When we began our journey, while a lot people asked us- ‘How do you plan to make money?’, we were worried about something else. Our primary concern at that point and till today is “How do we build trust with our customers?’. For us, it wasn’t just the parents we wanted to please. In fact, it was not the parents we wanted to please, it was the children. A child doesn’t fake a review, a child won’t say sweet things if he doesn’t mean. For us, success meant hearing from the children about how they felt when they came to Barber Black Sheep. We are happy to say that we have tasted more than our fair share of success.
WOMEN-BACKED, MOM-APPROVED
Before we even opened the salon, we tried and tested different methods and tactics on our own children. We had to make sure that the process was flawless. At that point, there were no players in the industry to take lessons from. Co-founder Saakshi’s experience as a psychologist, along with the teaching experience of co-founder Minal, what started out as a dream for the sister duo soon became a pioneer start-up in the kids grooming industry.
Saakshi K. is a counselling psychologist and writer but most importantly a mother to two boys who have been the inspiration behind Barber Black Sheep. It still amazes her how her massively sleep deprived mind could come up with an idea to solve a problem so many parents are facing. For her, the most important thing while establishing the outlet was to ensure that it is a strictly judgement free zone. She trained the staff to not even so much as flinch when a child is throwing a tantrum. For this, she made her sons the guinea pigs and they more than obliged. What concerned her was that when a parents’ child starts to cry or howl during a haircut, they would usually get embarrassed and blame their own selves. Many parents would even think that they are doing the child harm by getting him a haircut! She is happiest to see this mindset change and to be able to create a safe haven for parents and their children.
Minal K. has been a teacher and more than a mother to her two nephews. She was seriously concerned when her nephew feared getting a salon and she wanted to find a better solution for other parents. She is the one-man army behind all the execution and operations at Barber Black Sheep. She knows that parents value empathy more than anything else and she instils that work ethic in the team. With her keen eye and super-human attention to detail, flawless experiences are a guarantee. Whether it is consoling a sobbing mother (yes, the mums cry more than the babies) or managing the concerns of a protective father, Minal has been able to provide solutions and build long lasting relationships with all our clients over the many years. She is someone who believes in taking constructive criticism very seriously and positive reviews not so seriously! She pushes the entire team to perform their best and is the in-house critic here at Barber Black Sheep.
We can’t wait to celebrate our special day together with you.
