Sports Clips is a nationwide and well-known chain of branded haircut stores focused on cutting men’s and boys’ hair. They offer personalized service, a friendly sports-themed atmosphere and “America’s Most Relaxing Haircut Experience,” the MVP to their clients. Having been to many Sports Clips locations, they are one of the best and most friendly places in the world of haircuts and barber shops. There are over 1850 locations in the United States and Canada and they started to franchise in 1995.
The founder, Gordon Logan, noticed the huge upside to having a brand-name store focused on men’s and boys’ haircuts, as there would be very little competition. He developed the concept for Sports Clips and off he went. Before he started his entrepreneurial career, Logan graduated from MIT and then he served as an Aircraft Commander in the USAF from 1969 to 1976. Post-service, he earned an MBA from UPenn’s Wharton program. Logan used his business ingenuity, insight and military leadership skills to build Sports Clips into a national treasure.
Logan’s entrepreneurial roots started early in his life. As a child, he began to collect old newspapers to moving companies that could be used for packing items to ship. Logan sold the papers to the companies for a penny a pound. He also collected clothes hangers and sold them to dry cleaners. He was one of the “original recyclers.” He eventually sold items door to door, such as fire extinguishers and Christmas cards. He enjoyed his time learning sales and had a lot of fun with it. He stated, “It was about the money, but it was fun too.” Logan’s work ethic was instilled at an early age.
Logan’s father taught him the value of a dollar and how to earn it, telling him that if he wanted spending money, he would have to go out and earn it some way or another. The discipline and leadership lessons paid off as he could have stayed out of the Vietnam War with the job he got post his graduation from MIT; however, he joined the Air Force anyway. He stated, “I didn’t feel right getting what I thought was a hokey deferment.” He flew C-130 planes based out of Texas and spent time supporting NATO missions in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
He transitioned to the Air Force Reserves, got his MBA and moved forward in life as a consultant. He worked for Pricewaterhouse in Houston from 1976 to 1980 and consulted with companies about the organizational structure, accounting and payroll systems. He learned many lessons and he wanted to follow his dream of running his own firm. Logan strongly considered doing a franchise as it had a built-in structure and marketing. He bought into Command Performance, a hair salon franchise, based on a story he read in the WSJ. Unfortunately, the company only lasted a few years and went bankrupt. He continued his mission and Logan sought further insight by hiring a market research firm, which helped him find what demographic he was looking for in a hair salon. Many old-school style barber shops were dying and Logan discovered his niche.
He opened his first Sports Clips in Austin, Texas, in 1993 and franchising took off in the next two years. The shop attracted wealthy investors from the start, including Ken Schiller, as it marketed to an underserved demographic. By 2000, Logan had over 100 locations and the brand has grown exponentially since 2002. Of the 1850 plus stores, the home office only owns 69 of them, which shows how many people believe in Sports Clips and want to own a franchise store or more. Logan maintains an above-board relationship with his franchisees, which he learned from seeing what Command Performance had done and, likely, his military leadership experience.
The company has a solid reputation and does its best to keep key and successful leaders in place at headquarters. Sports Clips partners with NASCAR and IndyCar teams and Logan owns a collection of classic automobiles. Logan’s son, Edward, is now the president of the company and has worked across many departments at the firm before taking the helm. Logan got his son started early in the business back when Edward was in middle school, so he does have longevity on his side. Similar to Logan’s upbringing, he started his son working at an early age. The company continues to grow and flourish under the younger Logan’s management. This is yet another fine legacy of leadership, initiative and taking risks by an experienced military veteran.