Interview Day 5 - Union Station Visit

After visiting high-traffic areas in downtown DC, we decided to reach out to the traveling segment at Union Station to reach out to 1) potential customers and 2) agents that lease space rentals.

I came across the shoe shining shop outside of the Amtrak boarding gates.  Here, I was fortunate to talk to several folks who were waiting in line for a shoe shine.  The interviews I had with about 10 shoe-shine customers were very much informal and in passing, but there were many telling things said that were great takeaways:

Shoe Shine Shop in Union Station.  There were 3 stations and several
men waiting in line whom I interviewed

"If only there was a place for guys to cut their hair."

"The Art of Shaving (pic below) is too expensive and high-end for most travelers."

Art of Shaving store located within
the Union Station shopping area

"This shoe shining would be better if there were more stations.  It would get plenty of customers."

I also went ahead and spoke with 2 of the employees of the shoe shining business to gauge space rental pricing.  They could not give specifics, but they indicated it was quite reasonable and definitely feasible to pay for with the demand.  They referred me to a manager, but she was unfortunately not present and I was instead given her contact info.  I also emailed the specialty leasing manager listed on the Union Station website and am awaiting a response.

Interviews on 3/12 - Our Test Run!

We were happy to receive lots of positive feedback on our hair trimming and cleanup service. Out of the 4 customers who received hair trimming service today, all 4 of them respond that they will definitely pay for the service again. Additionally, over 50% of the potential customers at the test-run station said "they will definitely pay for the service if the service was performed by professional barbers and the hygiene issue is not a concern."

Also, we are excited that we are receiving more attention on Twitters and were retwitted by respected entrepreneur.

The following are the 12 interviews we conduct today, key takeaway points include:

– Proof of quality
– Hygiene issue
– Certified professional stylists

Our first test run!

We are excited to announce that we set up a pop-up stylist station right here in the Hariri building!  Check out our Twitter (@scissorquik) and Instagram (@scissorquik) pages for more pictures and videos from the event.

Time for a Test Run!

After our Day 3 pitch, Professor Koester was convinced that we are ready to put this concept to the test.  Looks like a lot of our classmates agree.

Our plan is to reach out to barbers and see if any would be willing to cut hair in a temporary booth downtown.  Let's see if this plan works!  We received one idea from Russell to reach out to beauty schools to see if a student can help (thanks, Russ!).  Students would get the added benefit of acquiring training hours.

Craigslist ad:  http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/vol/4927640642.html

Interviews on 3/11/15 in Farragut Square & Business District, DC

On Wednesday, 3/11/15, our team visited the business district of Washington DC.  We decided to pay a visit to the Farragut Square area and nearby metro stations (Farragut West, McPherson Square).  Due to the lunch rush hour and long line of food trucks, there was a massive crowd and we were able to interview 22 people.  However, because this was during business hours, many were in a rush and could not speak for more than a couple of minutes.

Farragut Square in DC

We were fortunate to see many professional men - our primary
target segment - during lunch hour at Farragut Square

In today's round of interviews, we evolved our questions to gauge interest in professional males aged 25-40 for a in-between clean-up haircuts concept.  We found that, in our somewhat small sample size, that there is demand for it, but skepticism on whether the idea would work.  There also seemed to be trepidation on this customer segment when it came to $10 hair cuts; they were concerned at a potential sacrifice in quality of their hair cut.  Therefore, it is a must for our business to have reputable and well-trained stylists that draws positive reviews.

Our interviews gave us opportunity to try some experiments to validate/invalidate our hypotheses.

  

The interview results helped us determine our target customers to be 25 - 40 year old male, living in metropolitan area. We will provide two services, $10 for quick clean-up and $15 for full service haircut. We received very positive feedback and decided to run a test haircut/trimming tomorrow!

The business district of DC resembles an ideal setting for ScissorQuick to set up shop.  Because of the proximity of several metro stations (Farragut West, Farragut North, McPherson Square), our hypothesis that there would be sufficient demand to sustain our business inside of a metro station is validated.  We found that since we are not looking to occupy much space (perhaps somewhere around 50 squared-meters), there are many pockets to potentially choose from (not considering logistics or permission from the metro authority yet).

Inside Farragut North Metro Station

We got a lot of good information and insight from our interviews today.  Our customer base seems to be converging and our hypotheses are slowly evolving into facts for our target area.  More to come!

First Set of Interviews - Wan Chun and Vijay -3/10

Below is a list of interview questions along with eight of our interviewees' responses.  Apologies for the format; Blogger is quite unforgiving with large charts, so please click on it for a slightly better view:

Updates to Business Model Canvas

After conducting interviews, we found that there were no real market for 10 minute haircut. People were okay with the haircut taking a little longer, especially because there is a stigma of unsatisfactory results from a quick haircut.

Also, after getting inputs from a few people, it seems like there is a market for a quick 10 minute touch up at a reduced price. Whether it is a quick touch up before an interview, date, or something in-between their normally scheduled haircut, people responded positively to the idea.

With the two feedbacks, we decided to offer both services. First, we will offer a 10 minute quick solution for busy individuals who want a quick touch up at an affordable price of $10. We will also offer a normal length haircut at reduced price at $15.

We would also like to hone in on the target market and we will target the male population rather than female. We believe we can concentrate our market to the male population, and the quick touch up or a reduced price may attract females.

As for the location, we want to stay close to the metro stations, because people care about convenience when it comes to haircuts. Those who travel farther or are willing to go through more trouble to get a haircut are those who also don't mind spending more to get a haircut. We cannot market our services to these people because they have specific needs when it comes to their haircut and we may not provide the service they are looking for.

Our original business model was the Quick Barber business model that is widely popular in Japan, but we are shifting our business model to be the male version of Drybar. The target market is different, however, as we are targeting towards quick fix and cut option rather than those who are looking for styling.

First Day Interview: Ji Hyun Yoon - 3/10

I wanted to see if this idea had potential for young professionals, so I first contacted my friends who were in a professional environment and asked about their preference.

Mark K. Business owner, mid-30s, Asian male

-Haircut price is not an issue. Pays $45 for haircut

-Have been going to the same hair stylist for 5 years. Close by ~5 miles

-Time is not an issue because he owns his own business so he can get out whenever. However, always makes a reservation so he doesn’t have to wait to get a haircut

-Getting a good haircut is important. (Sidenote: he is very sensitive about his hair thinning/balding, so he wants to make sure they can give him a good haircut to bring out as much volume as possible)

-(More concerned with looking good than price or time)

John L. Young professional with busy schedule, mid-30s, Asian male

-Willing to pay up to $25 for haircut but doesn’t really wish to pay more

-Every stylist is about the same. Getting a clean cut is all he cares for

-Doesn’t have time to worry about haircut

-Does not have a specific stylist he goes to and never makes a reservation. Because he has to travel for work, sometimes gets it at a different city when it is convenient

-Time is important but allocates about 30 minutes for a haircut. If he has to wait in line, he will go some other time or sometimes gets work done while waiting

This gave conflicting result but it looks like a professional who had less control over his schedule put importance on convenience and time, which are what we are targeting.

There is a barber shop located at Rosslyn Metro Station. It takes no reservation, prides in quick turnaround, and is affordable at $18 a haircut for men. Because this model was similar to what we're aiming for, I decided to interview the patrons here. 

Steve S. Early 30’s, White male

-Haircut every once 3-4weeks

-Goes to the barber because of convenience and doing a good job

-Accessibility is the key

-Instruction: 2 on the side, and trim the top

-Waiting time: okay with 15-20 minutes

-Varies when to get a haircut because of schedule

-Chose the place based on Yelp reviews

-WTP: anything under $25

-Location > Price > Time

-Combine the haircut with other schedules

-No specific barber. Just goes to the building and gets it done quickly

John G. 20’s, Hispanic male

-Gets haircut every 2 weeks

-Convenience/location is the reason for choosing barber shop

-Chose the barber through word of mouth

-No specific barber

-Waiting time: 20-25 minutes

-Goes to barbershop according to schedule

-WTP: anything under $25

-Time > Price > Location

-Standalone trip (because live right off the block)

-Switched barbershop because of convenience

It is clear that these people also favor convenience. Their time and the location of the place is most important. Furthermore, their WTP was set at $25, so we are able to charge a little higher, or stay at a lower price to beat the market. Since they don't have a favorite barber they want, it is easier to train every barber to do a similar job and produce the consistency that customers enjoy.

I wanted to interview more patrons, but I was asked to leave by the barbershop after a few more attempts for interview requests. 

10 Minute Haircut - Startup Factory

This blog will document our work during Startup Factory.