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Hey Reader,

After a few weeks, it's finally time to recap Premiere Anaheim. Over the last several years, I've been on a quest to attend as many barber expos as possible. This year, we chose Premiere because we wanted to attend a show with barbering and esthetics so that there was something for me and my esthetician wife.

Here are some headlines from my 2 days in Anaheim.

Panasonic drops The Barikan Collection

Panasonic dropping a new brand for professional barbers wasn't on my bingo board. It's called THE BARIKAN and they're low key plotting a takeover. Surrounded by other Japanese brands like Brosh and Mizutani, they released a T-shaped Trimmer called the ER-XT70. It's a teaser for more to come.

This matters because Panasonic isn’t a clipper company like Wahl or Andis. They are a billion dollar global powerhouse with massive R&D, battery, and motor expertise. If even a small portion of that capability is applied to barber tools, it will surely turn some heads. It turned mine.

THE BARIKAN premiere didn’t feel like hype. It felt deliberate. It felt communal. The ethos felt oddly similar to what STMNT has become. Babyliss Pro has access to resources from Con Air, but Panasonic is different. If they do this right, there will be a new player in town.

Liabilities & Lawsuits

Language matters. And this session scared me a little bit. There can be major consequences when a business calls someone an independent contractor but really treats them like an employee. I fear many barbershop owners are walking a fine line right now. This session challenged business models that we commonly refer to as booth rent and commission by reframing the conversation to independent contractors and employees. As we consider adding a second barber to our team, I'm having to rethink how I set it all up to say the least.

(I might need to write a longer blog on this topic to break it all down. Too long for this newsletter.)

Conversations over classes

I hate to say it, but the format of expo classes feels like a dying breed. Educators on massive stages with barely anyone in the audience is honestly kind of sad. It feels like it's being forced. Connecting individually has always been more valuable to me. My highlights were organically connecting with people at different booths than sitting in a class. I'll save the hands on learning for a class where I'm required to bring my tools over watching someone on stage teach something that we've all already watched online. Something has to change on the education front of these expos. I'll leave it at that.

After a mini-hiatus, we're finished with No. 110. Be on the lookout for another newsletter next week. I finally decided it's time to return to the weekly cadence.

See you next week!

Written by: Matthew Mendoza​​
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