McMurdo Family Continues Sport Clips Haircuts Growth Across Colorado and Wyoming Through Multi-Generational Leadership

During the financial uncertainty of the late 2000s, Ted McMurdo and his wife, Tina, began considering franchising as a steadier, long-term investment and a possible path out of corporate life. Together with their son, Riley, they launched a Sport Clips Haircuts business in Colorado, building a portfolio of sports-themed hair care locations specializing in grooming services for men’s and boys. Riley took on the work of opening the first location, building the team and running day-to-day operations while Ted provided the financial backing and Tina handled much of the back-office work.

“We had talked about franchises for a long time, but I think the uncertainty of outside factors told him, ‘Now’s the time. If we’re ever going to do it, we should probably do it now,’” Riley said. “He approached me and said, ‘Would you go in on this with me?’ He put the money up and asked me to run the company and build up equity of my own in the business.”

The family divided the work based on what each person could contribute to the business. Ted stayed close to the finances and big-picture decisions while continuing his career at Mobil, while Riley and Tina handled the daily work of getting the stores open, staffed and running.

“We approached Riley about starting it with us, and we felt like it was a great opportunity to start our own business,” Tina said. “Riley and I started this journey together, and we learned together. I handled the back office, finances and accounting, while Riley handled the stores and management. That’s how it all began.”

From One Store to a Regional Family Operation

Their first Sport Clips opened in 2010, with Riley handling the daily operations as the family learned the business. The next big step came in 2011, when the McMurdos bought an existing Castle Rock location that performed well enough to speed up their growth plans.

“We built that first store from the ground up, hired the staff, and I was running the operations there,” Riley said. “Then we were approached by some Team Leaders who were exiting the system and asked if we wanted to buy their stores. One of them was Castle Rock, and that store really took off like wildfire once we got hold of it. That allowed us to grow faster than we had anticipated.”

As the store count grew, more of the family moved into defined roles. Ted joined the business full-time after leaving Mobil in 2017. Riley continued to lead operations, later sharing the work with his brother-in-law, Jason Arnold, who is married to Riley’s sister, Ashlie. Ashlie took on much of the accounting and administrative work, while Riley’s wife, Jessica, became involved with payroll.

Today, Riley and Jason oversee operations across the organization, while Ashlie manages much of the administrative work behind the scenes. Ted remains active as an adviser and mentor, handling store maintenance, reviewing projections and leading annual manager training sessions.

“My dad’s main job right now is maintenance for the stores,” Riley said. “He also serves as a CEO adviser. He has years of experience in the business world, and he puts together projections for the company and presents them to us. He identifies areas where we’re doing well and areas that are concerning.”

Why the McMurdos Are Growing on Their Own Terms

The McMurdos currently oversee stores throughout Colorado and Wyoming and continue evaluating opportunities as they arise. Riley said the family is still interested in growth, but expansion decisions are now approached much more carefully than they were during the company’s early years.

“We’re not in the business of going into areas we’re uncertain about,” Riley said. “It would have to be the right area, somewhere we’re comfortable with and where we’ve already seen success in similar markets.”

The family believes the company can continue to grow while remaining manageable within its existing leadership structure. Maintaining the flexibility and culture of a family-run operation matters just as much as expanding the store count.

“We feel like we can still do all this within the scope of the family,” Ted said. “We don’t really have to start thinking about hiring a CFO or specialized positions yet.”

Keeping the Business in the Family Without Losing the Family

The family aspect of the business has worked because each person’s role developed around real needs in the company. Rather than forcing a traditional corporate structure, the McMurdos built around the skills already inside the family, then adjusted as the business grew.

Because so many family members are involved in the company, conversations about the business tend to spill into everyday life. A weekly operations meeting might eventually turn into discussions about family schedules, upcoming trips or who is bringing what to the next gathering.

“You have to have a pretty strong relationship from the get-go,” Ted said. “We’ve always had really good communication. I cannot say there haven’t been disagreements, but we always work through those. Nobody takes themselves so seriously that they are going to walk away from it.”

The same mindset carries over into how the family works together after difficult decisions must be made. Because the business partners are also parents, siblings, spouses and in-laws, the McMurdos have had to learn how to protect the relationships around the business as carefully as they manage the company itself.

“The six of us — Riley and his wife, Ashlie and her husband, Ted and me — are very respectful of each other and appreciative of one another,” Tina said. “You have to remember that after the meeting, you may still be going to lunch together, having dinner together or attending a family function together. You have to be kind and understanding. We all want what is best for the business.”

In 2020, Ted and Tina put a formal structure in place around the transition that had already been underway within the company. Riley and Jessica became one-third owners, Ashlie and Jason became one-third owners, and Ted and Tina kept the remaining ownership stake and voting control.

For Tina, the ownership transition reflected what the family had been building toward from the beginning. Riley helped launch the business, grew with it and gradually took on more responsibility as the rest of the family became involved. That history is part of why the business still feels personal even as the company continues to expand.

“I think it’s important that people understand Riley was part of the business from the very beginning,” Tina said. “When we talked about legacy and eventually passing it on, that was always the plan.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/sport-clips.