Meet Jonathan Shaeffer | Barber

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Shaeffer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, what principle do you value most?
In the barbering industry, there’s an expression: “quality over quantity.” This has become my mantra for my career. It affects my appointment time slots when I book with clients, it affects my prices, my marketing, my customer service and most of all it affects my mindset in business. I see barbering as an art not just an income. Every single client is a sculpture. I’m envisioning the end result and cutting their hair in a way that I can reveal the masterpiece that is waiting to shine through.

What should our readers know about your business?
I was in customer service/sales for around 12 years. I built that career to a point where I worked for an excellent company that took great care of me with pay, benefits and work experience. But what I found was I still didn’t enjoy my work. I felt creatively stunted and was getting to work early so I could psych myself up in the parking lot just to get through the day. I was single and decided if I was going to change careers then was the time. So I put in my month notice which surprised my co-workers but, they understood. And I remembered cutting my own hair and others while serving in the army. I remembered how fun that was. So I enrolled in barber school and the rest is history! It wasn’t the easiest switch from a great paying job to rebuilding from scratch. But, it’s been worth every moment. I feel what sets me apart in the barbering industry is my attention to detail/customization per client in my haircuts, my customer service and how I build relationships with my clientele.
Every client has differing hair textures, densities and head shape. I never do the same cut twice on any of my clients. All of these details are things I use to sculpt my work onto my clients.
I believe customer service is the foundation of all business. I’ve known clients who couldn’t care less about how their hair looks when I finish the cut. But, they keep coming back because I ensure I’m providing as exceptional an experience as I can every time.
Part of building what I believe to be an exceptional experience is getting to know my clients and learning about their lives. Different people are looking for different experiences from me. It’s up to me to ask the right questions and read body language in order to customize to their desires. Some clients want to turn their minds off and relax so I don’t bother them with too many questions. I complete the service in a relaxing way. Others want to know about me so I follow their lead conversationally to enhance their service. It’s all about knowing your clients and how to cater what I bring to the table to each and every client.
At the end of the day, my faith is really what has brought me to where I am and is what will get me to where I’m going. My faith is what has taught me to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love my neighbor as myself. I’m just learning more everyday how to live every facet of my life from that mindset.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
What I love about Colorado Springs is there are plenty of amazing outdoor activities as well as some “city things” to do. If I were planning things to do with a visiting friend, I would take them on some of the awesome hiking trails around town such as Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Mountain hiking trails and some of my favorite shorter hikes. After a few days of that, I’d take them to TopGolf for some fun and food. There would definitely be some brewery visits as well like Cerberus, Red Swing or Trinity, and others. I would also take them to my favorite coffee shops like Frankly Coffee, Switchback Roasters, Pikes Perk or Loyal Coffee. Bottom line, we would have plenty to do during their visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been many people supporting me in my business journey. But my mentor, Quenten Heard has taught me so much continuously. He’s an incredible barber and has helped me grow to where I’m at, challenges me to grow further and is always supportive in the in-between seasons.

Website: jdsbarber4.booksy.com

Instagram: @jds_barber89

Facebook: Facebook.com/jdsbarber89