Re:A barber shop on wheels that you book via an app
by ams6110 on Saturday March 30, 2019 @05:20PM
(#19531928)
Agreed, all of that matters. Also, another big difference from Uber is that the vast majority of adults can drive, so their pool of potential drivers is large. Barbering is a niche skill and in many areas is regulated. I can't just download an app and start working unless I'm already a trained and licensed barber. Then I'd need to own or rent the van outfitted with the chair and other equipment. The scaling model is vastly more constrained than Uber.
What does it cost to rent a chair in a salon? (what is the operational expense (opex) of the current method)
What percentage of time that the salon is open, is the chair in use? (what is the haircut operational time)
What percentage of customers don't use your chair because they can't get to your location? (substitution value of stylists in a free market)
What percentage of your customers are 'regular' versus 'walk in'? (opportunity cost vs monthly recurring revenue (MRR))
I haven't done the research but I could certainly imagine in places like the Bay Area where rents are high that this could be a better system for a stylist than the traditional one.