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Knowledge is power for barbers. Whether you possess natural talent for bringing hairstyles to life, or you’ve gained extra expertise through specialist courses and qualifications, it’s what you know and how you apply it that can drive your business to success. That way, you can maximise your earnings in an industry where competition can be high.
However, you don’t have to look after everything on your own, especially when it comes to the business and organisation side of things. Thankfully, help is at hand through a huge number of different apps for barbers that can help make your business easier to run, more customer-friendly and ultimately more profitable.
It’s hard to know which are the best apps for barbers to use, so in this guide, we’ve picked out our favourites, which span four key areas of your operations.
Best app for design: Canva
People come to barbers to give them a hairstyle that allow them to express themselves, and as such they want to see that their barber reflects the style they want to pursue. A key part of this is creating a brand and business image that appeals to customers, but this can be expensive if relying on professional designers to create marketing materials. Canva, however, is an app that can be used for free to create eye-catching visuals. It’s easy and quick to use, meaning that even barbers with no design expertise can bring their brand to life.
Best app for payments: Square
In a world that is increasingly cashless, being able to accept card payments (including through contactless means) is now expected of every business. Barbers, whether they work from a studio or on a mobile basis, are no exception to this. That’s where Square, a payment processing system that works from your tablet or smartphone, comes in so handy for small business operations like barbers. It allows barbers to take card payments anywhere and at any time, without the need to buy card machines or pay for software that impacts profit margins.
Best app for booking and scheduling: Vagaro
There are plenty of booking and scheduling apps around, but it’s the ones that are specifically designed for barbers and salons that really stand out. We recommend Vagaro, which acts as a free marketplace for hairstyle and beauty professionals, from which customers can make bookings and payments. From your side, you can manage your schedule through the platform and see who you’re working with, where and when, and use automated tools to target them with marketing that they’re most likely to respond to.
Best app for business management: SalonIQ
If you’re growing a business that employs other barbers as well as yourself, then an all-encompassing business management platform can make administration a much simpler task. SalonIQ is designed with exactly your type of business in mind, allowing you to oversee marketing, payments, team performance, eCommerce and more, all from one place. It even gives you the capability to develop and launch your own branded app, powered by SalonIQ’s technology, to give your customers even easier booking experiences.
Best app for style inspiration: Pinterest
Pinterest can be used to get design inspiration for just about anything creative, and it’s a great place to explore different hairstyles and trends. The more you use the platform, the more its algorithm learns about the content you’re interested in, and will then deliver more focused media around styles and cuts that you can offer in your business. As a way of keeping on-trend with the styles that customers are after, it’s perhaps the easiest and most comprehensive around.
Get your barber business insurance from Protectivity
However you use apps to support your day-to-day business, one thing that always remains essential for every barber is top-quality insurance cover.
Protectivity’s barber insurance covers any unforeseen circumstances that could leave you out of pocket. Our cover includes public liability, personal accident, equipment cover, and up to £1 million of employers’ liability insurance if you’re employing other people.
Our cover is available for less than £4 a month if you use one of our flexible payment plans. Learn more about our hairdresser insurance in more detail.
Get Barbers Insurance from Protectivity
*Disclaimer – This blog has been created as general information and should not be taken as advice. Make sure you have the correct level of insurance for your requirements and always review policy documentation. Information is factually accurate at the time of publishing but may have become out of date.
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