From Behind the Chair to Building a Brand: How Automation Unlocks Viral Success for Barbers

The modern barbering landscape has shifted dramatically. Today, mastering a flawless fade or a sharp beard trim is only half the equation. To stand out in an increasingly crowded market, barbers need to be content creators, storytellers, and brand builders.

In a recent Instagram Live hosted by Booksy Ambassador Alan Beak, we sat down with Tom Mitchell and Matt Cummings, two incredible barbers from Sheffield who have completely blown up across TikTok and Instagram. Known for their hilarious, viral content—including videos reaching over 100 million views—they shared how taking control of their time transformed their careers, and how using Booksy gave them the freedom to go from working daily shop shifts to building a thriving personal brand.

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation on managing time, protecting revenue, going viral, and scaling a modern barbering business.

1. The Reality of Manual Bookings: Hours Wasted Every Week

Before implementing automated booking tools, managing an appointment calendar manually was a relentless, time-consuming chore.

Many barbers start out relying on walk-ins, mobile work, or manual texting to manage their schedules. For Tom and Matt, Sunday evenings used to mean sitting down for hours just to text clients individually to fill the weekly calendar.

"Every Sunday, I used to sit down, block out a few hours and literally text all my clients saying, ‘Do you want a haircut booking in?’... Every morning I’d have to text them separately and say, ‘Look, you’re booked in today.’ It was such a long process."

Handling cancellations manually only added to the administrative nightmare. A single reschedule meant reaching out to multiple clients to fill the gap, creating an endless cycle of late-night messaging and admin work.

2. Reclaiming 5–10 Hours a Week with Automation

Switching to an automated scheduling app like Booksy fundamentally changes how a shop operates. As Alan Beak highlighted during the live, when you have a booking system running in the background, it frees up the essential mental space needed to focus on growth.

When asked how much time automated scheduling saves every week, the answer was clear: a minimum of 5 to 10 hours.

"It’s the automation. It’s convenience. It’s like buying your time back. Saving between five and ten hours a week on scheduling is what helps you build your business. You’re not just working the shift any more. You’re building a brand."

Manual Admin vs. Automated Management

3. Protecting Your Income Against No-Shows

Unprotected calendars don't just cost time—they directly impact a salon or shop's bottom line.

Without upfront cancellation policies, late drop-outs leave empty chairs that cannot be filled at short notice.

"I was losing hundreds of pounds a week when I didn’t have Booksy. Literally hundreds... With the app, you’ve got the cancellation fee on there. People are well aware of it when they book."

By setting clear cancellation policies and automated booking deposits, clients respect the appointment time, eliminating unnecessary revenue leaks and safeguarding weekly earnings.

4. Going Viral: Turning Personality into Client Acquisition

While every barber can record a haircut video, Tom and Matt realised early on that clients don't just buy a service—they invest in the person behind the chair.

Their social media journey started less than two years ago with simple, humorous videos created around the shop—starting with a viral smelling salts clip that gained 10,000 followers in its first week. Since then, their comedy bits have amassed over 100 million views, doubling their client reach and driving a steady stream of new walk-ins and bookings.

"Everyone can record a haircut, but people want to invest in you. If they see that you’re funny, or they like your personality, they’re going to want to come because of that."

5. Using Your Booking Calendar as a Productivity Tool

Creating consistent content requires structure. Rather than treating content as an afterthought, top-performing creators block out dedicated filming time directly in their calendars.

Alan, Tom, and Matt all noted that they use Booksy not only for client bookings, but as a complete productivity calendar:

• Mondays & Tuesdays: Dedicated content creation, filming, and editing days.
• Wednesdays: Flexible scheduling combining content shoots with select client slots.
• Thursdays to Saturdays: Focused, high-volume client booking days.

By structuring personal commitments, school runs, filming windows, and client appointments in one central calendar, content creation becomes a sustainable weekly routine rather than a source of burnout.

6. Three Tips for Barbers Starting Their Content Journey

For barbers hesitant to step in front of the camera, the panel shared their core advice for getting started:

1. Ignore the Fear of Judgment: Everyone feels nervous or anxious in front of the camera initially. Overcoming the initial awkwardness is the necessary first step toward growth.
2. Focus on Consistency Over Perfection: You don't need expensive production equipment. Keep your phone recording during the day to capture authentic interactions and natural shop banter.
3. Treat Social Media as a Core Business Activity: Building a social media presence is modern marketing. Stay relentless, post regularly, and treat brand building with the same importance as cutting hair.

Take Control of Your Time and Scale Your Business

Building a modern barbering brand requires time, energy, and consistency. If your day is consumed by manual texting, calendar management, and chasing late cancellations, you miss out on the valuable hours needed to market your skills and grow your reputation.

Ready to reclaim 5 to 10 hours every week and elevate your salon business? Start your free trial with Booksy Biz today and discover how automated scheduling can help you build your brand.