This Barber Swears By a Late-Cancellation Policy

StyleSeat Success Stories highlights StyleSeat Pros who are soaring in their careers. We feature top beauty, grooming, and wellness professionals each month and share what inspires them to grow their businesses and their secrets to success while using StyleSeat.

While studying business at the University of Maryland, Vince Fillah knew he wanted to own and operate a barbershop. But during his apprenticeship, he figured he would only be present at his business part-time. However, once he became a licensed barber, Fillah was at his barbershop more than he expected.

“Early on, I was putting so much time and effort into marketing and getting the business going, and it was hard to find really good barbers that were consistent, so I said, let me get in the shop more, start to put the hours in myself to make sure the business succeeds,” he said.

At one time, Fillah was working at his barbershop seven days a week. He has now worked as a professional barber for 16 years, successful business owner in Washington, D.C., and was recently awarded the Stylie award for “Booked and Busy” during the inaugural StyleSeat Awards.

Fillah is one of two StyleSeat Pros with the highest number of booked appointments on our platform in 2021. So we had to ask what is the secret to his success. He has built a clientele that keeps returning based on a business practice he created. “What I’ve learned over the time is that most people want efficiency,” explained Fillah. “Instead of charging outrageous prices and taking two hours on a haircut, I perfected being very efficient where I can usually cut in about 15 minutes. That’s kind of what led me to my successes.” Fillah also strives not to cancel on his clients to show how much he appreciates their time and business.

He first heard about StyleSeat through a friend that was using the platform. He initially built his business on walk-in appointments. However, with his growing clientele, he needed a way to organize his bookings. “I was always afraid to go ‘appointment only’ and online because I had a lot of older clientele and people who walked in, and I was afraid of losing that,” he explained. Five years later, he has perfected using the StyleSeat platform and enjoys using our features to manage his bookings and payments.

“I get home, and I don’t have to be on my phone. StyleSeat has always been like a full-time secretary.”
Vince Fillah

Not only is the calendar his favorite feature, but he values the late-cancellation policy allowing him to protect his time and revenue. “I realized that unless there is some type of penalty, people will continue to be late or continue not to show,” said Fillah. “They learn their lesson real quick.” In addition, he sees StyleSeat as a game-changer and recommends this platform to beauty and wellness professionals. “I spent so much time marketing, so many extra hours. I dedicated my life to building up a clientele for the first few years. I always looked at it like, ‘I need to give up X amount of years now to have the flexibility in the future.’ If I had that back then, it would have been incredible.”

What does the future look like for Fillah? He plans to continue growing his business and revenue so he can reduce his number of working hours at his barbershop. In addition, he’s passionate about mentoring barbers to provide advice on how to navigate the industry. “I feel there’s a lot about business that they don’t teach barbers,” said Fillah. He wants barbers to strive for consistency and professionalism. Plus, providing their clients with flexible availability will assist with creating a successful business and building positive client experiences.

Book an appointment with Vince Fillah and keep up with his latest cuts on Instagram.