KC’s new mobile barber service is trimming quarantine hair on demand
Cutter Fleet offers barber services that come to you // Photo courtesy of Cutter Fleet.com
As quarantine was being lifted for Kansas City barbershops back in early May, Michael Thurman, a barber of 12 years and owner of The Crossroads Conspicuous Barber, was struck by the idea of a traveling barber service.
“[It] was a reaction to people not coming back outside. Barbershops closing, trying to meet quarantine safety, and downsizing. A lot of unemployed barbers,” says Thurman.
All of these things inspired him to start Cutter Fleet, an on-demand barber service. Through Cutter Fleet’s website, customers can book their appointment, choosing the service (basic cut, clean up, or beard trim) they need, their preferred date and time, and where they are located.
Though currently based in downtown Kansas City, Thurman states barbers can decide how far they are willing to travel for booking services. Barbers will travel to customers’ homes, events, or hotels. As of now, the Cutter Fleet team is made up of three barbers, including Thurman.
He plans to expand the team. As the website states, the business guarantees that “barbers have all been trained and licensed by state-approved instructors and have met all requirements set forth by the state to be properly licensed.”
The business also has strict COVID-19 safety precautions in place. They maintain high standards of sanitation and follow all federal, state, and local COVID-19 requirements. Customers are required to wear a mask.
Thurman wants to eventually expand the business by adopting an app that customers can use in other parts of the country to connect them with barbers wherever they are. For now, he wants to see how far the website platform can grow. “My plan is to completely exhaust what we consider a minimal viable product, which is the website style of this business,” says Thurman. “Once we are on the horizon of exhausting its ability to function without a full staff, we will move to an application on iOS and Android. And that’ll give us the opportunity to get bigger.”
Thurman is excited to explore the possibilities this new business holds.
“Barbering has been around really since civilization has taken hold and there hasn’t been a lot that’s changed,” says Thurman. “You know, there’s been small advancement just in the look, but really just in my lifetime, the only change that I’ve seen is that you can check out with a credit card. To see a more technical side of it, taking hold and giving barbers freedom to work for themselves and move around the city as they want to is very exciting.”
Book your Cutter Fleet appointment now.
