Winger for the Cheetahs, Luther Obi, launched a sharing economy business similar to the likes of Uber and Airbnb in Bloemfontein just over a week ago.
Named iShave, Obi offers men in the City of Roses the convenience of having a barber come to them to groom their beards and provide them with a haircut suited to their individual tastes.”It’s the only haircut you’ll ever need,” the 24-year-old former Bulls player says proudly.
Obi says the inspiration for the company came after he needed to get a haircut in Bloemfontein, following his move from Pretoria when he joined the Cheetahs. “I struggled with finding a place to do my hair and I found that some of my teammates had the same problem. Another problem I had was that I wished that getting the barber to come to me would be as easy as simply picking up my phone and asking him to do so. That’s how the idea was born,” he explains.
He says since the launch he has received an overwhelming amount of support from both his teammates as well as residents in the city. “I find that anytime you give someone an excuse or option to be lazy, nine out of ten times they’ll take you up on it and that’s what we’re about. We want to provide our customers with a convenient and affordable solution to getting their hair cut.”
He adds that the company is looking for barbers around the city that have smartphones, value their craft as hair and grooming professionals and either know how to ride a bike or are willing to learn.
“If a barber doesn’t know what to do with a clipper, then we’ve actually failed the customer. At the end of the day, it’s all about great service, so we need guys that know what they are doing,” he affirms.
Those interested in getting a haircut can expect to pay the low price of R50. Obi says as students make up a huge chunk of his market, he and his two business partners are considering keeping the price at R50 so that they have a big customer base.
“At the moment, those are all things we are considering. We would rather have 100 customers paying R50 on a daily basis than 20 who are paying R90, but we will see as time goes on how to work around it,” he says.
Obi says they are looking into launching the business in Pretoria soon and then in other parts of the country. He hopes to incorporate new services and possibly even offer products for the female customer as the company grows.
For more information on bookings, cancellations as well as refunds, visit www.ishavebarber.com.
PULANE CHOANE
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