From left, Paul, Rob and Bill O’Brien opened Floyd’s 99 Barbershop in 2001. The brand has since grown to more than 130 locations in 15 states.
In the early ‘90s, a baseball strike interrupted the O’Brien brothers’ concessions business, Observ Inc. In the late ‘90s, another strike loomed. “We said we should diversify and look at different businesses,” Bill O’Brien said. “We thought the hair business was the right business for us.”
In 2001, brothers Bill, Paul and Rob O’Brien opened the first Floyd’s 99 Barbershop. The brand has since grown to 133 salons in 15 states, 56 of which are franchised. The brothers wanted to create a space for customers to get their hair cut and styled that didn’t cost an arm and a leg and was a bit nicer than the run-of-the-mill barbershop.
“Floyd’s is really an experience. It’s kind of experiential,” Paul O’Brien said. “We really tried to cater to not only just being convenient, but we try to cater to the friendly neighborhood feel in the shop.”
Floyd’s, with the tagline “For everyone,” is a haircut franchise that also offers color, shaving and waxing services. The brand has its own line of haircare products, from shampoo and conditioner to body wash and styling creams. It has the décor to give each shop an eclectic, old-school vibe. The walls are covered in photos of musicians such as Madonna, the Beatles and the Sex Pistols. But, unlike the retro musicians, the haircuts are still modern and fresh.
For a lot of men, getting a haircut feels like a chore, Bill O’Brien said. “We’ve made it an experience, where not only was it not a chore, they were actually looking forward to it,” he said. “They look forward to … the music, it’s the greeting at the door.” The music is so popular that Floyd’s offers a custom channel on its website for customers to listen to when they’re not in for a haircut.
“It’s, of course, the great haircuts, back massage, hot lather neck shave and, actually, the shop just being busy where it just feels like the place to be,” he continued. “It’s hard to explain on paper. But when you walk in you go, ‘Oh, now I get it.’”
The brand’s success the past two decades can be attributed to its talented stylists, Rob O’Brien said. “We’re known for our expertise in haircutting,” he said. “Guys care more about the way their hair looks these days.”
Paul O’Brien said sustainable growth has been a big factor as well. “I think we were very choosy. We did our homework,” he said. Other haircut chains, he said, have grown more quickly when they didn’t have the infrastructure to support it. During the pandemic, when many franchises had to close their doors, Floyd’s remained stable.
Floyd’s has also picked the right partners for its franchisees, he said. “What we’re excited about now, moving forward now, is that we think that we have the right things in place to really go after the franchise opportunity,” Paul O’Brien said.
The brand wants franchisees who are looking to be actively involved with the business. Floyd’s tries to be active in the community, and the brand wants partners who will reflect that. “I do think that our franchisees that run the shops, they have great lives and they love it. They love the experience,” Paul O’Brien said.
The initial investment required to open a Floyd’s 99 Barbershop ranges from $399,500 to $762,500. In 2022, the brand’s average unit volume was $963,324, with an overall range of $407,781 to $1.8 million across 39 franchised stores, according to its franchise disclosure document.
So, what’s it like running a business for two decades with your brothers? “Well, for them, I’d say they would say it’s amazing,” Rob O’Brien joked.
The trio play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses to run the company. Rob works with the operations and marketing teams, Paul focuses on franchising and real estate, and Bill works on the finance side. “It all kind of naturally fits our independent personalities and the way we’re wired,” Rob O’Brien said.
“We do run it like a family business because it is one,” Paul O’Brien said, “but I think that what we try to create is that family feeling in the shop. And that’s important.”