Is This the Greatest Business Name Ever? Perhaps. Meet Ellie Pamphilon.

With clippers in hand and a keen eye on the financials, former accountant Ellie Pamphilon's quirky barbershop has become an Instagram star – and to top it off they're also beating all of their cash flow forecasts. 

So, what's Ellie hoping to improve next in her business? Read on to find out!

Name: Ellie Pamphilon

Business: Owner of Barber Streisand

Started: May 2015

How did you create your awesome job?

I’d love to say my move into barbering came from a lifelong passion, but actually, as an accountant, it was the logical outcome of my research. I loved working in retail when I was at college and knew I wanted to set up my own shop, so I looked into low-risk, financially viable small business models. I figured, people will always need haircuts – and technology won’t put me out of business anytime soon.

I worked full-time at my accounting job while I learned barbering. I took a one-on-one course from the London School of Hairdressing so I could fit it around my hours.

That was two years ago. Since then, I’ve spent most of my time finding and setting up a venue for the shop. The first spaces I looked at I liked a lot, but the rates were too high and the landlords were very inflexible. 

This year, I found the perfect place in Exmouth Market. The area gets a ton of foot traffic and is perfect for capturing walk-in business.

When did you know your business was going to work?

Last month! 

We broke even two months ahead of schedule. August is a notoriously quiet month in this area, but we still did it and I'm so proud of our team. Business is growing all the time and I’m feeling confident going into next year.

Tell us about the name of your shop – Barber Streisand. There has to be a good story behind that!

I’m a huge fan of puns and there’s a long history of glorious and corny ones in hairdressing, like Curl Up and Dye or British Hairways. I had a list of about 30, including Quiff Richard, but I felt Barber Streisand fit our business the best.

What I do is barbering, not hairdressing. It’s more focused on short clipper-work, but to me the biggest difference is the experience here. 

The environment we created in our shop is very social with conversations flying back and forth between everyone, whereas hairdressing is about pampering – it's a one-on-one experience. The name makes it clear that we’re a barbershop, not a hairdresser’s, while embracing the female side of the business too.

What I didn't realize when we create the name is how much attention it would get us on social media! Every day we have 10-15 people taking photos of the shop and posting them to Instagram and Twitter for all their friends to see.

Recently I decided to turn the tables on the people who are posting photos of our shop. When I catch someone taking a picture, I take one of them if I'm quick enough and I post it with the hashtag #ustakingphotosofpeopletakingphotosofus. It’s a bit of fun and means we’re not just posting photos of haircuts all the time.

How did you find and make your first hire?

I took an eight-week refresher course on barbering just before it was finally time to open, both to sharpen my skills and to scout for potential hires. I found one excellent barber, hired him and I’ve never looked back. But I did have some trouble along the way.

Someone I met in the course, who I would never have hired based on his skills alone, told me a sob story and convinced me to hire him. On a personal level, we got along fine, but after one week it was clear that his barbering wasn’t good enough. 

I told him I was letting him go and why – it wasn’t difficult, it was a business decision. But after that, he started posting on social media about my business, saying things like “it’s a health and safety nightmare” and "there’s another shop much cheaper around the corner.” I contacted the police, but they said that, because it’s an opinion, it’s not libel. He was also sending me very personal text messages, though, and they said that amounted to harassment and he was arrested.

It was a horrible experience to go through, but the result was that I hired two talented barbers and created a team I love. Every one of us is different – in age, in our cultural and professional backgrounds and in our personal style. It wasn’t a conscious decision – I hired based on skill and personality – but it works well. 

Hiring a diverse group of people also prevents our business from being typecast as a barbershop for a particular type of person. That means we get a wide range of clientele coming in the door. It also makes for a more interesting working environment when there is so much you can learn from your colleagues!

How did you decide on pricing for your services?

First I looked at the pricing of other similar businesses in the area to get an idea of what people were charging. I was really keen not to make it premium pricing. For example, I could be charging $75 per cut and still have customers instead of the $40 I charge now. But I think that’s too much to spend on a haircut every six weeks.

It was also really important for me to have gender-neutral pricing. That’s why we don’t cut long hair – it takes much longer to do that, so it would cost more, and I prefer having that flat rate. It also means turnover is quicker so we can get more people through the door in a day.

What’s the one thing you wish you’d known in the first three months of opening your business?

I wish I’d known what would happen with the guy I hired so I wouldn’t make that mistake.

Apart from that, I wish I’d full understood the inescapability of social media! I’ve never been a fan of it myself and I couldn’t see how it would help my business much – location, foot traffic and great haircuts seemed like it would be enough. 

But now I’ve come around to the idea that a modern business can’t survive without social media. I don’t think it generates much new business for me, but it does reinforce word-of-mouth recommendations. Plus, these days, I think it would be really strange not to be on Facebook or Instagram.

What would you like to learn from a network of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

I’d like to learn more about how to protect your brand online. 

Because I was a latecomer to social media, the name "Barber Streisand" was taken on Twitter and Facebook already. I’ve got "Barber Streisand Fanclub" on  Facebook and Instagram, but that was too long for Twitter so it’s @BarberStreis – I’d love to know how to consolidate everything.

Do you have tips for Ellie on how to manage and consolidate her shop's online presence?

Let's help Ellie out! 

Do you have a story to share about how you protect and manage your brand online? How have you gone about building a consistent presence online?

Can't wait to hear your stories. :-)