Kurt Kueffner—Honing Technique and Emphasizing Relationship

This weekend, Gaia hosted a class for designers to learn from men’s grooming standard-setter Kurt Kueffner.

Kurt has training in both barbering and cosmetology, but over the last twenty years, his energy has been focused on raising the bar in men’s grooming.  Most notably, Kurt established the Grooming Collective in August 2018.  The Grooming Collective is an association of salons across the continent that align with Kurt’s standards for training, advancement, and innovation in men’s grooming.

I had the good fortune to chat with Kurt briefly about his philosophy in building teams and growing careers.

While growing a successful men’s grooming business (or any business) is a matter of creating a solid product and delivering an engaging experience, for Kurt, both of these—product and experience—boil down to one thing: relationship.

How?

Product as relationship

What makes a product—in this case a men’s haircut—better than another?  It’s not just a matter of technique; it’s a matter of fit.  Design.  Uniqueness.

Is the haircut creatively tailored to YOU, the guest?  Will you feel good in your hair not just when you leave the salon but for the six weeks in between that moment and your next visit?  Is the look maintainable for YOU?

The ability of your designer to create lasting satisfaction is a function of relationship—attention and response to the person as an individual.

Experience as relationship

Similarly, what can make our salon experience better than any other?  Again: relationship.

We love giving scalp massages and using environmentally-friendly products that add value to our services.  Even more than those perks, though, what really makes a salon experience memorable is your designer.  Her ability to listen and respond to YOU as a person.  Her personality.

Individual interaction is what makes a salon experience excellent.  That’s relationship.

So in addition to our designers honing their technique with this master barber, Kurt’s visit was also an affirmation of Gaia’s value of the individual.  We look forward to continued relationship-building with YOU our guests, creating a satisfying and maintainable hairstyle for you during an experience you won’t find with anyone else.

Thanks, Kurt, for the sharper skills and the renewed focus on building relationships!