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The barber shop is a unique industry that private equity has been unable to penetrate despite investing millions every year for the past 40 years. Over 80% of barber shops remain independent and chains like SuperCuts have been falling behind. The corporations have been unable to find footing despite brand recognition, unprecedented scale, and even first-mover advantage. They slash prices and offer loyalty programs but still can’t match local rates. They renovate and advertise but still can’t pull in high-end clientele. The industry continues to be led by the independents as new upscale concepts coexist alongside the established old-school traditionalists.

In this Modern MBA Original, we go from the macro-lens to micro-lens to understand this business from the chains to the independents. We'll cover the rise and fall of Regis - the largest PE-backed owner-and-operator of barber shops in the world behind the once-dominant SuperCuts from the 80s to present. Then we'll dive into 3 independents who work in the most competitive markets in the world - the first is a lone wolf in Silicon Valley, the second is a 20-year master in New York City, and the third is a maverick in the San Francisco Bay Area.

💈 EVERGREEN (Peter)
www.instagram.com/petermichaels_cuts/
964 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95116

💈 BARBER SHOP NYC (Arthur)
www.instagram.com/barbershop.nyc/
www.barbershop.nyc/
302 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019
660 5th Ave Lower Level, New York, NY 10103

💈 MYSTERIUEX (Rod)
www.instagram.com/mysterieux.brand/
mysterieuxbrand.com/
28 N Almaden Ave #30, San Jose, CA 95110

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