For Paul and Linda Bibeau, putting people first is their principal business philosophy. With five high performing Sport Clips Haircuts stores, the Bibeaus are leaders in their market. They credit their success as team leaders to the retention of quality team members.   

“Stylist retention results in client loyalty. You can get as many people in the door as you want, but if you don’t deliver on the MVP championship experience, they won’t come back,” says Paul.   

This lesson is one they learned the hard way with their first store, eight years ago. By applying what they learned the first time around helped shorten the learning curve as they opened their subsequent stores, even when store number two was a little off the beaten path, having less than ideal visibility.  

 Recalling their first store, Paul says, “Getting people into the store when we first opened was the easy part. The problem was they weren’t returning. We weren’t delivering that championship experience.”  

With that, the Bibeaus went back to the basics. This meant following the Sport Clips system. Linda says, “We knew we needed to get our four walls right, so we consulted the Playbook, Sport Clips’ step by step guide for grand openings. We really feel lucky to have such a resource available to us. Everything is entirely laid out for you.” Paul adds, “The information is so well organized and documented. Speaking to franchisees with other brands, we see just how exceptional Sport Clips’ support is.”  

After refocusing and hiring the right manager, the Bibeaus saw a significant turn-around in that store’s performance.  Paul says, “Having good people in place made all the difference. We now take great care when it comes to picking our managers because they are so important to the store.” 

But it is not necessarily managing experience that they look for when filling a position, explains Paul, “We will often choose someone for a manager position that has no managing experience. It is very important to us to hire from within. We look for someone who has a passion and a willingness to learn, we find that more important than experience. They need to have bought into the Sport Clips system and culture. Everything else falls into place if they have that buy in.”  

The team leaders’ experience shows that stylists are eager to buy into the brand’s team culture. Paul says, “Many of the stylists who have come to us from other brands tell us just how different Sport Clips is. They will tell us they had never even met the owners of the other stores they worked out. This left them feeling they were just working for a business, there was no relationship there.” 

 Linda continues, “It comes back to people first. People want to work for a boss that shows they care. It’s the little things that mean a lot, like acknowledging them when they do well, remembering their birthdays. We pop into the stores just to say hi and check in. They are happy to see us.”   

The Bibeaus have also found that in a competitive industry that often times lacks a defined career path, stylists are attracted to the career development opportunities working for Sport Clips provides them. Paul says, “When we hire someone new, we are thinking long term. Many of our team members have been with us five, and even ten years. We make it a point to promote our managers from within. With five stores, we are able to move team members between stores when needed. And if we see they might have a great opportunity with another team leader, we are happy for them to reach their goals. They also have other opportunities, such as area managers and coaches. We are invested in their success, wherever that takes them.” 

Through their genuine care of their team members, the Bibeaus have achieved a high retention rate in their stores. Paul and Linda will tell you it is because of the investment in relationship they have made. Paul says, “You have to take the time to understand each stylist’s personal and professional goals, and what motivates them”. You really need to know what is going on in their lives. This only comes through relationship.”  

Linda adds, “Along with setting goals and celebrating wins, we also want to be available to them when something isn’t working. We will work together to fix the situation. There has to be a relationship there first for them to feel comfortable doing that.”  

The team leaders also found out the same principle of relationship applies to their clients as well. Linda says,” Issues with clients are unavoidable and a by-product of dealing with people. We always follow up as soon as possible when an issue arises. We make it a point to personally email the client. A lot of times it is just a misunderstanding, and having that personal contact by an owner who shows they care about their experience is all that is needed.”  

With relationship being central to the Sport Clips culture, many team leaders tea, are husband and wife. When asked how the Bibeaus have made their business partnership work so well, Paul says, “We are in agreement of our respective roles. It helps to know each other’s strengths and skills and how they complement the other person’s. Linda is the people-person, she always has coupons to pass out. She is very involved in our community and she has done a great deal to spread brand awareness. I, on the other hand, am more comfortable getting into the inflatable mascot costume, Sporty.”  

Having made Sport Clips a family affair, the Bibeaus have used their individual strengths and strong leadership skills to mold various personalities into a successful and cohesive team. By earning the respect of their team through hard work and involvement, the team leaders have created a team culture that retains stylists, develops managers and encourages relationship. This has garnered client loyalty and driven recurring revenue, positioning their stores as top performers in their market.  

Paul concludes, “If you follow the system, you will be successful. This means having good people in place who will also follow the system. And once you have those people, hang on to them by helping them reach their goals.”  

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Mark and Jan Mansfield know what it means to pioneer an emerging brand. They invested in Sport Clips Haircuts nearly two decades ago at a time when the brand had only 26 stores. Their first store as franchisees was one of only three stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth market. “No one knew who we were since the Sport Clips concept was so new at the time,” recalls Jan.  

After their third store opened in 2003, bringing their market’s total up to 12, the Mansfields made a decision. They became area developers, committing to grow their market and help others find the same financial stability and personal freedoms they did with the Sport Clips business model.  

Today, the Mansfields have helped open more than 100 stores in their thriving Dallas/Fort Worth market, one of the brand’s strongest, and it is still growing. The couple’s hard work and commitment to helping team leaders (franchisees) grow embodies the values of the Sport Clips brand.  

Both graduates of Texas Tech University, Jan and Mark Mandfield began their careers in industries very different from where they are today. Jan was an elementary school teacher, but when the couple had their first child, she became a stay-at-home mom. Mark worked for an oil company and was required to travel extensively between Dallas and Houston.  

On one of his trips to Houston, in need of a haircut, Mark walked into the department store near his hotel and asked a young woman at the jewelry counter if she had any recommendations on where to go. Mark recalls, “She got really amped up and told me to go to Sport Clips. I have honestly never seen someone get so excited about a haircut. She was so enthusiastic and went on about what a great place it was and how her boyfriend just loved it. I decided to try it out.” 

After trying out the MVP Experience for himself, he says, “She was right, it was a great experience. I thought about how there was nothing like this concept in our area. It really stayed with me.”   

About two years later, they saw an advertisement looking for Sport Clips franchisees in their market, and the Mansfields began to consider investing. Mark says, “With a growing family, Jan and I wanted to build something for the future that would create more financial stability and flexibility in our lifestyle.” 

He continues, “We thought the Sport Clips’ concept was great and decided to look into the opportunity. After many conversations with Jean Booth, who was the entire franchise department at the time, and our own due diligence, we made the decision to become team leaders.”   

In May of 1999, the Mansfields opened their first store. Initially Mark was going to run the business himself, but Jan’s aptitude for people management led her to take over the operations side. It has been a business partnership that has been successful ever since. Jan comments, “How stores perform really comes down to the people who are in place. Once we found the right managers, things took off.” 

“Back then the brand was still new, and the team was small,” recalls Jan. “Jean Booth did marketing, Nancy Vandiver and Kerin Haney were the coaches. That was it. It was all hands-on deck. I even remember Gordon (Logan), founder and CEO of Sport Clips, with a drill, putting together a salon chair, helping with the build out. “  

Mark adds, “We have seen firsthand how substantially the support has been expanded as the brand has grown. There is now a wealth of resources available to team leaders. It was important to leadership that the business never outran the support.”  

With the expansion of support, the Mansfields have seen team leaders maximizing their revenues as a result. Mark says, “I remember it used to be such a huge deal for even just one store to reach a certain amount in weekly sales. Once, Gordon did a contest, where the first store to reach this certain amount would get a trip. But now, at least 400 stores hit that mark every week. It has been incredible to watch this growth.”  

Over the past two decades, the Mansfields say they are reminded of the tremendous growth every year at the annual Sport Clips gathering known as the National Huddle. “We used to have the Huddles on a small boat or in a little room. We knew everyone. Now the Huddles are these big events with over 3,000 attendees,” comments Jan. “But even with all this growth, the values have stayed the same. That has been a key to the brand’s success. Gordon kept the focus on what was important, and that never changed.”  

When discussing how the brand has grown throughout the years, for the Mansfields, the growth is interwoven with their family’s growth. Mark says, “Our youngest was a newborn when we opened our first store. Our three kids have grown up in this business. Our girls worked in the store as teenagers, helping with marketing and coordinating. Our son, Ben, has done work with our contractor, helping with store buildout and with our summer marketing program. We are working on bringing him into the business more and more.” 

Also interwoven in their memories are those of the Logan family as well. “I remember seeing Edward, the founder’s son and now Sport Clips’ president, in 8th grade intently looking over store plans, really soaking it all in and trying to understand it all,” recalls Jan.  

Mark adds a memory as well, “There was one Huddle on a dinner boat cruise, Gordon was standing in front of a food table that was draped with a table cloth, and I see a little hand reach out from underneath and grab Gordon’s leg. It was his daughter Caroline, sitting underneath the table with a book and a flashlight.”  

He continues, “Gordon has set a good example on how to bring your children into the business. This last year we attended Sport Clips’ first meeting discussing second generation business ownership. Our initial goal in joining a franchise system was to build a business, we have been able to do that as well as build a family legacy.”  

Mark and Jan have been successful team leaders and have helped many others achieve their own success. Offering their seasoned advice to new team leaders, they have this to say, “We have been blessed with great team leaders and coaches. Building a good team is important. You also have to stick to the systems and policies in place. People ask us how we have been able to be so successful, and we say, ‘We just do what we are told to do!’” 

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A hallmark of a mature and healthy franchise system is the presence of a franchise advisory council. Made up of franchisee representatives, these councils act as a formal channel of communication between a franchisor and its franchisees. Creating a two-way street of communication, the council’s main objective is to foster productive dialogue and amplify franchisee voices.  

Sport Clips Haircuts strongly believes one of its greatest resources lies in its people, and teamwork is at the foundation of its core values.  Working closely with its Team Leader Advisory Council (TLAC), the brand is committed to using the council’s valuable input and insight when making decisions that impact the system and its future. Shared knowledge and experience are advantages of being part of a franchise system.  Sport Clips is leveraging this advantage for the benefit of its team leaders.  

The TLAC is made up of seven team leader representatives. Team leaders in each of Sport Clips’ five geographic regions elect a representative. Each serves a two-year term, and the different regions’ elections are staggered.  One member is appointed by Sport Clips’ leadership and the final member is elected by the TLAC committee itself. The appointed positions are one-year terms. At least one of the representatives needs to have three or fewer stores. The council is set up this way to provide a wide cross section of team leaders that is also dynamic, to allow everyone in the system to feel represented and heard.  

Joe Klimek, acting president of the Area Developer Advisory Council, works closely with the TLAC to help consolidate information they receive from their markets, identify best practices, and provide the area developer perspective to the dialogue. He says, “Leadership has done an exceptional job expanding TLAC over the years. Gordon saw the value of this council early on and as new markets were added, so were council spots. Each market is so unique, so having representation be regional was important.”  

Wayne Freeman, a team leader in the Midwest with 16 stores, currently serves as the chairperson for TLAC. “The council helps everyone, from the team leaders to the area developers to leadership, all get on the same page. Together, we determine priorities and discuss important decisions about the direction of new concepts, products and programs. Sport Clips also seeks our input on where we see opportunities for improvement. I appreciate that I can be a direct voice for my fellow team leaders,” says Freeman.   

Team leader success is a top priority for Sport Clips, and TLAC provides a forum to help understand more about its franchisees’ needs and creating enhanced programs and services. Freeman elaborates, “Sport Clips listens to what barriers to success team leaders are encountering and works to find ways to help overcome them. For example, many team leaders needed easier access to QuickBooks, and Sport Clips responded.”  

Sport Clips also uses the council as a test market for new ideas and concepts and to participate in strategic planning. “When the new point of sale system was introduced, the Team Leader Advisory Council was asked to test it out and provide feedback to help optimize it. We were also able to ask questions and get a good understanding of the benefits of the upgraded system. We then were able to pass that understanding on to our network. When a new system is implemented, it is helpful to understand the why behind it, and as a council we explored that in depth before it was rolled out.” 

Team leaders are a direct link to clients and what is going on within the four walls of the stores. Sport Clips recognizes its ability to provide invaluable industry observations, insight as to what the competition is doing, and offer suggestions on how to maintain the brand’s position as an industry leader, as well as safeguarding brand integrity. The role of the TLAC is to maintain open communication, affecting positive change that benefits both the brand and team leaders. Freeman concludes, “I encourage every team leader, especially new ones, to create an open and frequent dialogue with their TLAC representatives. We really want a good cross section of representation in our discussions, and this can only happen if more people get involved. We are all in this together. The more communication and feedback we have, the more effective we can be, especially as the system continues to grow.”  

Klimek agrees, “I urge team leaders to get to know their representative and communicate frequently with them. They are a tremendous resource, and team leaders should never hesitate to reach out to them.”  

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Sport Clips is committed to fostering and improving relations with team leaders. The Team Leader Advisory Council acts as an additional support system, providing a second tier of information and recommendations, and it is one of the many reasons it is good to be an owner. To continue the conversation about how Sport Clips supports team leader success, please fill out our inquiry form, and visit our research pages!