Sport Clips Welcomes the Next Generation of Franchisees
When the franchise opportunity is so good, even the kids want in on the business…
At the Sport Clips Haircuts National Huddle in Nashville, participants in a next generation franchising session were reminded that being the family member of a franchisee is not a rubber stamp that they’ll be a good fit for the investment. Yet a surprising number of franchisee family members are the right fit for the business, whether they’ve grown up in it or married into it. Here are some of the stories of the next generation of franchisees.
Tyler Hill
Saw how much his dad enjoyed what he was doing, and followed suit
Tyler Hill is 29, but he started in the family’s Sport Clips Haircuts franchise business, handing out coupons at age 10. His dad, Val Hill, partnered with college classmate Jared Lee to invest in the franchise in 2005. They now have 68 Sport Clips locations in Arizona, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Tyler says he saw how much the two enjoyed what they were doing and wanted to be a part of it. When the elder Hill and Lee began a northwest expansion of their Sport Clips investment beyond the 30 stores they owned in Arizona, Tyler was graduating from BYU and decided to join the business. He became the area manager and oversaw operations for four stores in Oregon and Washington.
By 2022, the investment grew to eight stores in the Northwest, then 28 with the purchase of 20 stores in Utah. Tyler then became director of operations and team leader for the group’s Pacific Northwest and Utah stores. He’s now moved back to his home state of Arizona, managing store grand openings, IT, and marketing for the 40 Phoenix stores, while still overseeing the Utah and OR/WA markets.
Ashley Jordan
She had her dream job in another state, but wanted to continue her parents’ legacy
Ashley Jordan started work as a receptionist at age 16 in one of her parents’ three Sport Clips stores in South Carolina. After college, she moved to Nashville, where she had what she called her “dream job” in the music industry. But her heartstrings were pulled when she decided carrying on the Sport Clips legacy to honor “what her parents did within the organization” was more important to her, and joined her brother E.J. in the family business back home. When her father, a respected area developer, passed away, her mother stepped back from the business, and Ashley and E.J., went through the process of officially becoming area developers and team leaders. She says they now have 19 stores and are focusing on operations and supporting their teams.
Patrick Weishaar
After marrying into it, Sunday family dinner conversations led him to Sport Clips
Working in local media and field marketing turns out to be a successful launch into becoming a Sport Clips franchisee. Even more so when you are a Sport Clips client who marries into a franchisee family. Patrick Weishaar is now a franchisee himself, with three stores in the Louisville, Kentucky area. He was a “right hand man” for a while in learning the business from his in-law franchisees Joanne and Tim Boyle, and says he fully immersed himself in the process. He took part in Discovery Day, learning about all the support the franchise has to offer; attended Wednesday Webinars; and read every “Game Time” internal e-news since it was becoming “his” business. To make it work as next gen owner, Patrick shares the following key pieces of advice:
- Bring your own unique perspective to the business, but listen and be open to advice.
- Welcome change and growth.
- Use local store marketing, especially social media, as a key tool.
Learn More about Franchising with Sport Clips
This next generation of franchisees with Sport Clips are keeping it all in the family, and it may be an investment you want to start for your family’s future. If so, learn more by visiting our research pages here. If you’re ready for a conversation with our team, fill out our form here. We look forward to hearing from you.
