three months, I do I do actually really need to work. And I lost for Barber.
Julie:
So that’s a lot.
Brandon:
You need to work. Yeah. Yeah. So you know, it’s I love. I love cutting hair. I love my businesses. I still I’m pretty enthusiastic about working. Do you do you do nails that these salons to know we’re not do any nails?
Julie:
Barbers don’t do nails, but none of my cosmetologist do nails either.
Brandon:
So what do you think is unique about half Moon day that we have in this community?
Julie:
Do do Do you feel like we have ah, really tight community that supports one of that?
Julie:
I feel like we have this small businesses. All really try toe on together.
Brandon:
Yeah, I think so. I mean, I do A lot of I have clients from over the hill. I have clients from San Francisco, have clients from Palo Alto in San Mateo, but most everybody’s just from here. I noticed that over after Cove It you know, when we were able to open on June 19th, because people are staying home and working from home and they used to get their hair cut over the hill where they worked, or in San Francisco, I’ve gotten a lot of new clients from Cove it because, you know, people are here and there, and they really want to find a place here, toe, get their hair. They don’t want to go in the city because I don’t bother anymore or they don’t want to go over the hill. So it’s been nice. We’ve had a lot of new clients.
Julie:
That’s awesome.
Brandon:
Now your school that you have, do you charge people for this now? This is obviously a great recruiting pipeline for you at some level, and it does help the community professional get better.
Brandon:
Nice to have a school, because otherwise they would have to go. I think the closest one is Santa’s a Santa Cruz or Hayward and you charge for it.
Julie:
So there is.
Julie:
There is a fee, and it’s where all the It’s kind of complicated. The wording is kind of complicated, but if anybody is interested, they should really just contact me, Okay, but the long and short of it is you could get certified.
Julie:
Now.
Julie:
Can you be certified to be a cosmetology and barber or assume that there’s some differences?
Brandon:
Yeah, so you can. Either. You can either go to the cosmetology program or do the barbering program. The difference between a cosmetologist is well, they have. They do nails, mhm and barbers don’t do nails, and then the cosmic Barbara’s can use a straight razor.
Julie:
And cosmetologist can’t use a straight razor like around the edge or, you know, shaving. They can’t use that straight razor on your face.
Julie:
That straight neighbor, I got to tell you that thing makes me nervous. Is that that there must be a real technique to that?
Brandon:
Julie, Um, there is. It’s It’s really not that hard, and it seems scary because it’s straight razor, but that’s doesn’t give a closer does.
Julie:
It does well, I know you’re trained your trained professional with that street is, uh, does it give a closer?
Julie:
Is it much closer than any sort of reasonably that you actually get?
Julie:
The concept is before they had, like, the double or triple or quadruple our Yeah, I think I have has eight Julie eight users.
Julie:
E can’t I don’t know.
Brandon:
I don’t know.
Julie:
Damn thing works better not sure as hell cost more.
Brandon:
Yeah, so before these two have things called the safety razor, which was just one blade, and it’s actually better for your skin because the double blade or I’ll just use the example of a double blade.
Julie:
So the first blade cuts your beard and then and then and kind of pulls on it, and the next one comes in and cuts it behind it, and then it retracts back into your skin. You can get some ingrown hairs and stuff.
Julie:
So So the safety razor that we used to use for men used to use is much better for your skin than the double or triple or quadruple or whatever they have out there.
Julie:
But yeah, it gets, it gets close, and it’s just it’s just, you know, a lot of steam towels and eucalyptus oil in there and face massage and moisturizers and toners on your face and skin and stuff.
Julie:
Sort of like a man version of Ah of, ah, facial.
Julie:
That’s all my my wife said.
Julie:
She said it would be an incredible experience, so I’m looking forward to it. Now. I have another question for you because while you have this long, you have the barber shops. I’m really excited to know that you’re getting new customers. And and while cova, maybe it was a bad thing because you lost some barbers, maybe the new clients, but we hope, make up for it.
Brandon:
Right? And and I know people are going crazy like my wife. She’s going crazy. She wants to get her haircut. I actually cut her hair. Yeah, I did.
Brandon:
Um, do you want to be a barber?
Julie:
No, I don’t think I’d be good at it. I cut just straight across. I can’t do the fate. I guess I could, but it’s a very hard job. I think it’s a very hard job. I’m always amazed by by how that thing comes out and how, I don’t know. It’s just a nart, but you also have this company called Posh Pumpkins.
Brandon:
Is that right?
Brandon:
Can you tell the story behind that?
Brandon:
So it’s This will be my 10th year doing it.
Julie:
And I went to one of my client hair client’s house to play toe, learn to play bridge.
Julie:
And it was October 4th, 2000 and 10. And I saw this fabric pumpkin on her table with a birch tree stem in the middle of it, you know, for a stem. And it was like it was like a anyway.
Julie:
So I thought, Oh, that would look very nice with, like, a Stem and Cem Velvet.
Julie:
And so I went home and I have a lot of fabric cause I so also So I went home, made some, and then I I made about.
Julie:
Then the next day, I made like 25 of them, and I took him over to Abode, the store that the home goods store in town owned by Rachel.
Julie:
There’s also local.
Julie:
When I asked her if she would sell them for, you know, try to sell them for me, she said, sure, So she called me like two days later, and she’s like, Oh my gosh, we’re out I need more. And I’m like, Oh, no, like hustling. Thank God. I know a lot of the farmers because I’m like, I need a lot of pumpkins and I knew a lot of pumpkin stems, so, you know, they just give They just gave me the pumpkins because if I had to pay for him, that would have been very lucrative. So I got about 50 to 75 pumpkins and broke all the stems off and heated them up.
Julie:
So they were dry and then made a bunch that October and I sold a bunch. And then I had, like, a little I had a pumpkin festival party and I had a big display and a lot of my friends bought them. And then I thought, Oh, I really want to boost in the pumpkin festival.
Julie:
So I applied took pictures and sentiment, and I got in.
Julie:
And so, yeah, this is the 10th year this would have been the 10th year at Pumpkin Fest. So it’s that business, honestly just took off like nobody’s business. I mean it really, really on. I have to sales reps now to sell my stuff.
Julie:
Yeah, I see that you’re actually selling. You have district. You have real distribution around the whole bay area.
Brandon:
Yeah. So how did that just happen? Or did you decide to, um Well, at first, I did go out and represent myself because I didn’t have a sales rep, so I would actually pretend that I was the sales drop for someone else’s product.
Brandon:
Because people don’t really want to talk to you about your thing that you made right?
Julie:
And so I think that’s true.
Julie:
Yeah, when you go cold, call people they don’t they don’t want you don’t think they want to talk to the founder of the Creator.
Julie:
They want to just feel not particularly much in.
Julie:
So I just kind of found that, you know, and then So if you say your sales rep because that’s who really they deal with, they don’t usually deal with the direct person.
Brandon:
So I just started becoming my own sales rep, and then So I got I got a few wholesale accounts and then, you know, I’m pretty busy, so I didn’t That wasn’t like, so much fun for me.
Julie:
Like I could talk.
Julie:
I could sell my product, but it took a lot of time parking and going the store and dragging my stuff.
Julie:
And I’m like, I don’t have time for this. So one of my clients gave me the number of a sales rep.
Julie:
Oh, no, no, no. You know what happened?
Julie:
What? Oh, I was up doing the San Carlos show cause I do the Pumpkin festival and I do the San Carlos Show, which is the weekend before Pumpkin Fest.
Julie:
I was doing that and the sales rep came by to see me.
Julie:
And she is that Hey, I would love to sell your product and I said, Okay, great. So that’s what we connected. But I do have another connection from one of my clients that I was talking about before that. So I actually have to sales reps.
Julie:
So then, you know, they just sell my product. They start selling my product, like in July 2 stores, and then they email me and I just shipped out the product.
Julie:
I mean, it just sort of just happens, and I only do it. I always tell my product from the beginning of September to the end of November, and then I don’t I don’t sell them anymore.
Julie:
So you have this urgency like, Hey, if you don’t buy it now, you’re waiting a year.
Julie:
Yeah, and I didn’t want them to be available like all the time so that people knew.
Brandon:
I just wanna I wanted to be excited about having a product in the fall because it’s a fall products.
Julie:
It’s above the pumpkins. So with the rial stem. So I decided not to sell it all year long. And it has really worked for me.
Julie:
It seems to because everybody apparently no, I even knew it.
Brandon:
We’ve been here in Half Moon Bay, I think. 77 or eight years on. And I know the posh pumpkin. I mean, I don’t know how I know it, but that’s what Helen told me. She’s like, Oh, Julie, she does Posh pumpkin. By the way, she also has all these businesses e like Oh, my God! Wow. So now this is pretty cool. Now, do you sell them? I can’t imagine that you’re your salon and barbershop isn’t a great distribution channels.
Brandon:
Yeah, Ideo, I do saw them through there, but I also do the pumpkin festival. I have a huge following that from people all over who come to the pumpkin festival. You know, when you go the pumpkin festival, you have your favorite artists and people collect these things.
Julie:
It’s like sometimes I have to say people got to people.
Julie:
Don’t you have enough of these? Like I don’t even think you should buy anymore? You have a ton of these, but people give them away, they buy them, then they give them away. Or, you know, they send him to their sister and are their mother or their mother Mar their daughters. And so it’s pretty nice. It za really fun business.
Julie:
Are you still making these yourself?
Brandon:
So I have ah, I die all the fabric I di all the colors.
Julie:
So it all starts out white white involvement. And then I die all the colors and then I cook. I collect the stems, I process the stems and I you have to stand, you know, do something at the bottom.
Julie:
And then I attached the stems. But I have a sewer that helps me.
Julie:
So my pumpkins, because they’re all hand sewn and I couldn’t possibly so all over me anymore.
Julie:
Julie, I hope that that is true because I’m wondering when you sleep E.
Brandon:
Right before this interview, I took a nap.
Julie:
You raised three kids. You’ve got, ah, hair salon to barber shops and posh pumpkins like How do you do it?
Brandon:
I don’t know.
Julie:
I just I’m super motivated. And I’m very enthusiastic and excited about what I dio.
Julie:
So I never guess that in a million years.
Brandon:
So it’s not like I’m doing it. I just I don’t know. I just like to I love what I do. I love all of my things that I do it, so it’s very easy for me to do it. It’s kind of like raising three kids. You just do it, you have it and you just do it. You have three kids and you just deal with it.
Julie:
So I got a question for you.
Julie:
Do you think entrepreneurship can be taught, or do you think it’s something in you that just gets ignited by something?
Brandon:
I think it’s both.
Brandon:
I think like one of my favorite things is to take somebody who like you, said each Barbara and stylist is an entrepreneur because they run their own business behind the chair and I think I sort of tapped on the I mean, I sort of mentioned this a little bit earlier that I I love to take somebody who maybe hasn’t had a lot of success in their life and maybe didn’t do very well in school.
Julie:
And I’m like, Gosh, you’re such, you know, you could be a barber, like you can work for yourself.
Julie:
You can make your own hours.
Julie:
You could make a ton of money. You can, you know, take a month off. I mean, make you know, you can make making your own schedule is amazing. I mean, I have people who, you know, have their PhDs, and they’re just so tied to their job. And they’re just wondering how I go to the Philippines for a month, every year or how How do we How do you do that? How do you go? How you snowboard, you know, 30 plus days a year. And I’m like because I work for myself. I mean, I actually don’t like to tell people how much time I take off because, you know, they start wondering like they don’t like it s o.
Julie:
I mean, one of the main reasons I do this is because I could make my own schedule, period.
Julie:
I mean, that’s really important.
Julie:
So I do. I do like Thio to tell people who haven’t had a lot of success in their life. You know, young person might be somebody in there, you know, twenties, who maybe didn’t even graduate from high school or was always in trouble.
Julie:
Or didn’t you know, it was like had Cem restaurant job? Not that restaurant jobs. There aren’t a job. It’s a great job. But, you know, and just like they’re just not that happy with what they’re doing. And And I say, you know, Barbara, be a barber. You could be a barber, or you are You’re cutting here, your garage, get your license. Let’s just do this, you know? So I like to tell them that they could be their own boss, and and some of them get very good at it.
Julie:
I mean, they’re so good at it there, you know, they get very encouraged and they’re just so up.
Julie:
And they’re just like, I love this drop. I mean, honestly, if you talk to anybody at my at my work at my stops, they’ll say, like, I can’t believe we get paid to do this because it’s it’s a fun job.
Julie:
It’s a fun job.
Julie:
It just is. It’s a fun job.
Julie:
Well, I think if you want to know what’s going on even remotely in town, that a hair salon or barber shop would be the place to hang out because I can’t imagine that they don’t learn everything.
Brandon:
Yeah, well, we like one of the things I I tell my people on on.
Brandon:
I hire them or take them onto the team Is that you know, we know the number.
Brandon:
One thing is that we don’t gossip, which might be is kind of rare for a salon and barbershop.
Julie:
But we you know, we don’t we know what’s going on, but we don’t gossip.
Julie:
No, I think I would just listen.
Julie:
I mean, you don’t have to. Usually, you don’t have to say anything much to people, especially in that circumstance, right?
Brandon:
People just like to talk definitely like to talk.
Brandon:
So, you know, we like through our through my clients over 35 years of being a barber.
Julie:
I know So money.
Julie:
I have so many connections. It’s so great. And they all will. Could would do anything for me. You know.
Julie:
And there’s a lot of questions over that many years.
Julie:
Yeah, I think people value their hair.
Brandon:
Yeah. It’s also a great way toe bartering people who have something or could do some other service. Bartering is also great for barbers because, you know, we always have a job. Unless there’s cove it because hair grows, it’s never gonna stop growing.
Julie:
And we’re never gonna be replaced ever.
Julie:
Because of the personal connection.
Julie:
It’s actually an interesting topic. You don’t think a robot could cut the hair? No. Uh, that would be an incredible.
Brandon:
That would be incredibly hard, wouldn’t it?
Brandon:
Yeah, really hard. And they used to have, like, that flow be thing, right? It was a blow dryer that sucked your hair in the eighties.
Julie:
Cut off?
Brandon:
Yeah, and those actually work. But that’s one kind of haircut. So what? They work?
Julie:
They work for a certain type of haircut.
Julie:
I mean, not very well, but, you know, they definitely worked.
Julie:
That’s crazy.
Brandon:
Yeah. I just don’t think we’re gonna be ever be replaced.
Julie:
No, I think it’s an interesting topic, because that would be incredibly like.
Brandon:
I mean, I would think that might even be harder than a self driving car.
Brandon:
I mean I mean right?
Brandon:
Yeah.
Julie:
Yeah, that wouldn’t How do you consult and then, you know, like, adjust it and stuff like that?
Julie:
No, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
Julie:
Well, would it be fair to say that also, the premium that you pay to get your hair cut or styled or whatever the right word is is really the experience? Because what you’re selling is an experience on your website. What you sell is, at least in the barbershop, is a cool man cave vibe.
Brandon:
That’s what I told you. I didn’t look it. In fact, you don’t even have a ton of pictures of the haircuts because that’s not really what you sell. You sell the experience and people pay for the experience, right? They wanna talk to Julie because that’s fun. And they feel good when they leave.
Brandon:
Yeah, I mean, that’s That’s it.
Julie:
It’s an experience.
Julie:
So, um, one thing I do want to touch on issue for everybody listening here and happen Bay is you not only help people become barber, but but Helen had said from coastal What designs that you help other entrepreneurs get started because she credited you with helping her in the early days. So how do you do? You just find the people come along and they find you and you help them. Or how does that?
Brandon:
Well, I think that like, I met Helen and she had this great product that she made.
Julie:
And, you know, I don’t know how old she was like 19 or something. And I said, Hey, you should sell your stuff because my my salon is, you know, women love to shop, right? So I could sell anything, anything in my shop. So And I love Thio. Feature like I do feature certain artists, you know, like for a wall art. So I’ve done that on ah, lot of first timers. Ah, lot of first timers. So I’ve someone will say, Oh, my friend has some art, you know?
Julie:
Do you want to meet them? And I’m like, Yeah, bring him on in. I mean, I don’t care. I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt me. I just think my walls blank until another artist comes in. So for me, and it’s great for my clients because I don’t want to see the same thing like the same pitch posters from 1980 or something, right?
Julie:
So I said, Oh, yeah, I mean, that’s great. You have art. Let’s put it up.
Julie:
I’m laughing because nobody’s gonna wanna buy it. I’m like, Well, I need something on my wall, So let’s just do it, you know? Let’s just put it up So we put it up. They sell some stuff when I always say, Let’s let’s have a show Let’s have ah, Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 and let’s invite everybody that you know And then they can come see your stuff and have a little bit of food and stuff. So I’ve done that with over 10 years that I’ve run my salon probably eight or nine times.
Julie:
Featured featured a brand new artists.
Julie:
There’s always somebody local, and people love that on my clients.
Julie:
Really. They love having having local artists their stuff and seeing their stuff and coming in and always having like, fresh stuff to look at. But so then I also Then I met Helen and I said, Hey, you should you know, it’s I think I met her right for the holidays and I said, You know, bring in the table on a table class and throw some stuff on there and have a little frame with your bio on it. Your picture of your I mean, it sounds like a supermodel, right? E doesn’t even know. It s so have a little picture of of yourself, have a little bio and then, you know, have your product there, and people will buy it. And when we behold, people bought it.
Julie:
Yeah, I was just cool stuff.
Brandon:
Yeah. And you know, people usually are a little bit shy about selling their stuff. When I said, Well, I think it’s a great product So let’s just do it. And, you know, like they always say, I don’t I don’t think I don’t think I’ll be able to sell it. I’m like, Well, well, let’s just try it.
Julie:
But I think that’s a really good message. What you just said, which is those entrepreneurs that I find Julie.
Brandon:
They want to make it perfect. They wanna like they never get out of the house, right?
Brandon:
Yeah.
Brandon:
And keep creating.
Julie:
Yeah, and there’s usually very they’re not good at marketing.
Julie:
So I say, Hey, I like your product.
Julie:
I mean, you know, and I think I have pretty good taste. So let’s just let’s just do it, you know, like I don’t know how much to charge. And so I said, I always say, Well, for me, I think one of the things that I’m pretty good at is trying to get into the cycle, you know, psychological thinking of a shocker.
Julie:
So I said, Okay, people will buy anything under under from $20 under without thinking, you know, like and then 25 under $30 nowadays, like you don’t second guess that you’re okay.
Julie:
Yeah, I’ll buy that because I like it. I like it. I’ll buy it. And then you get into the 50 range and it’s, you know, they think about it a little bit.
Julie:
And then I always tell my artists that have, you know, their original art? I’m like only put up steps with under $100 because if it’s over $100 people are probably not going to buy it. So either make prints or offer the original, but make prints because people just need to have your art. They just wanna have something of your art.
Julie:
So, Helen, you know, I said, let me see what you have. Give me your inventory and then we’ll help you. Price it all. She sold a lot of stuff that year. And then I told her about a couple of other little local things that she could dio and, you know, she was really good weed. I mean, even back then, I don’t think thing even had Instagram when she started because she’s been doing it for a while.
Julie:
But instagram is also a great way now to sell your stuff.
Julie:
Yeah, that’s that. That’s actually how I found a lot of people here in Half Moon Bay is on instagram. I think that some of the some of the people we have here in Half Moon Bay dio I mean in absolutely incredible job just using a free resource showing things and just on Instagram Helen’s one of them.
Brandon:
But there’s tons of people, uh, who filled the stories and I saw a few people. There’s a clothing shop downtown Crow’s nest, I think.
Brandon:
Yeah, and she I actually saved a million screenshots.
Julie:
And here’s why is because all these people were complaining which look, Covic sucks, right? It’s been tough, but she was modeling these things and putting in her story. I don’t know how many sales she had, but here’s what I do know is she was out there selling and somebody bought that stuff and she got creative to do it.
Brandon:
So I don’t think there’s this. You know, there’s a million reasons say why you can’t do something, but that’s very nice of you and generous of you helping people out because I think people are really grateful for that.
Brandon:
Yeah, I think so, too. And they always there’s And I don’t take any commission for my artist if they sell stuff because I said I make my money behind the chair, I make my money in my business, I’m trying to help you grow your business.
Julie:
So why am I gonna I don’t need your money to make build. I don’t need your income under the income from your business. I just want you to start your business like just start it and I don’t need anything. So I think that’s kind of rare, because I know other salons and stores. Of course, you know, you put your stuff in and and they want 50% of it, or galleries or something like that, which so I just give this person could give this person a little head start.
Julie:
Do you think that Do you believe the universe pays you back?
Julie:
I dio I do, but that’s not why I do it.
Julie:
I just do it because I’m so excited for somebody to work for themselves.
Brandon:
Like I’m always trying to talk people into working for themselves, you know, because it’s such a it’s just such as freedom.
Julie:
It’s so nice. But not everybody is cut out for it. But I think, ah, lot of people wish that they could do it. But nobody takes the first step and may I’m just a complete duer like I have an idea. I just do it.
Julie:
How would you? What advice would you give someone? Because I know you’ve probably given it to someone who who is wishing they could take the first step.
Brandon:
But for whatever reason, can’t take it like, what do you tell them to say?
Brandon:
What do you say?
Brandon:
Well, they have to have a little bit like like you know, the people who have sold stuff in my salon. I mean, honestly, my, this one kid, that he’s in his.
Julie:
He’s 45 now, but he’s a local guy. Kevin, honey, he has the store down town, which is an amazing story. You should go see the story. Jupiter in Maine. Have you seen it?
Julie:
I haven’t.
Brandon:
So he I’m not him since he was in sixth grade. His friends of my sisters. But he is an incredible artist. That does all this photographer that does all these local scenes, you know? And he’s very shy. I mean, like, very socially shy. And I think so. 10 years ago, he was probably 35. I said, Hey, Kev, you know, for two it took me two years to get him to put his photography in my salon. Like, just do it. I mean, I cut his hair. So I’m like, Kevin, I really need somebody. I e would act like I mean, I did. I said, Kevin, I really need something on my walls that can’t you just do it for me, you know, like I don’t know. I don’t think I just don’t think I’ll So I’m like, Oh, my gosh, it will. I love your art. So I just wanted on my walls. And I’m like, begging him.
Julie:
And so then he finally, you know, printed up some stuff and got it was when the big wrap the photograph wrapped the rap photographs came out, you know? And so he he had he did. His stuff is amazing and he sold a ton of stuff. And then I said, Let’s have show, you know, he’s like, Oh, God, people are gonna come to show He’s so shy And I said, Well, I wanna help. Let’s just do it. I wanna have a show like people are asking me, You know, I just made all this step up to my confusion. So I’m like you, You need to have a show. You know, I’m very convincing. So he was like, OK, I’ll have a show and oh my gosh, there were so many people who came. It was crazy. He sold so much stuff and he was just, like, kind of sweating like he was beating up because, you know, socially, it’s just like this is very overwhelming. And then he a couple of times he came to me. He’s like, This is so much fun and I’m like, Great, you know, I mean, I said, Great and then afterwards he’s like, Oh, he had the biggest smile on his face because, I mean, everyone loves this stuff.
Julie:
So for me, like that felt so good because I kind of got him out of his shell.
Julie:
And, you know, I’m I’m I’m not like I’m assertive, but in a very like I don’t know, no, I’m not, like, aggressively assertive, But I’m enthusiastic about people’s stuff.
Julie:
That’s what I That’s what That’s what I’ll say.
Julie:
I’ll be very enthusiastic.
Julie:
And I think that people should put their stuff out there.
Julie:
You know, so and if they put it out there, people and for some reason someone doesn’t like it, you get all the feedback and they’ll tell you exactly what they do want, right?
Julie:
Most people like yourself who are doesn’t want, and it’s not that everybody’s taste like every not everybody wants a velvet pumpkin.
Julie:
But most people dio and then you know his stuff is so amazing and his local stuff was like he sold a lot of stuff and then he had a gallery on Main Street, and now he has you’ll see his stuff in In in Jupiter Main.
Brandon:
That’s cool.
Julie:
Well, this has been really fun.
Brandon:
You have an incredible story And helping everybody here in town is awesome for all of us.
Brandon:
If you were to give ICOM h p t s high percentage tips for entrepreneurs out there either wanting to take the first step or current entrepreneurs to grow their business what would be three h p t s that you would give them, Julie?
Brandon:
Well, I mean, I I think that I have I have a service business and I have a product.
Julie:
So I think that if it’s a service business, because I also have sort of encouraged people to, you know, like a couple of one dog Walker who’s a friend of mine, She’s like, she’s almost 30 now.
Julie:
But she has a really just like, very successful dog walking here in town.
Julie:
She does. She is a was really Motley Crue.
Julie:
She’s on instagram, too.
Brandon:
Yeah, so, you know, if it’s a service business, I think that you should make sure that it’s a service that people need.
Julie:
I mean, I don’t know.
Julie:
Some people have some ideas that I think that’s probably not gonna work, you know what I mean.
Julie:
So so if I see somebody that has an idea that I think is gonna work and I don’t know everything, but I don’t know, Let’s see.
Julie:
And then the I think that the pricing in the beginning of your service business should be kind of on the low end, and then you kind of creep it up. You know, once you once you build your clientele, So that’s one thing like, you know, start, just go out there and start the business and charge you don’t charge.
Julie:
And it’s just like word of mouth in this town.
Julie:
This particular town is very valuable.
Julie:
I mean, I didn’t have a telephone number at my barbershop when I first opened because I didn’t want people to be calling.
Julie:
I wanted everybody to go in and look at it.
Julie:
That was smart, you know?
Brandon:
I don’t know. I come up with this stuff right off the top of my head, and everyone’s like, You don’t have you don’t have a phone. I couldn’t calm like, Yeah, we don’t have a phone yet. For five months, I did not have a phone, a phone, So they had to come and see you.
Julie:
Yeah, Everyone said, Hey, there’s a barber shop in town.
Brandon:
Well, how do you get a hold them? I don’t know. I don’t know. Like they have a website, but I don’t I don’t know what. Let me just walk in and see it because it’s not your typical barbershop in Hatton. It’s not. It’s a It’s a pretty cool barbershop.
Julie:
So and it was the first barbershop in town in a lot of years, so I wanted people to come in and look at it.
Julie:
I didn’t want her to think it was like a salon, because not no, it is not.
Julie:
I haven’t been there.
Brandon:
I’m getting I’m getting off focus So assed faras like a product.
Julie:
If they have a product, they want to sell I and they’re an artist.
Julie:
I think that you need Thio create like you have this product.
Julie:
Like, say, Helen has a product that she created in her first piece. She wanted to sell for like, $200.
Julie:
We’ll have something that you create that everyone can buy, and everyone will buy on an impulse buy without thinking about it like that.
Julie:
That item that’s $25 or under the entry, Yeah, so have a product that’s going to sell that’s going to get your product out there and then start building on top of that. So that’s like a good you know, because I think a lot of the people who have who do all these like, you know, pumpkin festivals and art festivals. You know, they have things that cost, like $1500.500 dollars. I mean, it’s a big leap to get there, right?
Julie:
That’s not no breathe.
Brandon:
I mean, make something less and sell a lot of it.
Julie:
Then you get to actually do what you like to dio Ah, lot of times, and you’ll definitely make money and then to jump in the wholesale.
Julie:
Ah, lot of people don’t want to do wholesale because when you do a wholesale, you have to reduce your product by 50%.
Julie:
But like I told Marilyn Johnson, who sells that, have you talked to her? The spread, the spread, the love jelly way had a little meeting, and she’s like, I just really want to do direct sales because my product is really high quality and you know it’s expensive, so I don’t want to reduce it, and I said, Okay, think about it this way.
Julie:
You can direct sale, but then you have to put the time into direct sale it and that’s a lot of farmers markets.
Julie:
That’s a lot of pumpkin Festival. That’s a lot of going around selling your stuff, which will you won’t have time to make it. So I said, So you have to think about it like this. Like what If you hold sailed it like 1000 pieces for half the cost, like a 77 at $7 instead of 4 to 14 or whatever, Just let’s just use seven and Whole Foods Soldier staff.
Julie:
You could make $7000.
Julie:
That makes sense, right?
Julie:
Or do you want to try to make $7000 by direct selling like you have to have a direct sale? But you also have to have a wholesale, but you have to find the product that you can wholesale so that it doesn’t like I’ve been tracking the Helen about that.
Julie:
You know what’s your best seller, and can you get it down to it? Would it would it be worth it for you to make it for this amount of money, and that would be like your bread and butter. That would be like your You know, your constant thing, that you’re making that super easy, and the people want to buy and sell and sell them zone zone so you could make a big chunk of money.
Julie:
It’s great advice, and it’s free marketing. They buy, you know, and you step them up. The value ladder is affected. What? You’re what you’re explaining.
Brandon:
Yeah, it’s same with the service business. Like give your service away for free and then they’ll be like, this service is great.
Julie:
And then I’m going to pay you. But if they had to pay for the service, some people might not have paid for a dog walker or haircuts. They don’t know you.
Julie:
So if you just get them in your chair the first time and give it away for free, then the next time they’re gonna pay. Like I have this one client I have 10 years ago when I read No, Yeah, no.
Julie:
When my when I was sort of stayed home with my kids and then I went back into the salon. When this is probably 8. 20 years ago, I did this free $5 haircut in a tent down to Princeton.
Julie:
There was some kind of relay race or something. We were like sponsoring and doing $5 haircuts.
Julie:
And I’m like, Yeah, I’ll do that all day long. So I still have that client from 20 years ago from that $5 haircut So your customer lifetime value is very high on a $5 investment that you effectively made.
Julie:
Yeah, she’s probably $1200 a year for me, so that’s $20,000 or more.
Julie:
$22,000 have that $5 check out.
Brandon:
But that freedom free haircut could have been the same thing.
Julie:
Let’s just give it away for free. All you have, all you have is time in the beginning of your service business, and then it grows.
Julie:
And then you know, you just so I don’t know if to me, it makes sense to do this that those two things, like get your product out there, give your services away for free, and then you’ll build your clientele and then have someone else sell it, because I think that thing you said earlier.
Julie:
Julie is really interesting, and I could be making this mistake for whatever I’ve been doing.
Julie:
This entrepreneur thing for 20 plus years is making yourself the sales rep versus the creator.
Julie:
Makes you look bigger.
Julie:
Then you are too, right?
Brandon:
Yeah, definitely.
Brandon:
Like, Oh, they have a sales rep. Not like Oh, God, she’s trying to sell her stuff that obviously it doesn’t sell very well. She doesn’t even have a sales rep.
Julie:
That’s that’s huge.
Brandon:
I was just trying to skip the skip that process, and I wanted to actually see see people’s reaction and see if they wanted to sell my stuff.
Julie:
My velvet pumpkin seller really, really Well, it’s It’s crazy the following super e.
Julie:
I don’t I don’t use instagram.
Julie:
No, I couldn’t find you. I was looking No, I can’t find Posh pub If I did.
Brandon:
E don’t know.
Julie:
I just don’t use it. I like to be sort of like I have people call me every every October. Oh, my gosh. I had a really hard time finding you, and I need to get my mom started to collect these and like, I have to call somebody tonight.
Julie:
And I like that like I like to not be that easily found. You know, I dio it works, right?
Julie:
Its’s somebody, somebody, I I actually have a company that has no website. In fact, the only thing that has is an email address and the Onley way you find us is through word of mouth and right, somebody said to us we were in a meeting. They’re like, Well, you’re not legit. Nobody. You don’t have a website. You you don’t do that. I said they’re like, How do you get customers? I said, our filter is the fact that you can find us. And if you can’t find us, you’re probably not a fit for us, right?
Brandon:
And there’s something to be said for this mystery, which it sounds like you you’ve done a really good job with, like, the No, the no phone thing. I’m laughing. But the no phone thing is genius, right?
Brandon:
Because because I can think myself that I do this sometimes I don’t know, I would have done it to your shop. I just say I’m just gonna get my car, drive right downtown and see this lady’s barbershop. And then once I walk in the door, I’m so committed man matter like that.
Brandon:
Then they find a barber and they stick with them until literally the day they die.
Julie:
I mean, you know, some of my barber’s say, Oh, gosh, I can’t stand doing this little three year olds. I’m, like, be nice to your three or five year olds, because guess what? They will stay with you until there 60 70 years old, like they will travel to you.
Julie:
But yeah, you know.
Julie:
And And I gotta tell you, Julie, that is the God’s honest truth. Because when I was in college and with my now my my wife, who is now my wife but she was my girlfriend, we would travel an hour and 10 minutes for me to go get my haircut.
Brandon:
Which it makes no sense. It don’t like change.
Julie:
I’m sorry. You’re a man, but that’s totally fine.
Julie:
I mean, eso there’s so women will change. Hair salon hairdressers?
Brandon:
Not really. People would like to stick with their hairstylist.
Julie:
It’s true, right? They just believe that somebody who lives who lives in l a like man.
Brandon:
I have a man who comes up from L.
Julie:
A. I have a man who comes up down from Tahoe every like, three weeks.
Julie:
No, he comes down like every eight weeks have lots of people who live because they moved away and they’re like, e just want you to cut my hair.
Brandon:
I’m like, Okay, yeah, it’s It’s it’s humans air.
Julie:
Very interesting that it is.
Julie:
Uh, it’s good.
Brandon:
It’s nice.
Brandon:
And I do tell my younger people, like, you know, be good to those kids because they will come to you, That’s what That’s what I did until I broke the habit until I was like, This is insane.
Julie:
I’m driving an hour and 10 minutes for I don’t know.
Julie:
Yeah, in college.
Brandon:
Maybe it was $20 for me. I don’t forget.
Brandon:
But it was like, What?
Julie:
Um, I’m spending more in gas.
Julie:
I tell people that I said, can’t you find somebody opened up in wherever Eldorado Hills? So gotta be somebody up. So I know. I just I just wanna come down. I’m like, Okay, plus, you know, have some based kind of fun to come to you, right?
Julie:
Yeah. It’s like I tell it’s sort of crazy. My wife and I, before we lived here with, lived on the eastern shore of Maryland on Chesapeake Bay, and we all can I don’t know if everybody complains, but traffic does stink on weekends here. I mean, right, you just ride your bike and, uh but, you know, if you’re gonna live in a beautiful place, then that’s what you’re going to get.
Brandon:
Like, I was at a party Thea, other night or not a party.
Brandon:
But it was to get together and outside and people running around the room And everybody said, Well, where do you Where is your favorite place on earth?
Brandon:
I was like, I live here and they’re like, Well, what do you mean?
Brandon:
I was like, Don’t you love where you live? And they’re like, Oh, we don’t really like it and we don’t hate it. But I was like, Half Moon Bay is the most incredible place.
Brandon:
Like I’ve traveled Ah, lot, a lot.
Julie:
Two different countries. And I’m telling you, this is a very nice place. It’s beautiful. I mean, it’s so unique. Kaplovitz so close to the city. They were rural worth beach and recipe. I mean, it’s just an urban. It’s just like it’s. But don’t tell anybody that and the redwoods, right?
Julie:
Like people don’t believe me. So my mom first came here. She’s like, Oh, well, you live in San Francisco. I was like, No, we live in Half Moon Bay. Like it’s world.
Brandon:
There’s I mean, there’s really yeah there and not a lot of development allowed here anymore. I mean, thank the Good Lord for at some level, right, but it’s just incredible.
Brandon:
And I tell people I’m like, Well, I’m at the airport in, like, 23 minutes. I’m watching the baseball game in a 30 minutes. I’m surfing in five or 10, depending on where I go, right riding my bike. You can hike. Yeah, it’s just And the weather is perfect.
Brandon:
Except when it’s too hot, like today.
Julie:
Oh, well, what was it today, like, 70 or something crazy, like 73 or something That probably win.
Brandon:
Yeah.
Julie:
So, yeah, we do live in a beautiful place.
Julie:
Well, Julie, thank you so much for being on.
Julie:
How is the best away for anybody to get in touch with you to make an appointment at your hair salon at your barbershop or posh pumpkins?
Brandon:
Just text me on.
Brandon:
I will put that number in the show.
Julie:
You show notes you don’t learn that everybody yet my numbers out there on the you can Google me, and it’s out there.
Brandon:
But yeah, I just text me.
Julie:
So text Julie, I’ll put it in the show notes, and you can get a velvet pumpkin of pops pumpkins. A really cool haircut or a great styles. Thanks so much, Julie.
Brandon:
Okay. Thank you. Nice video, man.
Julie:
Is Julie cool or what? I’m gonna have her on the show again. I think she has some more H p t s in there somewhere. I know she does that she can share and help us all build a better business.
Brandon:
Friends.
Brandon:
Thanks for tuning into the show today. If you enjoyed it, please Rate review and hit. Subscribe. So you don’t miss another episode. We got a bunch of really cool ones coming up with other businesses in Half Moon Bay, California, where I live until the next show.
Brandon:
Remember, you’re just one business plan away.
Brandon:
I’m rooting for your success.
Brandon:
We’ll see you soon
