How one woman entrepreneur became a top-performer with the iconic men’s haircut franchise
If you wanted to find out how to become a top-performing franchise owner with Sport Clips, asking Team Lead Melissa Strick would be an excellent place to start.
After opening her first location in Hagerstown, Maryland in January 2021, Melissa is already looking for her second location. She shows how our business model is built for growth, and that the significant training and ongoing support can help a first-time business owner exceed their goals.
“This experience of owning a Sport Clips has been incredibly rewarding,” Melissa says. “I knew before we opened that Sport Clips had a great reputation, but they’ve gone above and beyond. Ever since we opened our doors, support has been pouring in every day.”
In many ways, Melissa had the inside scoop on Sport Clips long before she became a Team Lead. Her sister works in the hair salon industry, and had not only managed a Sport Clips location, but she had also worked for Great Clips and Super Cuts, and Sport Clips was by far her favorite.
“When my husband and I were fortunate enough to explore business ownership, we looked at a lot of different brands,” Melissa says. “We looked at Massage Envy, we looked at lash bars, and family entertainment franchises. When we came upon Sport Clips, I knew it was the right choice. It was a manager-based business model, which was my wheelhouse, and my sister was a manager of a few different hair salon brands, and Sport Clips was such a positive experience.”
Even during their process researching franchise opportunities, the couple found that the way Sport Clips treated them was far different than the other franchise concepts they were exploring at the same time.
“The other franchise opportunities made us feel like they were only interested in us for our money,” Melissa says. “With Sport Clips, it felt like they were trying to get to know us as people. They wanted to know about our family, our goals, and our values – and that’s exactly what we cared about. We wanted a brand with a strong culture, strong values, and proven track record.”
Melissa found that Sport Clips made good on their culture of support and Heart of a Champion ethos right away when she went to her initial training session.
“When I first came to the Team Lead training, I was drinking little sips of the Sport Clips Kool-Aid, but by the time I’d graduated, I was drinking whole gulps,” she says, with a laugh. “The level of support at every level of the business model has been phenomenal.”
Melissa is focused on creating a culture of care and support in her store. This means visiting her store frequently, and making her stylists feel like valued members of her own family.
“It’s so important to make sure that my stylists feel important, because they truly are,” Melissa says. “I’m in my store often, and I like to make sure they feel appreciated. I give out gift certificates for hitting their goals or doing a great job, I bring coffee, and I listen to what they need. You have to create a culture of support with your stylists to retain them, and making them feel valued goes a long way.”
A little over one year into her new business, Melissa is ready to grow. Her experience in the business has given her confidence to expand into multi-unit ownership – and she’s already looking for a second location.
“I believe in Sport Clips so much that I told my Area Developer that I want all of the available territory,” Melissa says. “I’m very excited about the future, and can’t wait to keep growing.”
Ready to start your next chapter as a Sport Clips Team Leader?
If you’re interested in learning more about the Sport Clips franchise opportunity, simply fill out an inquiry form on this website and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
Sport Clips Franchise Launches Scholarship Program for North American Cosmetology Students
Iconic men’s haircut franchise is helping the next generation of stylists get ahead with new scholarship program
In an effort to support the next generation of hairstylists, Sport Clips Haircuts Franchise this month announced an enhanced scholarship program that will provide $5,000 scholarships to eight eligible students pursuing an education in cosmetology.
“Sport Clips is proud to financially support members of our industry’s future workforce,” says Julie Vargas, vice president of career opportunities for Sport Clips. “As the last two years have shown us, investing in our frontline workforce is critical, which is why we’ve doubled the award amount from our previous scholarships to recognize deserving, aspiring professionals.”
But Sport Clips isn’t done there – two scholarships will be awarded per quarter, with an additional national scholarship, which brings the total number of scholarships in 2022 to nine!
What’s more, Sport Clips offers these scholarships to the students who really need it, looking at applicants’ academic benchmark and financial need.
Applicants in the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to complete their submissions at Sport Clips Jobs online before the first quarterly deadline on March 31. Subsequent deadlines are on June 30, September 30 and December 31. Applicants must also submit a video essay answering questions about their ambitions to pursue a career in cosmetology.
Over the years, Sport Clips has awarded more than $66,000 in scholarships to promote quality cosmetology education, and the Sport Clips Scholarship program was created to provide financial support to qualified students enrolled in American Association of Cosmetology Schools. The goal? To help students gain the skills, training and education to begin a successful career in the growing field of cosmetology.
And the effort couldn’t come at a more critical and important time, with salons across the country facing industry-wide labor shortages of hairstylists related to the pandemic. As the world reopens and guests come back to hair salons in record droves, the industry is going to need a skilled and knowledgeable workforce to step up and meet the demand.
“Opportunities for success in the cosmetology industry are limitless, and Sport Clips is proud to be a part of championing successful careers in the field,” says Vargas. “High-quality education is the starting point for lifelong work in this field that provides for so many individuals and families. It’s an honor for Sport Clips to support these scholarships and be the employer of choice for so many thousands of graduates.”
Ready to start your next chapter as a Sport Clips Franchise Team Leader?
If you’re interested in learning more about the Sport Clips franchise opportunity, simply fill out an inquiry form on this website and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
IFA awards Sport Clips Founder Gordon Logan and Franchisee Jeremy Aydell
GEORGETOWN, Texas Gordon Logan, Sport Clips Haircuts founder and chairman, received the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) 2021 William Rosenberg Foundation Leadership Award at its recent annual convention in San Diego. The honor is given to “an individual who has made a significant contribution to franchise education and to the IFA Foundation through research, teaching, fundraising or other activities or service.” Along with the honor Logan received during the meeting, Sport Clips Team Leader (franchisee) Jeremy Aydell was honored as Franchisee of the Year in the category of workforce development for the successful ways he supports the professional development of Sport Clips team members.
In a statement, IFA President and CEO Matt Haller said of Logan, “From his military service to his career in franchising, Gordon embodies servant leadership. Gordon is an entrepreneur with a vision who has grown an extraordinary business, and his eye is always focused on how he can give back and continue serving others.”
“I am humbled to be honored by the IFA and the IFA Foundation with this award, and included with so many of franchise’s greats,” Logan says. “But this really should go to the entire Sport Clips system. Our Haircuts with Heart philanthropic programs have supported veterans not only through the IFA Foundation’s VetFran program, but with over $10M for the VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship program, the USO, Dream Flights, the Gratitude Initiative, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the Red Cross and so many other important charities.
“This is truly a testament to the dedication of our franchisees, thousands of our Team Members, our suppliers and of course our Clients. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for helping us help so many deserving others.”
Along with the award Logan received during the meeting, Sport Clips Team Leader (franchisee) Jeremy Aydell, of French Settlement, Louisiana, received Franchisee of the Year honors saying, “I am so very thankful for leadership of Sport Clips and I’m proud to represent the brand. I am forever grateful for the opportunities being a Sport Clips franchisee has afforded me and those who work with my wife, Lori, and me.One of the most rewarding things in our business is giving someone the opportunity to better themselves both professionally and financially to help them succeed in their career and personal life.”
Sport Clips’ leadership in serving team members and veterans supports recentOxford Economics Researchthat found the franchise business model offers entrepreneurial opportunities that would not otherwise be available, especially to women, people of color, and veterans.
In many ways, Melissa had the inside scoop on Sport Clips long before she became a Team Lead. Her sister works in the hair salon industry, and had not only managed a Sport Clips location, but she had also worked for Great Clips and Super Cuts, and Sport Clips was by far her favorite.
