When Yasir Saeed needed a haircut six years ago, little did he realize exactly how much his life was about to change.
“I just needed a haircut,” says Yasir, “so I searched online for the closest salon. Up popped the Great Clips Online Check-In app. I was really impressed. And then, even better, I got an awesome haircut.”
Great haircuts can be life changing, but it wasn’t the haircut that changed Yasir’s life that day. Keep in mind this 36-year-old has lived through plenty of life-transforming events, from being born in Dubai to Pakistani parents, to attending college at the University of Kentucky in the U.S., to immigrating to Canada as an electrical engineer for an oil and gas company.
It would be hard to make getting a haircut a momentous event in Yasir’s life. But that’s exactly what happened. On his way out of the salon, Yasir noticed a brochure about becoming a Great Clips franchisee. His interest was piqued because he and his wife had been talking about finding a business that could provide “a backup plan for a rainy day.” He went to the Great Clips website, filled out an interest form, and the next day, received a call from Scott Neilson, a Great Clips franchise development manager.
“Talking to him was amazing,” says Yasir. “He gave me the information I was looking for. I’m a numbers person so I was really impressed with all the data and stats he had. He didn’t rush me, and he made me feel so comfortable. I was also exploring other franchises and all they wanted to know about was my bank account. With Scott, he wanted to know about me—the person. It was awesome.”
Fast forward to today: Yasir is now a successful Great Clips franchisee, and the owner of two salons—his first located in Sherwood Park, and his second in Fort Saskatchewan, which was opened in late 2017.
The salon in Fort Saskatchewan certainly represents Yasir’s growing business, and something even more significant—the salon was the 150th Great Clips salon to open in Canada, a milestone that pleased Yasir for several reasons.
“I was so proud to open my second salon—it helped me realize how much I’ve learned about being a business owner since my first salon!” says Yasir. “I’m even more proud that it was the 150th Great Clips salon in Canada, and even better, it happened in 2017, the same year as Canada’s 150th birthday.”
Yasir almost bursts with delight when he shares the fact that 2017 was also a significant year for him personally. It was the year he became a Canadian citizen.
“I was overwhelmed that it all happened in the same span of time—my citizenship certificate even has the 150th flag on it! Since I was born, I’ve always been a foreigner—I’ve never lived in a country where I was a citizen. Now I’m living in a country that has adopted me as one of its own. That’s what I love about Canada—it’s a country that accepts you and what you bring. It makes all of us better.”
“It’s nice to be in a place I can call home.”
Yasir is just one of the many Great Clips franchisees who are taking advantage of a prime opportunity to be successful, independent business owners by investing in this unique franchise system. With more than 4,300 locations across North America, Great Clips is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity—including its recent 7th place ranking on Entrepreneur’s annual Franchise 500 list.
Building on that momentum, Great Clips is now looking to open up to 35 new salons in the Ottawa market, and has opened a Canadian office to provide access to a strong support team for all of its markets in Canada.
There’s never been a better time to be part of the Great Clips brand, especially in Canada. Want to know more? Reach out to franchise@greatclips.com or 800-947-1143.
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