Pigtails & Crewcuts, a national children’s hair salon franchise with 64 locations in 22 states, has announced plans to continue to expand its national footprint by identifying the southeast region for the brand’s expansion. The family-focused brand will ramp up growth through strategic franchise partnerships.

We askedMichelle Holliman, VP of Franchise Development, to talk about this fast-growing children’s hair salon and how this business model is making kids, parents, and franchisees happy.

Michelle Holliman

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MODERN SALON: How do you create a stress-free experience for the kids and their families?  What are some of the elements in the salon that help with this?

MICHELLE HOLLIMAN: Our salons have brightly colored walls with appropriate aged movies playing at each styling station.  We have a train table, books and toys to ensure a fun environment.  However, we understand that getting a haircut can be an emotional experience for some children.  We work hard to make each child comfortable and stylists are always ready with bubbles and other distractions to make our youngest customers feel safe. Our mission is to create a fun and memorable experience for children and parents alike.

MS: How do you support your franchisees? (do you have annual retreats, conference calls, coaching, etc.?) 

MH: Our franchise support team is top-notch.  We assist with all stages of pre-opening: site-selection, lease negotiation, as well as all other aspects of the business.  Each franchisee is assigned a Franchise Support Specialist (“FSS”) to assist with daily operations.  This person is the go-to person for our franchisees. They talk daily or weekly to assist with HR scenarios, customer service, marketing, and financial overview.  We also have a national franchise conference every 18 months where all franchisees come together to learn what direction the company is headed as well as an opportunity to network with their peers.

MS: Do your locations have any trouble staffing-up? 

MH: Employing the right people is always a challenge with any business.   We have owners that have been in the P&C business for over 10 years with the same staff.  It’s about creating the right culture within your four walls.  That’s what we teach our franchisees.  Our franchise support team assists their franchisees with retention and ways to incentivize.

MS: Are the “65 locations in development” all in North America?

MH: Yes, all of our locations are in North America.  We do not have plans, at this moment, to expand outside the continental USA but we’re also not opposed to it.

MS: How do you research and select your locations?

MH: We have a demographic software that helps determine if the market is a desirable market with high suitability.  However, demographics are only one component on finding an ideal market and location.  It provides a footprint of the area but we also rely heavily on the franchisee’s local knowledge of their market.  

Learn more about Pigtails & Crewcuts here and here.