1851

<p>Today, hair salons can be pretty complicated. Their interior designs are filled with over-the-top glitz and glamour. Hair treatment products with names you can&#8217;t even pronounce line the walls. A simple blowdry can cost just as much as a haircut. And when it comes to keeping on top of the latest trends, trying to understand that Bronde is the new Balayage and Balayage is the new Ombr&#233; is enough to leave most in a stupor.</p><div>But for brands like <a href="http://www.greatclipsfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=the-long-and-short-of-it-the-great-clips-secret-to-success-3938" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Great Clips</a>, they approach the industry a little differently. Instead of getting caught up in the ebb and flow of fads, they prefer to stick to the basics. And for this 33-year-old legacy brand, it&#8217;s a tactic that has paid off&#8212;its billion dollar empire boasts more than 3,800 salon locations nationwide, and for 44 straight quarters, Great Clips has seen consecutive sales growth.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The Great Clips secret, according to CEO Rhoda Olsen, is knowing what works for its customers&#8212;and sticking to it. The brand values comfort and convenience. They don&#8217;t offer coloring or other upscale hair treatments. Its customers&#8212;70 percent male and mostly between ages 20 and 60&#8212;just want a reasonably priced haircut with as little waiting as possible (a basic haircut at Great Clips costs around $14, and unlike many hair salons, they operate on a walk-in only basis). It&#8217;s Olsen&#8217;s goal to keep the energy around that very simple focus.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&#8220;We don&#8217;t really change a lot. We know people want a convenient location with convenient hours. They don&#8217;t want the added pressure of having to make an appointment and being forced to stick to it. They don&#8217;t mind a limited selection of services either, because the prices are moderate. This model has worked for us, and it hasn&#8217;t wavered in 30-plus years. Even when the economy was bad, the haircut cycle didn&#8217;t suffer. People still came through our doors just as they always have,&#8221; Olsen said.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In a year, the brand usually does upwards of 90 million haircuts across all of their salons&#8212;a true testament to the brand&#8217;s importance in just about any city in America. Great Clips typically anchors itself in neighborhood shopping centers, and in many ways, putting their storefronts where people are consuming retail products gives them more visibility.  Historically, the brand has targeted areas where there are plenty of families and economic growth, but Great Clips has also set out to open more salons in dense urban areas, too.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&#8220;We&#8217;re in big cities, small towns, in growing areas and rural areas. We&#8217;re everywhere. Everybody that&#8217;s willing to pay for a haircut is our potential customer. They&#8217;re already getting their hair cut somewhere, we just want them to come to Great Clips,&#8221; Olsen added.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>But while the brand&#8217;s mission remains unchanged, Great Clips still continues to add new weapons to its arsenal. In recent years, the brand has moved quickly to adopt new technology&#8212;both for its consumer-facing business and its internal operations. The company offers an Online Check-In system that&#8217;s used by about 22 percent of its customers and a mobile app that&#8217;s had millions of downloads.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&#8220;If you&#8217;re holding your phone in your hand, we view that as our front door. So the more we can connect with customers in their life and lifestyle through technology, that means we&#8217;ve pushed our front door out to where the customer is, and if they open it, it&#8217;s great for business,&#8221; Olsen said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve always focused on more customers rather than more dollars per customers, and this helps us continue to thrive in that way.&#8221;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Olsen believes that as the world&#8217;s largest salon brand, it&#8217;s their commitment to tradition and simplicity coupled with modern enhancements&#8212;like new technology&#8212;that makes Great Clips great. Being a brand with a proven three-decade track record doesn&#8217;t hurt either, and year after year, potential owners flock to this tried-and-true business model to join the team. Great Clips prides itself on being 100 percent franchisee-owned. Today, they have nearly 1,200 franchisees on board, and they expect that number to continue to grow.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In 2015 alone, Great Clips signed more than 270 leases, and this year, the brand aims to add another 200 new locations, or more. Franchisees interested in joining Great Clips are asked for a minimum net worth of $300,000 and liquid capital of $50,000.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&#8220;For years Great Clips has been the world&#8217;s fastest-growing salon brand. Our services are reliable and trusted&#8212;families know us and love us. And on top of that, we&#8217;re operating in a recession-resistant industry with a time-tested business model,&#8221; Olsen said. &#8220;It all comes down to three things: comfort, freedom and connection&#8212;for our customers, for our hairstylists and for our franchisees.&#8221;</div>  <div>&nbsp;</div><div><span style="115%;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;minor-latin;Calibri; minor-latin;minor-latin;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;minor-bidi;EN-US; EN-US;AR-SA">To learn more about Great Clips, <a href="http://greatclips.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=the-long-and-short-of-it-the-great-clips-secret-to-success-3938" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here.</a></span></div><div>&nbsp;</div>

1851 Franchise

For more than 30 years, Great Clips has thrived on simplicity. Now, they?ve emerged as the industry's fastest-growing salon brand. 

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

The Long and Short of It - The Great Clips Secret to Success

the-long-and-short-of-it-the-great-clips-secret-to-success

SweatHouz

SweatHouz SWTHZ Franchise - Hunter and Mallory Mitchem - Franchisee Feature - 1851 Franchise

From Aerospace to Wellness: Hunter Mitchem’s Journey to a SweatHouz Empire

sweathouz-franchise-hunter-mitchem-6g

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen

Onigilly - Low Operating Costs Drive High Returns for Franchisees - 1851 Franchise

Maximize Your ROI: How Onigilly’s Low Operating Costs Drive High Returns for Franchisees

onigilly-franchise-fast-casual-franchise-opportunity

Layne's Chicken Fingers

What Is the Layne’s Franchise Disclosure Document, and What Will I Find in It?

laynes-franchise-disclosure-document

Athletech News: How SWTHZ Delivers on Wellness Demands of All Kinds

swthz-delivers-wellness-demands-contrast-therapy

TruBlue Home Service Ally

Why Protected Territories Matter and How the TruBlue Franchise Delivers

why-protected-territories-matter-and-how-the-trublue-franchise-delivers

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Bed Bath & Beyond - Franchise Expansion - Retail Strategy - 1851 Franchise

Bed Bath & Beyond Launches Franchise Model as Part of Comeback Strategy

bed-bath-beyond-franchise-expansion-retail-strategy

Senior Entrepreneurship - Franchising - 1851 Franchise

Senior Entrepreneurship Is Rising — And Franchising Is a Key Outlet

senior-entrepreneurship-franchising-silver-startups

U.S. Government Shutdown - Impact on Franchises - 1851 Franchise

Government Shutdown Stalls SBA Loans: How the Shutdown Could Impact Franchises

government-shutdown-impacts-sba-loans-tourism-franchises

Subway Franchisees Resist Expensive Remodel Directives

subway-franchisees-resist-expensive-remodel-directives

The American Franchise Act: What It Means for Franchisors and Franchisees - 1851 Franchise

The American Franchise Act: What It Means for Franchisors and Franchisees

american-franchise-act-joint-employer-standard

Power Eats: Smoothie King Rolls Out Food Nationwide To Fuel Franchise Growth

smoothie-king-food-menu-power-eats

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

Friendly’s Parent Company Acquired by Multi-Unit Franchisee as More Owners Take the Lead in Brand Acquisitions 

friendlys-parent-company-acquired-by-multi-unit-franchisee-as-more-owners-take-the-lead-in-brand-acquisitions

Top Education Franchises To Consider for 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Top Education Franchises To Consider Investing In for 2025

top-education-franchises-investment-opportunities

Top Early Childhood Education and Child Care Franchises for 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Top Early Childhood Education and Child Care Franchises for 2025

early-childhood-education-child-care-franchises

Top Arts and Creative Learning Franchises for 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Top Arts and Creative Learning Franchises for 2025

top-arts-creative-learning-franchises

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Barb Volk and KidStrong logo

Why This Orangetheory Fitness Franchise Owner Is Developing KidStrong Franchises

kidstrong-franchise-owner-barb-volk-2025

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

The Long and Short of It - The Great Clips Secret to Success

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS