Supercuts Corporate Bio

This article was written by Phineas Upham

Supercuts, the corner store of haircutting, was founded by Frank Emmett and Geoffrey Rappaport in 1975. Their model made hairstyling more mainstream, removing the high-fashion aspect present in salons across the country. Supercuts is based around the concept of providing a fast haircut at a reasonable cost, and the model has fueled company expansion since.

The company offers very basic services, charging customers for additional services as needed. You no longer came in for a shampoo and a haircut, you chose one and paid for the other. This was contrary to business practices of the time, but adhered to a` la cart style of dining.

Supercuts managed to gain a foothold in the market through aggressive advertising. Though the business was always conceived as a franchise opportunity, it was important to get the experience right so customers could get their hair cut with ease. The two entrepreneurs set to work on development of a plan that allowed hairdressers to complete a haircut within 20 minutes.

This technique was easy to teach, and it could be easily shared with all Supercuts stylists as needed.

Supercuts stylists are all licensed cosmetologists. The candidate then has to go through training at the Emmett-Rappaport school for hair-cutting. The company was also strict in forcing those stylists to adhere to the standards, but provided incentives for employees to maintain the best practices.

Supercuts pays its employees hourly, where a regular salon would pay people for the haircuts they perform. This approach freed stylists up to get the basics down before striking out on their own to get their own clientele.