Great Clips franchise hair salons are manager-run
Manager-run isn’t absentee. Franchisees stay actively involved, especially in the first few years
The work franchisees put in early is what lets their business run well later
In franchising, owners run their businesses in a few different ways. Some are full-time operators, either because their franchisor requires it or because that’s how they like to work. Some are part-time, running the business alongside a day job, retirement, or raising kids. And some hire an on-site manager to handle day-to-day operations.
That last group often gets labeled “semi-absentee owners”—a phrase I’ve never loved because it implies the franchisee has checked out or acts as merely an investor vs. an owner. I prefer “manager-run.”
The fact that Great Clips salons are manager-run is one of the reasons franchisees say they invested in our brand. It means that franchisees don’t need to know how to cut hair to be successful Great Clips franchisees. But manager-run doesn’t mean hands-off, especially in the early years.
Every Great Clips salon has a salon manager who knows how to be a stylist, coaches the team, and keeps the walk-in hair salon running smoothly. That’s critically important, because it’s the expertise most franchisees don’t bring with them.
What franchisees do own are the outcomes: growth, profitability, and brand reputation. Their job is to hire a great manager, support that manager well, and stay close enough to the franchised hair salon business to understand how it’s really running.
That’s a real shift for a lot of new franchisees, especially ones coming from careers where they were the expert in the room on every operational detail. Here, the expertise in the room belongs to the salon manager. The franchisee’s role is to be an active leader and business owner.
I like to compare franchise ownership to life phases. Going through discovery with a franchisor is a little like dating. Signing a franchise agreement is like marrying the operations team. And opening a first salon is like bringing home a new baby.
Or...a puppy! A prospective franchisee just got a new dog and admitted he had no idea how much work it would be. Perfect comparison, because a new business is similar: There’s a lot to learn, and the time put in up front pays off later.
In those early years, involved franchisees are in their salons regularly, getting to know their manager and stylists, learning the numbers, and showing up in the community. That work is what eventually lets the business run well later.
As franchisees add salons, their role naturally evolves. Most franchisees tell us that around four or five salons is when it starts to make sense to bring on a general manager to help oversee multiple locations. At that point, they’re managing the people who manage their salons, not the salons themselves.
The franchisees who make this work well give their managers and GMs real accountability and responsibility for making decisions, without micromanaging or hovering. At the same time, they’re around when their team needs a sounding board to confirm they’re on the right path.
That kind of trust doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built during those early years, when the franchisee was in the salon learning how the business works and getting to know the people running it.
For anyone weighing a Great Clips franchise, the question to ask isn’t “Can I run a salon?” It’s “Can I effectively manage someone I trust to run it?” and “Am I ready to be actively involved while my business gets on its feet?” The franchisees who answer yes to both tend to be the ones building the biggest, healthiest organizations in our system.
To learn more about what Great Clips franchise ownership involves, see What Makes a Great Franchisee and Is Great Clips Right for You? And, give us a call. We’d love to hear what you’re thinking about.
Beth Nilssen, Director of Franchise Development, Great Clips, Inc.
[email protected] | 800-947-1143
No. That’s a common misconception. Semi-absentee implies the owner has checked out. In a manager-run business, the franchisee is actively involved in managing the manager and supporting the business, even if they’re not the one running daily salon operations.
No. The salon manager brings the salon expertise. The franchisee’s job is ownership, strategy, and support.
Very involved. New franchisees typically spend a lot of time in their salons getting to know their managers and stylists, learning their numbers, and building the foundation their business will run on later.
Most franchisees tell us it starts to make sense around four or five salons, when a general manager can help oversee multiple locations.
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