Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Hiser.
Hi Danielle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The funny story here is that neither my husband (Matt) or myself never thought we’d own a barbershop! And now, it plays a huge role in our life and is a true family run business. Throughout the experience of building these barbershops, we’ve had a fair share of laughs, tears, stress, and confusion-but it’s been a rollercoaster that deep down we’ve loved and have learned so much from.
As San Diego locals born and raised, we both went off to universities to try a life outside of San Diego (UCLA for Matt, Georgetown University for myself). We then lived our exciting young lives together in Austin Texas and San Francisco for a good 10+ years. Once we had our first child, we knew heading home to San Diego where family, friends, and beach weather was plentiful was the right choice.
We both worked in corporate roles but upon our move back, Matt couldn’t shake the entrepreneurial bug of owning his own business. Living in Encinitas, Matt felt a local San Diego vibe barbershop was missing and he couldn’t find a good place to get a haircut. He wanted a haircut experience that felt relaxing, “chill”, a little break from the daily chaos.
After long hours of research and late nights of talking out ideas, Matt decided “Let’s open our own barbershop”. He knew the vibe and look he wanted: channel that post surf refreshed feeling into a haircut/men’s grooming experience. The name “Salted Barber” was born and meant to convey that “post surf refreshing and relaxing feeling where you feel energized and calm”.
It was off to the races and Salted Barber was born. Doors opened at our first location in the Del Mar Highlands Town Center August 2021 right as life was returning to normal post COVID. It was a gamble and as prepared as we could be, you just never know. We asked ourselves “Is this idea really going to work? Will people come?”. Let’s remember-neither Matt or myself had any hair cutting experience whatsoever. We weren’t trained stylists or barbers, but we knew how to run a business and knew that if we put all our effort into hiring top notch expert barbers/stylists, we could deliver an exceptional customer experience.
Approaching our 4th year in business this August, we are fortunate to say that our first location has done well and we are so honored to be loved by the surrounding community and loyal customers. Time and again, our customers tell us they love the vibe…whether it be the white shiplap and blue tone decor, the relaxing music, the stack of surfer journals for reading or the “salted haircut” experience of a eucalyptus hot towel, scalp massage and shampoo.
We felt lucky and humble to build a business that felt loved by others and we saw that a vibe and setting that Salted Barber offered was missing in the market and we felt lucky that we could provide that.
3 years after opening our 1st location in Del Mar, we decided to expand the Salted Barber experience and open a second location. I decided to step away from my tech career and focus full time on the Salted Barber expansion alongside Matt (who was continuing to work full time as a consultant). We opened our second location in July 2024 with the same look and experience as our first location and have been so happy with the warm welcome of the community in 4S Ranch/Del Sur neighborhood.
Customers have asked us “Of all the businesses you could have opened, why a barbershop?”. In any business venture, you’re always looking to see “Is something missing in the day to day of life?” or “Is there a way we could make this better?”. Barbershops are one of the longest standing businesses in history and that’s because it’s not only necessary and has a recurring customer base, but it also fosters community, a break, and respite. It’s natural for every human to take a breather and say “I’d like a little break for myself, I’d like to invest a little time and money to feel good about how I feel”.
We take our business seriously-cutting people’s hair is no small feat and there’s a level of trust our customers are giving our team of barbers/stylists to execute on what people are looking for. We want you to walk out feeling great with ideally a boost of confidence the minute you walk out the door. This is why as owners, we are deeply focused on the talent of their barbers/stylists and the experience of their customers.
While we may have never imagined opening a barbershop, it is a critical piece of who we are and what we do. Our children help at the barbershop whether it be sweeping to keep things clean or offering refreshments to customers walking in. We are fully vested in the success of this business and the responsibility we have to being an active and engaged part of the community through schools, sports organizations, and charitable foundations.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Ha, I don’t think life is ever meant to run smoothly at all times..we’re bound for bumps and tumbles along the way as that’s inevitably where and when you learn the most. When you own a small business and your business partner is also your partner in marriage-the small business becomes your child. It is always on your mind and you are never checked out because there’s such a vested interested in ensuring that your team of barbers/stylists feel supported at all times and that our customers are receiving a good experience. As a result, your breakfast/lunch/dinner convos can inevitably bring up some aspect (large or small) of the barbershop. So it’s hard to ‘turn off’ when you’re a small business owner and that balance can take time to find. While it’s not easy to find, it’s so critical in order to preserve your own sanity and that of your other relationships outside of the business because if you don’t set boundaries, it’ll be on your mind non stop which can preclude you from being present with those around you.
Less of a struggle and more so something that we balance is the advocacy and care we take across our customers as well as our team of barbers and stylists. We are ruthlessly protective of our team to ensure they are set up for success and treated with respect. We also care deeply for our customers and ensuring they are receiving a great experience and that we’re delivering on our service. So like any B2C business, the balance of supporting your internal team with customer expectations is critical and I’d like to say that we proudly hold a “customer and team first” mindset day in and day out. But, it’s not easy and it’s not always perfect so we’ve had a fair share of learnings on how to improve communication and expectations both internally and with customers.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional background has always been customer oriented. Having worked at design and brand agencies in San Francisco and Austin, I managed large corporate accounts on a variety of strategy initiatives. No customer was ever the same which kept things interesting but also was a humble reminder that every customer is new and deserves full attention when it comes to really hearing their needs, goals, and objectives. At Glassdoor, I moved into management of large account teams where my role was to really motivate, support, and mobilize a 100+ team to deliver on customer results and objectives.
I have always looked for improvements in any job or role I’ve held and proactively take on and try new ideas. I never took a backseat because I wanted to be a driver of change and sense of ownership to support my team and customers whether that be small tweaks to a process or large scale changes.
When we decided to expand to open a 2nd location for Salted Barber, I struggled to understand how we would make that work. How would we care for our 2 young kids, manage 2 demanding corporate jobs, and support 2 barbershops and all the work tied to opening a new one?
There’s a time in one’s life where you can’t do it all and you have to be selective in where you can give your 100%. Family was my top priority and supporting the family business in its growth and expansion was second. I continued as a consultant at Glassdoor to support strategy and efforts on retaining customers but then moved full time to focus on opening our second shop and improving processes and communication and across both locations.
When people ask me “What do you do as an owner of Salted Barber since you don’t cut hair?” In my mind, it’s very hard to be both the creative/artist of a barbershop as well as a business owner. That’s a lot to take on and hard to do either of those things well. My goal is to do everything besides cutting hair so that my team is solely focused on their craft and delivering experiences to customers. Everything else from marketing, collaborations, branding, finance, customer issues, review management, vendor management, retention analysis etc is mine to own and none of that burden is put on our team.
When you’re a business owner, you’ll wear as many hats as you can because you’ll do what it takes to see your business and team thrive and grow. So whether that be sweeping the floors or running large scale marketing budgets, you’ll give it 100%.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Gosh, both my husband and I grew up in San Diego so we are die hard loyal San Diegans and while we’ve lived in other places, there was no where else we’d ever call home.
What we love about our city: the beach culture that rings true in everything you do and see. Whether it be the speed in which people drive (always taking in the view or checking the surf or admiring a sunset) to the constant attire we all have with a bathing suit/flip flops and hat at arm’s reach to the sincere and genuine appreciation for a beautiful day. Having gone to university in Washington DC and living in places like Texas or San Francisco, it was a huge reminder how lucky we are to live in a city that is forever encouraging you to be outside.
What we don’t like: Hm, hard to answer but maybe we don’t love the fact that everyone now loves San Diego and it just feels like a lot of people have moved here and the city feels busy and crowded. We used to be a small little city and now it’s just become a gold mine for those wanting to leave places like SF or NYC and the “local” vibe of San Diego gets a little lost
Pricing:
- All I would add is that the pricing of our services reflect the quality of our barbers/stylists
- Haircuts range from $45-50
- Salted Haircut (with shampoo, scalp massage): $50-$55
- Kids Cut: $40-$45
- Beard Trim/Shaves: $35-$55
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.saltedbarber.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltedbarber/
