JOE recently spoke to 26-year-old Owen Crudge from Clonakilty in Cork about his new Dublin City-based venture ‘Barber on a Bike’…
There has been quite a lot of commotion on social media about a new Irish business venture called Barber on a Bike today, so we decided to track down Owen Crudge, the man behind the business, to find out how he came up with this razor-sharp idea.
JOE: Hi Owen. Thanks for chatting to us. So have you been busy today?
Owen: Hi JOE. Well, yes actually. The recent bit of media coverage has kicked up quite a bit of dust, so to speak, so yeah. I’ve been getting a good few calls from new customers today.
JOE: That’s great to hear. So how long has Barber on a Bike been up and cycling?
OC: Well, since December/January this year (2014). But it has really been during the summer that the service has taken off…
JOE: What were you doing before Barber on a Bike kicked off?
OC: I was in Australia for a year and when I came back in December I moved up to Dublin, but I didn’t really have any job options. I’ve been cutting hair for six years – I’m not chancing my arm or anything, don’t worry about that – so I had that going for me…
It’s official, I’m legit. Bertie suggested The Isle of Man but I thought Skibbereen had a ring to it. #barberonabike pic.twitter.com/HJvYWCnFxU
— Barber on a Bike (@abarberonabike) February 10, 2014
JOE: Did Barber on a Bike need much investment to get up and running in the first place?
OC: Well no, not initially. I had the bike and the equipment, so it was just all about getting Facebook and Twitter up and running first. I didn’t actually invest in anything major at the start. It’s only recently that I’ve started putting money into a website (www.barberonabike.ie) and I have a few promotional posters being made and a few graphic designers to pay. So yeah, it’s going a lot better than I thought I would.
JOE: What’s the end goal for your business? Are you aiming for a fleet of Barbers on Bikes?
OC: Yeah, ideally, that would be great. I think I’d prefer to be doing this rather than working in a barbershop. I actually looked into opening a shop when I came back from Australia. I looked into a few properties, but even when you look outside the city centre the rent rates are just absolutely nuts. You’d want to be doing cuts all day every day to make a small bit of profit. So with this set up, it’s zero investment involved, really.
JOE: How does someone go about getting a cut?
OC: Well, people can email, Tweet or use Facebook and I just see where they are on Google Maps, put them in the appointment book and then make my way over there. Simple really.
JOE: Does the customer need to have anything in particular for you to cut their hair? Apart from actually having hair, of course…
OC: No, once they have a socket and a chair then we’re good to go. It also helps to have a sweepable floor, like tiles or Lino; you wouldn’t really want to be doing it on carpet.
JOE: So who does the cleaning then? Do you clean up the hair after you’re done or is it left up to the customer?
OC: Well, no, I don’t usually clean up. The customers are generally happy enough to do it themselves. I’m only charging €15 per cut at the moment, so they’re generally more than happy to do it.
JOE: Is that the going rate? Are you planning on putting up your prices anytime soon?
OC: Well initially it was just a ‘starting off offer’, but I’ve picked up a lot of regular customers who seem to fall under the €15-max bracket for a haircut. So it’ll be staying that price for the moment anyway.
JOE: How do you store the cutting equipment when cycling? Would it not be a bit dangerous if you fell?
OC: … I never really thought of that (laughs). Well, I have a bag for the scissors and combs that I then put in a backpack, so there’s not really much to it. If you walk into a barber’s there are always 101 things lying on the counter, but you don’t really need that much to cut hair to be honest.
JOE: What is it like going into, what is essentially a stranger’s house, to cut their hair? It must be a bit nerve-racking at first?
OC: At the start it was a bit nerve-racking all right, but most of my customers are within the 20 to 35-years of age bracket, so it’s generally a good laugh. You get comfortable straight away. It’s a bit like going around to one of “the lads'” houses, especially with some of my regular customers. They often pop a beer open and I kind of have a policy to not turn them down either.
JOE: Fair enough. How many cuts would you do in a day and what times do you work?
OC: Well it depends, but I could easily do around five in a day. I’d love to do more, but it’s hard for me to cover that much ground, you know. So far I’ve been doing a lot in the evenings when lads get home from work. At least it has given me time to catch up on Game of Thrones during the day.
JOE: And finally, Owen, do you have any advice for anyone thinking of starting up his or her own business?
OC: Just be careful. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. I’m still getting started myself, it’s my first venture, and so I still have a bit to learn. My regular customers have kind of been like my PR agents, getting the word of mouth out there, so I think that is important too.
To find out more about Barber on Bike or to make an appointment with Owen check out the official Barber on a Bike Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also head over to barberonabike.ie…
