Originalbarber. @ The Spot is a premier UK-based grooming establishment that has successfully transitioned to a fully digital client management model. The shop's owner, Sina, is a self-taught expert with 12 years of industry experience who now utilizes online booking systems to empower customers to manage their own appointments, effectively eliminating the need for traditional manual reception.
I’ve never been to college; I am self-taught. I got into barbering when I was 15. My friend started working in a barbershop and he was practicing on my hair a couple of times. I got a Saturday job back then, just sweeping the floors and making teas and coffees. Before I even knew it, I started being trained as a barber and started earning money. It was 12 years ago and today I’m still doing it.
It’s literally the best job in the world. Well, it’s not a job if you love it, it’s more like a lifestyle. I go to work where I’m socializing with my friends and cutting their hair. But it takes a lot of time. As a barber you never stop, you're everywhere, in 200 different places at once. I‘m always busy doing different things, learning new skills, being up to date with everything—that’s great in barbering.
If you want to be a good barber you have to know your customers, be sociable and easy to communicate with. You just need to like it. I enjoy barbering, always have and probably always will.
I get inspiration from social media nowadays, mostly from Instagram. I like traditional, old school haircuts, and I really like doing flat-tops.
It’s a love-hate relationship actually. I love Booksy because I’m so busy and I hate Booksy because I’m so busy. I used to be against doing online bookings; I was answering phone calls or doing only walk-ins. It's different now. With Booksy barber software, I let my customers manage their own bookings. It's very convenient for them and for me as well. I literally couldn't run my barbershop without Booksy now.
8 out of 10 clients love Booksy. The other two just need more time to get used to it. In our case, it wasn’t really difficult to convince our clients that they should download Booksy; all we had to do was inform them. As soon as 2-3 people started using Booksy, the rest followed them.
They had no choice really. The truth is that we’ve been very busy dealing with the Booksy clients, so if you want to book your appointments with us, you need to use the app. We’ve got bookings at 4 o’clock in the morning now. We open at 9am and we close at 6pm, and most people are busy at work during that time. Thanks to Booksy, they can book their appointments 24/7. That's what they love about it.
If they want to be busier and have more chairs in their shops, and expand their database, they have to start using Booksy. Seriously, it’s a no-brainer!
To explore more strategies for professional growth, see our guide on how to make your salon stand out or learn more about high-efficiency barbershop management.
