MARK MACIVER SliderCuts

Official Fresha Brand Ambassador

BARBER OF 20+ YEARS, AUTHOR, SPEAKER AND EDUCATOR, MARK MACIVER (AKA @SLIDERCUTS) HAS JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED AS AN OFFICIAL FRESHA BRAND AMBASSADOR. ALREADY

A TRAILBLAZER IN THE INDUSTRY, MARK HAS UPGRADED TO FRESHA’S ALL-IN-ONE BUSINESS SOFTWARE TO ENHANCE HIS BUSINESS AND FIND EVEN GREATER SUCCESS IN THE INDUSTRY.

As someone who has built his own authentic brand and become a role model and leader in the barbering industry, Mark told us that he isn’t likely to partner or represent just any brand. He said: “I understand the influence that I have in the barber society and because of this, I want to be careful of the brands I work with, to ensure that they are genuine, authentic, and really do bring value to barbers lives and businesses. For me, Fresha’s software completely passed that test, it has incredibly high standards, and it is a brand that I am happy to put my name behind and to recommend to my community.”

Mark is a big believer in and speaks well about the importance of community, and Fresha’s goal is to empower community leaders, such as Mark. He said: “I believe this is one of the reasons I was chosen for this position, because Fresha recognized that not only am I a fairly influential barber, but I care about integrity, and I truly care about my community.”

For Mark, the barbershop should be a pillar of its community, and he works to ensure that his shop gives back and helps his local community thrive and grow. One of the ways he does this is through a mentorship runner scheme he runs with local youth. He explained: “We have a handful of boys who live within a few miles of the shop, who come in every Saturday, and we mentor them, pay them for their work, and offer them helpful life skills, like teaching them how to do stock counts and counting the till. Through giving these boys this responsibility and accountability, it gives them higher confidence, helps them think better for themselves, and apply these skills to many other aspects of life. If they are wanting to, we will also teach them to cut hair, but we will also help them with whatever other goals they have in life.”

Speaking to Mark, it is clear that this is not just a philanthropy scheme to look good, he truly does care about these young lads and their success. For example, he told us that one of the boys he mentors is currently going through his GCSEs, and was struggling in one subject in particular. So, Mark paid for a tutor to help support his mentee to get through this subject. He said: “Yeah, paying for the tutor for a few months might cost £700, but if that better grade can help his life forever, then of course it is worth it. That is just a small seed which can lead him to a better, successful life, and that is always the goal. I want to show him that you don’t give up on something just because it’s difficult.”

Mark believes that more barbershops should be engaging with their communities, giving back and offering support. He said: “To me, a barbershop is where everyone comes together. We are like the spiderweb of connection from everyone, whether you’re in the corporate world to the trades. I can't think of any other business that has everybody from all walks of life that come into that same business. In the barbering world, there's no class divide – in one day, you could cut the hair of a heavyweight champion of the world, a judge, a lawyer, an accountant, a tradesman, a troubled young kid... you name it. The barbershop is where these people can come together. So, why not use that common platform you have, to bring people together and help lift each other up?”

We asked Mark if he had any rolemodels growing up who inspired him to become the man he is today. He said: “I didn’t have just one role model specifically, but I had quite a few people who inspired me along the way. I never had one person in front of me who resembled the exact type of person I wanted to become, but there were many people who inspired different elements along the way, different puzzle pieces of me to create the person I am today.”

So, what stood out to Mark about Fresha, and how does it differ from other platforms? He said: “I went to their office in London, and I liked the fact of how many engineers they had, and that their engineers and customer service is based in London. As it gave me that reassurance that if anything goes wrong, there is a team locally based, right there, ready to help you, rather than being outsourced to a call centre where you can wait hours to speak to someone. I just really liked the fact that it is local.”

We asked Mark about how he believes this partnership will lead to elevating the Fresha brand, and improving it for barbers. He said: “I met with

Fresha’s owner, and he expressed to me that my thoughts and input will be listened to and considered. He explained to me how much thought, consideration and testing goes into every feature and element of the Fresha platform, and how much they value the feedback from industry professionals.

“For me, a leading barbershop management platform like Fresha, should be all about making life easier and take work off barbers’ hands, to make their work life easier and more efficient.”

For Mark, the key to success and growth is about being open to new opportunities and being open to new things to spark your creativity. We asked Mark, how can Fresha help unlock some of your valuable time, and allow barbers to take advantage of new opportunities? He said: “Not only does Fresha allow you to better organise your time, and save you time in the process – which is key to allow you explore new ventures, opportunities and creative ideas – but it also offers so many business resources for free to its users that can be so inspiring and valuable when it comes to taking the next steps as a barber or business owner. Fresha is so much more than just a software.”