Episodes

  • EP005 — What Is One Client Actually Worth to You?

    EP005 — What Is One Client Actually Worth to You?
    Jul 6 2026
    EP005 — What Is One Client Actually Worth to You? We run the actual math on what a single loyal client is worth to you over years, not just the haircut price in front of you. That $40 regular coming every two weeks for six years isn't a $40 transaction—he's a six-figure relationship that most barbers never see because they're chasing new faces instead of protecting the ones who are already showing up. In this episode: • One loyal client is worth thousands, not one haircut price • Frequency and years matter more than new client acquisition • Nearly half of new clients never return even once • Your best clients are often the ones you charge the least Follow on Instagram: @beforethechop Watch the full episode at beforethechop.com
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    34 mins
  • EP004 — What to Look for Before You Take a Chair in Any Shop

    EP004 — What to Look for Before You Take a Chair in Any Shop
    Jun 29 2026
    EP004 — What to Look for Before You Take a Chair in Any Shop We break down exactly how to evaluate a barbershop before you sign a chair, cutting through gut feelings to read hard evidence. By visiting on a slow Tuesday, watching the floor dynamics, checking the owner's understanding of their own numbers, and matching their claims against what you already observed, you'll make a strategic business decision instead of an emotional one. In this episode: • Visit shops on slow Tuesdays at noon, not Saturdays, to see what's actually real • Watch how barbers move around each other to read the shop's culture in 10 minutes • Ask the owner questions you already know the answer to and listen for honesty • Ask about booking platforms and client predictability, not just chair rent price Follow on Instagram: @beforethechop Watch the full episode at beforethechop.com
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    15 mins
  • EP003 — Finding Your Shop - The 3 Types of Environments

    EP003 — Finding Your Shop - The 3 Types of Environments
    Jun 22 2026
    EP003 — Finding Your Shop - The 3 Types of Environments This episode breaks down the three barbershop business models—commission, booth rental, and private suites—with concrete math and timing for when each one actually fits your career. The shop you choose determines your income potential, growth speed, and what you're actually calibrated to believe is possible. In this episode: • Commission scales the cut right up with you—that's the room tax. • Booth rent rewards the book you already have; know your break-even. • Suite ownership builds an asset, but overhead is real and costs are steep. • Environment calibrates your standards until the shop's normal becomes your normal. Follow on Instagram: @beforethechop Watch the full episode at beforethechop.com
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    22 mins
  • EP002 — The 9 Hats Every Barber Wears

    EP002 — The 9 Hats Every Barber Wears
    Jun 15 2026
    EP002 — The 9 Hats Every Barber Wears Most barbers think they're burned out on haircutting, but they're actually overwhelmed by nine invisible jobs they never trained for. This episode names all nine hats—from craftsman to small business owner—and shows you which ones are running you without permission, so you can finally manage what you've been unknowingly carrying. In this episode: • Barber school teaches you one job. The career gives you nine. • What you haven't named, you can't manage or improve. • Burnout rarely comes from the craft—it comes from the invisible eight. • Pick up two avoided hats deliberately this week and watch everything shift. Follow on Instagram: @beforethechop Watch the full episode at beforethechop.com
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    25 mins
  • EP001 — 5 Things Nobody Told You Before You Got Licensed

    EP001 — 5 Things Nobody Told You Before You Got Licensed
    Jun 8 2026
    Barber school teaches you how to cut hair. It does not teach you how to be a barber. Those are two different jobs — and on your first day, you got hired for both. Episode 1 of Before the Chop covers the five things that catch almost every barber off guard, no matter where you are in your career: why you're selling a feeling and not a haircut, the break-even number most barbers don't run until it costs them, why clients leave without ever telling you why, the emotional weight of the chair nobody warns you about, and the business side no one is coming to explain. Plus this week in Barber News: Josh Opie's new line with Matsui, the Omaha bar that got ordered to drop "barber" from its name, and the margin squeeze hitting shops right now. We close on a hot take about where to actually put your energy. Before the Chop is a live morning show about the business side of barbering, for barbers who want more than another fade tutorial. Made by a working barber. CHAPTERS (timestamp these against your final edit — order is fixed, times shift with cuts) 00:00 Cold open --:-- Welcome + what this show is --:-- Mindset Minute — underprepared isn't unqualified --:-- The 5 Things (main segment) --:-- 1. You're selling a feeling --:-- 2. Busy isn't profitable — the break-even problem --:-- 3. Clients leave and won't tell you why --:-- 4. The emotional weight of the chair --:-- 5. No one's coming to explain the business side --:-- Craft Corner — the Friday Five --:-- Barber News — Opie x Matsui, the "Censored Shop," the margin squeeze --:-- Hot Take — skill vs. clients: where to put your energy --:-- Close + next week BE PART OF THE SHOW • Live every Monday, 11:30 AM Mountain / 1:30 PM Eastern, right here on YouTube • Email the show: mail@beforethechop.com (questions, stories, topics) • Comment on any video — we read all of them NEXT WEEK The 9 Hats Every Barber Wears. There are nine jobs inside this one, most barbers carry all of them, and almost no one stops to name a single one. We name all nine. Subscribe so you don't miss it. Watch the full episode at beforethechop.com #barber #barbering #barbershop #barberbusiness #barbereducation
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    42 mins