Meet Zak Galindo of Galindo’s Barbershop in The Woodlands/ Conroe

Zak, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always had a passion for cutting hair and have always loved the barbershop experience. As a kid, I remember going to the barbershop on Saturdays to get my haircut and waiting there for 2-3 hours (they didn’t offer appointments back then). I loved everything about the barbershop, from the smell of the aftershaves they used to the conversations I would overhear, the personalities of all the barbers – I thought it was such a cool place so I didn’t mind waiting so long to get in the barber’s chair. I went to barber school at age 16 and have been cutting hair for 15 years since. I have had other professions throughout the years (Financial Advisor & CPA) but have always come back to my passion for cutting hair. I still love the barbershop just as much as I did my first day in barber school.

I opened up my first barbershop three years ago in Magnolia, Texas after spending 2 1/2 years in corporate America as an external auditor for a large firm named Ernst & Young. I had always wanted to have my own barbershop and after getting burned out from working long hours as a public accountant, I decided to take the entrepreneurial leap of faith. Fast forward to 2019 and we just opened our second location. We now have 20 barbers across both locations and have a 3rd location opening up in Q1 of 2021.

Has it been a smooth road?
Like any growing business, we have faced many challenges. Finding quality barbers is a struggle for all barbershops and I struggled in finding quality barbers at the very beginning. Additionally, I was tied down behind the chair, having to run daily operations and could not free up time to recruit top talent. Compound that with having to handle administrative tasks on top of running operations. I think many entrepreneurs can relate.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Galindo’s Barbershop story. Tell us more about the business.
Galindo’s Barbershop is a modern men’s barbershop specializing in the latest trends in men’s haircuts. We offer appointment booking 24/7, are open seven days a week and our clients can enjoy free beer while they wait.

We are the highest rated barbershop in the area across multiple platforms.  We only hire licensed barbers with experience in precision haircutting so we can guarantee our work, regardless of which chair you sit in.  We are known for the quality of our work but our customer service is what really sets us apart.

Barbershops are not known for being professional or punctual so we set out to change that by focusing our efforts in creating a pleasant experience that customers want to come back to. We turn what could easily be a tedious experience into something our clients look forward to on a regular basis. We listen to our client’s feedback and take action on requests brought to us. I think that’s helped us grow to where we are now.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There is a major resurgence of service level industries such as barbershops and salons. The men’s grooming industry is currently at an incline with no sign of slowing down within the coming decade. It is projected that the men’s grooming industry will be growing at a rate of 20% annually so that is very exciting for us.