At Pigtails & Crewcuts, a haircut has never been "just a haircut." It's a milestone, a memory and for many little ones, a moment that takes a little courage. Now, the brand is doubling down on that philosophy with two exciting new initiatives: its very first children's book, “Be Brave Today: Charlie's Haircut Day,” and the launch of Pigtails University, a custom-built learning management system designed to strengthen its franchise network.
“Be Brave Today” tells the story of Charlie, a young boy who’s nervous about going in for a haircut. The sound of clippers and the sight of scissors can feel overwhelming at first, something many kids (and parents) can relate to. With help from his friend Penny, Charlie starts to relax and see the experience differently. By the end, he’s not only gotten through it, he’s genuinely proud of himself.
The idea for the book grew out of authentic conversations within the Pigtails & Crewcuts team about how to make children feel comfortable and prepared before they ever set foot in the salon.
"All of our conversations went back to how families prepare prior to coming in, and how we make them feel good once they’re in the salon," said Theresa Vona, Vice President of Franchise Support. “And out of all of those conversations,‘Be Brave Today’ came about so that parents could read this to their children before coming to the salon.”
Pigtails & Crewcuts has been thoughtful about how the book reaches families. Individual franchise locations have the flexibility to sell it as retail, use it to read aloud to kids in the salon or donate copies to local elementary schools. Many Pigtails & Crewcuts locations have also installed Little Free Library in front of their stores, and have been placing copies in community book boxes so families everywhere can access the story, no salon visit required.
"It's a nice way to introduce our brand to the community in a positive way," Vona said. "And it's something our competitors don't have. We are the first to produce our own book in our category."
While “Be Brave Today” speaks to families, Pigtails University is built for the people behind the scissors. The new learning management system is designed to standardize and streamline training across the entire franchise system for franchisees, salon managers and stylists.
The platform organizes learning into curated, role-specific paths. New hires, for example, are greeted with a welcome video from the brand's CEO and Presdient, giving them immediate context about Pigtails & Crewcuts' history and values before they ever pick up a pair of shears. From there, courses cover everything from brand culture and customer experience to marketing, operations and leadership development. The courses are all structured in digestible steps with quizzes and checkpoints to reinforce learning along the way.
“We did a survey and our franchisees ranked us really high in some categories, like our trustworthiness. But one of the things they wanted to see more of was tools for training,” Vona said. "So we made this project a priority and are proud to be implementing it and rolling it out to our system."
The team vetted platforms, developed content and collaborated with a marketing firm to bring Pigtails University to beta. Content is contributed not just by the corporate support team, but by franchisees and a newly appointed group of brand ambassadors, including two licensed cosmetologists who will help build out stylist-specific programming.
Pigtails University is designed to support the brand's growth without sacrificing the quality of franchisee relationships that has made Pigtails & Crewcuts a trusted business in their communities in the first place.
"The more salons we have, the more these tools will help franchisees get answers faster," Vona said. “To have answers at their fingertips will help us grow in the way we should grow, where franchisees can log on and watch a video at midnight, if that’s the best time that works for them.”
As the franchise continues to grow, both of its new initiatives reinforce the same goal: creating an environment where kids feel comfortable, parents feel confident and franchisees feel supported.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.
Pigtails & Crewcuts
SPONSORED
From a heartwarming story about bravery to a cutting-edge learning hub, the beloved children's salon brand is investing in its community inside and out.
At Pigtails & Crewcuts, a haircut has never been "just a haircut." It's a milestone, a memory and for many little ones, a moment that takes a little courage. Now, the brand is doubling down on that philosophy with two exciting new initiatives: its very first children's book, “Be Brave Today: Charlie's Haircut Day,” and the launch of Pigtails University, a custom-built learning management system designed to strengthen its franchise network.
“Be Brave Today” tells the story of Charlie, a young boy who’s nervous about going in for a haircut. The sound of clippers and the sight of scissors can feel overwhelming at first, something many kids (and parents) can relate to. With help from his friend Penny, Charlie starts to relax and see the experience differently. By the end, he’s not only gotten through it, he’s genuinely proud of himself.
The idea for the book grew out of authentic conversations within the Pigtails & Crewcuts team about how to make children feel comfortable and prepared before they ever set foot in the salon.
"All of our conversations went back to how families prepare prior to coming in, and how we make them feel good once they’re in the salon," said Theresa Vona, Vice President of Franchise Support. “And out of all of those conversations,‘Be Brave Today’ came about so that parents could read this to their children before coming to the salon.”
Pigtails & Crewcuts has been thoughtful about how the book reaches families. Individual franchise locations have the flexibility to sell it as retail, use it to read aloud to kids in the salon or donate copies to local elementary schools. Many Pigtails & Crewcuts locations have also installed Little Free Library in front of their stores, and have been placing copies in community book boxes so families everywhere can access the story, no salon visit required.
"It's a nice way to introduce our brand to the community in a positive way," Vona said. "And it's something our competitors don't have. We are the first to produce our own book in our category."
While “Be Brave Today” speaks to families, Pigtails University is built for the people behind the scissors. The new learning management system is designed to standardize and streamline training across the entire franchise system for franchisees, salon managers and stylists.
The platform organizes learning into curated, role-specific paths. New hires, for example, are greeted with a welcome video from the brand's CEO and Presdient, giving them immediate context about Pigtails & Crewcuts' history and values before they ever pick up a pair of shears. From there, courses cover everything from brand culture and customer experience to marketing, operations and leadership development. The courses are all structured in digestible steps with quizzes and checkpoints to reinforce learning along the way.
“We did a survey and our franchisees ranked us really high in some categories, like our trustworthiness. But one of the things they wanted to see more of was tools for training,” Vona said. "So we made this project a priority and are proud to be implementing it and rolling it out to our system."
The team vetted platforms, developed content and collaborated with a marketing firm to bring Pigtails University to beta. Content is contributed not just by the corporate support team, but by franchisees and a newly appointed group of brand ambassadors, including two licensed cosmetologists who will help build out stylist-specific programming.
Pigtails University is designed to support the brand's growth without sacrificing the quality of franchisee relationships that has made Pigtails & Crewcuts a trusted business in their communities in the first place.
"The more salons we have, the more these tools will help franchisees get answers faster," Vona said. “To have answers at their fingertips will help us grow in the way we should grow, where franchisees can log on and watch a video at midnight, if that’s the best time that works for them.”
As the franchise continues to grow, both of its new initiatives reinforce the same goal: creating an environment where kids feel comfortable, parents feel confident and franchisees feel supported.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.
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