Vince Burchianti
Vince Burchianti knows his title as Sport Clips’ second in command is unique.
“It is different and unusual,” he said. “But it’s very clear to our team where the lines are and what the roles are.”
Burchianti developed a relationship with the haircare provider as a consultant prior to making his official start in January. Sport Clips President and CEO Edward Logan asked about Burchianti’s plans as consulting came to an end.
“[Logan] was like, ‘Nah, I don’t think I want you to go,’ which was great because I was thinking the same thing,” Burchianti said. “I was able to get a trial run of the brand … and it was a very quick and easy decision for me to go from consulting to full time.”
Burchianti’s responsibilities entail growth development, cost savings and driving revenue. His love for mentoring will play a significant part in the new role. “My main goal is to make sure that we’re efficient, make sure that we’re ready for growth, make sure we have the right staff in place and make sure that our offering is the best it possibly can be,” he said.
Working in haircare seems like a considerable departure from Burchianti’s prior work, as he spent 22 years in leadership roles at Firehouse Subs. But he said there’s more similarity than meets the eye.
“At the end of the day, it’s franchising,” Burchianti said. “At the end of the day, it’s still a retail, four-wall shop. Whether we’re selling a haircut or selling a sandwich, there’s a need for the consumer.”
The financial statement is where you start seeing differences, he noted. “There’s no cost of ingredients of a haircut,” he said. “It’s all labor, it’s all professionals and licensed stylists performing a service to our clients. It is a very simple financial statement compared to a restaurant.”
Though the company is nearing 1,900 units across the United States and Canada, Burchianti said the approach to growth is quality over quantity. The essentials are how the company markets the brand, goes after leads and executes in opening stores and supporting franchisees.
“Most franchise concepts will come up with a number of units to grow by every single year. That’s not our approach,” Burchianti said. “Our approach is we want to make sure we do business with the best-quality franchisees we can. Our plan at the end is to build a legacy—really, to build a legacy for our franchisees.”