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Ask HN: Review my startup idea

6 pointsdjsamson5 comments

This idea hit me in the barbershop the other day. My barber is quite busy and he has a sign-in sheet that no one uses. So the three barbers have to remember who came in before who. Furthermore, they are forced to have the awkward conversation of asking would you like me to cut your hair or do you want someone else?

This is my idea: a mobile app that lets customers sign in and pick a specific barber or any. Then his/her name gets added to the list on the barber's phone to let the barber know who's next. This app would also have two important features. Customers could create appointments through the app (I currently have to awkwardly text my barber who sometimes doesn't write back). And I could have the user sign in with their phone number or their facebook name. Which would allow the barbershop owner to keep track of the 'churn rate' of specific customers. While giving him a way to contact customers regarding new specials or just reminding them to come get a cut.

Has anything been done in the tech sector for barbershops? Does this sound viable? I'll do customer development interviews if I think there's potential here.

Hair salon / barber specific CRM systems already exist. Every shop I've been to has a computer in front the same as any retail establishment. They put in the names of customers when they come in and ask if they are requesting anyone specific to cut their hair, and that goes in too.

At the very least, every chain hair cut place has such a system already because they use it to keep track of employee hours, clients per hour, revenue and tips paid by credit. The national chains even have membership cards and customer reward systems integrated into their POS systems.

Here's a list of 145 hair salon software systems: http://www.capterra.com/salon-software

Many of them have iPhone/Android apps for both ends.

If your barber shop still hasn't tried anything but a sign-in sheet, maybe it's not a burning need for them.

Yeah, I think it's just your barber. I go to a barbershop, and they have a point of sale system, and a receptionist to grab everyone coming in.

I've also been to another barbershop where it's as described: 3 barbers, they have to remember the order. However, this place would not go with any computerized sale system. That's because they were going for the "old time" barber feel -- there wasn't even a credit card machine there.

The last three barbers I've gone too have all been over 60. Many of them pride themselves on being on being old fashioned, like having and old cash register. Perhaps not the case in SF, but certainly in middle America.

Software will eat the barber. Managing the queue via mobile is a step. The big lucrative API embraces robotics.

Thank you for all the comments. I love checking in with the HN community before doing customer dev interviews. This has saved me alot of time.

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