Alexey Lokontsev Biography

Its main principle in life is not to stop and go forward! He launched a network of men's salons in Tula and throughout Russia. And very soon the same salon will appear on Manhattan in New York. At the age of 14 he moved to the village of Selivanovo, Shchekinsky district, he graduated from school and entered the University of Commerce. While studying, I started doing business.

My "bunker" computer club at one time thundered throughout Tula. Then there were a wedding dresses and a wedding magazine. And all my businesses “pumped me”. My belief is that you can’t open a successful business the first time. Otherwise, you are Pavel Durov - and then because Facebook copied. Life experience is primarily mistakes. Your own. When I started my barbershop, Chop-Chop has already worked in this market for five years.

And in the crisis, in Tula, having less than a million rubles in my pocket, I decided to open an expensive hairdresser. I will not hide it, many laughed at me, for example, Grigory Avetov at the Synergy forum said: “Elite Barbershop in Tula?! It's already funny! But I have one story - this is the story of my life, my business. Why barbershop? Before me, it was an unlucky niche. It is easier to start a business in the Blue Ocean than in the Red Red Ocean means a filled market.

Nobody harsh men before me, they were simply fraught. In beauty salons, everything is imprisoned for maintenance of women. And in order to cut men well, you need to buy tools for 50 thousand for starters. None of the masters want to invest, because a male haircut costs rub. And the psychology of our women is such that the worse they cut their husband, the better - no one will lead.

Do not be afraid to try. It didn’t work out - occupy and try again if you believe in your product. When I started Topgun, I had 12 million debts, I took another 3 million to the opening. But in the first month, Barbershop went into profit. And it was a success. It was a victory! I was not mistaken in the decision to open an expensive hairdresser for men in a crisis in a crisis.

And then I opened my new points, and sold to the franchise. And collided with ... Rutina! The administrator did not come out, Barber fell ill, a check came to the salon. And in order not to drown in this routine, he decided - to put the sale of franchises on the stream. Today I have 80 open salons sold in the near future. I earn 10 million a month. And this is only the beginning!

The main rule in business is very simple - we are developing our self, we are working on a name so that it later works for you. You need to constantly pump yourself, study, if something did not work, get up and go forward again. Now everyone is trying to sell a franchise. The argument is simple - Topgun sells, and we will. This is now the main business tool - not to make a good product, but to sell to the franchise.

Open one or two salon and already declare the “experience of working in the market”-well, why come up with what is not?! I have real experience - there is not a single displeased buyer of the franchise, there is not a single closed salon. I can afford a lot, in the sense - material benefits. But I do not invest in a passive. I live in a rented apartment, I take the car in leasing for the company.

It’s easier. Now I go to the European and American market. We know our unique trade proposal, we know our strengths, and I am sure that we will make a revolution in Europe and America. And the next task is to discover this year barbershopes in Moscow, and three years later - three thousand! By the way, the most global business problem is already open from them now - to quickly train barber.

I opened two academies - in St. Petersburg and Moscow. But this is still not enough, because every week each can release 20 specialists who still need to finish his studies for some time. That is, until the end of the year, I can train barber. And I need! But I can handle it. In September, the global barber show will be held in Moscow, where the coolest barbers of the world are invited.

It will not be just a show, it will be a profitable eent that will help to solve the personnel issue of barbershopes. All managers in my company have equally high salary. We do not have a budget and a financial plan, so there is no KPI for their implementation. In general, my deep conviction - there is no business on a piece of paper. If the business could be prescribed as a set of rules and instructions, then a long time ago one fat book would be written, everyone would pray for it and it would be sold in huge circulations.

Like the Bible. But there is no such book. Therefore, I think all these business planes are filkin letters. They are needed to get a bank loan. All employees are motivated to work in our company. Comfortable conditions. I do not force anyone to come to the office by 9. You can work remotely - the main thing is to complete the task. I myself work one day a week - mainly an office in Moscow.

The rest of the time is on the phone. At the same time, I play sports and come up with other projects. I am leading the main page of Barbershop on Instagram - all the other franchises take it for a sample. Each salon has its own instagram.This is a showcase, it should show the uniqueness of the salon, its masters. If I suddenly became the mayor of Tula, I would forbid all the ugly advertising.

Well, where does the sense of style and taste come from if they are killed at every step?! And what do our entrepreneurs call their stores?! If you follow the Tula tradition, our Topgun should be called some kind of Locon. Well, I'm curls, the curl is somehow connected with hair. By the way, I came up with the name of the barbershop myself, and the logo we developed has several meanings.

Firstly, the top means the leader of his industry. Secondly, Barber's top weapon is a comb and scissors. Moreover, they imitate a fighter-fighter from a famous film with Tom Cruise, which is called-Top Gun. Our idea is that the appearance of a man is his "top", the main weapon. I rarely wear costumes - I can wear in extreme cases, except for a meeting with the president.

By the way, I call all my speeches “against the rules” - I do not want to walk in armor. It is necessary to wear what is comfortable, convenient to work.

This is my philosophy in life. They tell me that we need to take the lessons of oratory, they say, I sometimes put stress incorrectly. But my belief - so I'm closer to the audience, there is more trust in me. Well, not there I put a comma or stress, and what?! Nothing! I just did not take in my brain the department that arranges commas, these rules and freed it for knowledge how to build a new business.