“A little message from me to you, I had a laugh I hope you do too. ”
“Take a trip down memory lane of some of the images I have posted on my social media over the year. ”
A Message From Me To You.
"Money doesn't make you happy but it makes life easier"
The inspiration for this blog came to me the other day. I was with my client Stewart Boland, Stewart is in his 70's and he is an ex surgeon. He was watching how I hold my scissors and how only my thumb moves when I cut. He taught me how surgeons hold scissors and how by placing my fingers in a different location on the blade I can get 360 degree movement.
This made me think about all the clients I have meet and all the things they have taught me, from business structure and growth to how one gets away with riding his Harley Davidson on the road with no helmet. I love a good piece of advice from people that can motivate me and I love to learn, learn anything I can - anything that can't be taught in school! I put some of the most memorable stories and advice I have been given below to share with you all.
Quotes and facts from my clients -
““The best way to source and impress new clients is looking after your current clients.
If your business needs to grow, you need to grow.
One of the greatest mistakes many businesses make is trying to be all things to all people”
Scott Kelly - McGrath Estate Agents, Network Business Performance and Training ”
““I imagine being a barber, you would meet some pretty interesting people and the various conversations held on a daily basis would be as interesting as the people sitting in the extremely comfortable chairs at Cutri and Co whilst letting Frances work her magic. The flip side would be that I can only imagine that the same conversation is had pretty much every half an hour a everyday. A little monotonous…..
How does a Construction Project Managers job compare to that of a Barber? Simple, our jobs require us to be psychiatrists. Day in day out we listen to the problems of clients, contractors and staff.
Hayden-Project Manager Construction”
“Frances - “What do you do for work?”
Anthony - “I work on a private yacht and have been in the industry for 13 years now. The vessels I have worked on over the years are the toys of people in the top 100 of the worlds wealthiest. Rather than a form of transport they are used like a giant floating holiday home and although nearly the size of a football field accommodate around 12 guests in the absolute luxury”
Frances - “Um, how do I get one?”
Anthony - Yacht Captain”
“Frances - “Con, I drove past you the other day and you where on your three wheeled Harley Davison with no helmet on! Are you crazy? How do you get away with that?
Con- “It’s a long story but it’s registered as a three wheeled car so legally I can drive around on it with no helmet on.”
Frances - “You must get pulled over all the time?!”
Con - “Lets just say if I’m going here to Bondi its at least 3 times Francesca”
Con Damouras - Bar Italia Norton Street Liechhardt ”
““There are 5 key principles to a successful business, preparation, presentation, market knowledge, honesty and innovation”
Raphael Pulera- York Property Group
”
““Always trust your gut instinct and never open business with family and friends”
Joseph - Jean Louis Joseph Birkenhead Point”
““Make sure you put aside time for yourself, for your health as well as family friends. If you don’t make that time, it will be filled up with work and you will get tired and burned out. That will be no fun”
Dr Taylor Harrison - Chiropractor, HealthSpace Rozelle.”
““First impressions last and in corporate sales it couldn’t be more true. That is why keeping on top of your appearance is so important. For me having a fresh trim is a natural confidence builder”
Jon Sommer - Ingogo”
“Frances- “Josh, I know nothing about AFL! How do you play? “
Josh - “The aim is to work the ball up the field to your teams goals by kicking, marking and hand balling the ball. It has the foot skills of soccer, tackling of Rugby and NFL (minus the pads) and the movement and jumping of basketball. Not to confuse you or anything... “
Josh Kelly - Midfielder for GWS Giants.”
““The key to any relationship, friendship or business is consistency”
Frances Cutri - Cutri and Co. Barber Shop”
The most asked questions.
Being a barber I'm always engaged in a number of conversations on a daily basis. This is one of the best things about my job, I am constantly learning a lot of different things. For example, (did you know that the most dangerous animal in Australia is a horse?!). The conversations i have with my clients constantly inspire and entertain me.
Normally when clients meet me for the first time I get asked the same questions. I've answered the same questions over 800 times! It clicked to me one day I should write these down and answer them and put them somewhere for the world to see! so here they are.
WHY CUTRI AND CO.?
Cutri is my last name, it just happens to have CUT in it. I never wanted to use my last name but a friend that has his own business with his name in the title told me I should. He said you will look at it with pride. Best decision I made - I had come up with over 50 names. Why & Co.? It sounds cool, and I have an OCD with semetrey, everything has to be even!
DID YOU DESIGN THE SHOP YOURSELF?
No, I did not. I had an idea in my head but I had an architect help me bring my idea into a 35 square metre space. The black was his idea. He taught me that whenever you paint something black it makes it disappear so it gives the illusion of a larger space. The green wall was me. I love green! its an inviting and carming colour. Its the colour of Rolex and I do love a good Rolex! It also reminds me of an old Italian mob movie. I imagine men sitting around on those old school green leather couches drinking whiskey, smoking cigars.
DO YOU OWN THIS SHOP YOURSELF? IS THIS YOUR FIRST BUSINESS? "THAT'S A PRETTY BIG RISK FOR A YOUNG GIRL"
Yes I do. Yes it is. I had the idea in my head for over 5 years. I knew I would do it one day, when the time was right. So lets just say I had a long time to prepare myself to be set up right. My dad and brother own there own business. My mum owned her own hair salon. I guess it was sort of the norm for me to do my own. The path that was set for me.
DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No. (This one gives me a giggle)
WHO CUTS YOUR HAIR?
My mum (love this question)
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING HAIR?
I left school the day after I did my year ten exam. I already had an apprenticeship lined up as I was working in a salon Thursday and Saturdays. That was 14 years ago.
WHY DON'T YOU DO WOMEN'S HAIR?
I did women's hair for five years, over the years I just realised that I enjoyed men's hair better. People think its because it's easier! Thats actually incorrect. The shorter the hair the more flaws you see in a hair cut. It also comes down to my passion for mens grooming as I explained in my pervious posts. I have this theory. To become great at something, the more you do it the better you will get! So from doing a women's colour and then a blow dry to a men's hair cut makes absolutely no sense to me.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS LOCATION?
I always wanted the barber shop to be in the inner west, I live in the inner west. I never wanted it to be on a main road, like Darling st or Norton st or Lyons Road. I wanted something that was for the community that had strong community support. Rozelle was the perfect place for that. The locals call it a "village" and it really does have that vibe un like any other suburb in the inner west. I love that I see my customers walk past the shop every day and we give each other that head nod that says without words "hey, enjoy your day. see you soon". I also fell in love with how beautiful Union Place is as a building.
and last but not least -
WHERE DO I GET MY COFFEE FROM AND WHERE DO I EAT IN BALMAIN/ROZELLE?
Penny Lane - If you've had your hair cut by me I've most probably mentioned Penny Lane. Penny Lane is a cafe by day, restaurant by night. I get my coffee there every morning before work. I even go on my days off. To me they have the best coffee on Darling Street and A LOT of my customers agree. I have dinner there at least once a week, the crab gnocchi is to die for!
Chon Thai - I love thai food, I have been to Bangkok and I got spoilt with amazing food by being taken to the best restaurants by locals. Chon is exactly what I ate in Thailand. It's got a really cool fit out and has such an amazing range on the menu. I always go for the crispy pork belly.
The Provincial - These guys are my neighbours and yes there food is undeniably good. They have a custom built charcoal grill designed for their dishes on the menu. All their meat is cooked over charcoal which gives it a very distinct and unique flavour. I have tried most things on their menu and have not been disappointed. My favourite is the wagyu short rib with watermelon salsa. They make the best Negroni I've ever had, and I'm obsessed with there strawberry desert with basil ice-cream.
Recco Lab- My neighbour again, this is the Italian place on the corner. Amazing pizza, I'm obsessed with there foccaccia. They have great coffee and they have a bakery on site I'm loving there biscuits, bread, cakes and pastries. They also make an amazing Aperol Spritz.
Thanks for reading,
Frances xx
Being a female Barber.
When you think of a female barber what is the first thing that comes to mind?
I was going to write my next blog from a female point of view, how a barber was originally classified as a "man's job" and how I and any other women deserve the right to do whatever job we want to do. I decided to not to do that.
That's me.
I was going to go on about how my dad never dictated my career options and how he never had an opinion on what I should be doing as a job. He always says to me, "whatever makes you happy". He never asks me how work is, he just asks "are you happy?". He always encouraged me and my brothers if we want to do something go and do it, on your own. Because of this I appreciate it and value it more.
Before I started writing this blog I thought of how many people have actually made a comment about it to me and in reality, not many. Yes, I do get the occasional "a female barber, thats rare" and I normally reply with "yeah I guess". The most common thing I come across is when I'm referring to myself as a barber in a conversation they "correct" me and say "hairdresser". Simply put....... I am a barber!
Me again
I want to use this opportunity to share a little knowledge that I know about female barbers and how it actually isn't rare.
A little background history-
Originally Barbers didn't just cut hair they also preformed surgery and dentistry. The barber pole actually represents that. The white represents a bandage, the red blood and the blue veins. When the pole was spinning it meant the barber shop was preforming surgery on a wounded soldier or removing someone's teeth. This is why I don't have a barber's pole, they weren't used just to look cool. In the 18th century being a surgeon and a dentist was very much considered a man's job.
Barber Pole
One of the worlds first female barbers were Miss Dolly house and her sister. They are Australian and they ran their own barber shop in 1927.
Miss Dolly and her sister.
In 1985 over 50 percent of barbering students were female.
Female Barber
By the time the 90's came around female barbers were everywhere. Most recently a lady from India made head lines about becoming India's first female barber.
Her name is Shantabai her husband and father both were the barbers for her village and surrounding villages. When they both past away, she had to make money to feed her daughters and took up their jobs and clients and now has them lining up for a shave and hair cut and can feed her daughters again.
India's first ever female barber.
“This profession has given life to me and my kids. Until I can see with my eyes and hold the ustra with my hands, I will carry on with this job,” says Shantabai, who is determined to work until the day she dies.
To me it's normal to be a female barber, it's nothing unique and rare. Its just what I love to do just like all the other women that did it and do it today. My clients always compliment me about my haircuts and shaves, the most common thing I hear is "I have that females touch". To me the whole thing about a barber shop being a "mans cave" for men to talk about "mens things" and not a place for women is a massive marketing tool and to be completely blunt is dying down.
My clients love asking my opinion on what hair style would look good and if they should keep their beard or not. I guess sometimes a females point of view is what they are after.
Frances xx
Why Robert De Niro?
I post Robert De Niro images quite a bit and I reference him in a lot of quotes. We all know Robert De Niro is in any great mob movie - Goodfellas, The Godfather, Casino the list goes on. I grew up watching Robert De niro movies.
I have memories of sitting on the couch watching The Godfather with my dad for the one hundredth time. Ive spent a lazy Sunday afternoon with my Nonno (grandfather) watching the Goodfellas together, looking at my Nonno confused as he laughed at the scenes when they killed a man for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Watching my Nonno smile as they sat around the table eating pasta and drinking wine.
My nonno to me is the most handsome man in the world and I always thought he looked like Robert De Niro in his younger days. When I post Robert De Niro images I am thinking of my Nonno, the most amazing man I know.
He came to Australia when he was 26 years old with a wife and four children. He gave up a great job, he was a horse trainer for the Italian Polo team he traveled all around Italy and Germany with the horses and become one of the best trainers. He left Italy and all of that to come to Australia and give his family a better life.
He is a real gentleman. Always dressed pristine, has a full head of white hair, still puts his brill cream in it every day even though he is 86 years old and never leaves the house. He still shaves himself even though it takes him over an hour and still to this day uses a traditional cut throat razor and Proraso shaving cream and brush (hence the reason to why I stock Proraso in my barber shop).
He is the true inspiration to why I admire mens grooming and have decided to start my own barber shop. He is the true definition of a gentleman.
My Nonno
Cutri & Co. Barber Shop Blog
This blog is about the reasons why I post what I do on @cutriandcobarbershop Instagram. Instagram to me is about being a platform for posting inspirational images and a place where I can share what I am passionate about. The images I post on Instagram have become a popular topic of conversation in the barber shop and has become a great way for me to relate with my clients. Being an Italian girl growing up with two brothers, no sister and in a culture where a strong male figure dominated my environment surrounded by a father and two grandfathers that showed me the true essence of an Italian man from there life styles, dress sense and grooming. All of this lead me to the passion I have today as a Barber and for the reason why I decided to open my own barber shop. Over the years I have developed a deep interest in cars, male grooming and male fashion. I am a big fan of any Italian mob movie and The Sopranos is the best show ever made. If any of the above interests you, this is the blog for you.