The King’s Cosmetologist

Zoe Zimmerman’s Cosmetology Equipment | Photo by Joshua Story

The King’s College may not be a particularly large school, but its populace knows a thing or two about cutting costs. No, not that kind of cutting costs– we’re talking barbers. 

A general haircut in the city will run you anywhere from $40 to $80, and if you want all the fixings you could potentially be looking at a price tag well into the hundreds. That’s a pretty steep ask, but the only alternative for most college students in New York is to wait until school breaks and get their hair cut at a more reasonable price while at home. That may be more cost-effective, but it’s incredibly inconvenient. Students are stuck between a rock and a hard place, but a more enterprising person might see the situation for what it really is – a market.

Enter Zoe Zimmerman, a freshman in the House of Susan B. Anthony, the royal cosmetologist. Even as a freshman, she has already established herself as the preeminent barber on campus with her mobile salon. 

Zimmerman is licensed to practice cosmetology in two states and offers unbeatable prices— a woman’s haircut will only run you $30, and a men’s cut goes for a paltry $15. That’s not her only selling point– she’s also far more convenient than her competition and will come to your apartment for the cut. 

“I mostly rely on word-of-mouth advertising,” Zimmerman says. It’s a small school, so this seems to be a reasonably viable strategy. “I feel like it’s been growing steadily.” 

One advantage Zoe has is her incredibly low operating cost. 

“Electricity is provided by the school, and I don’t have to pay a commission to a Salon owner for each cut.” 

Her variable costs are also few and far between– the dye runs her about $50 per job, which she reflects with an increased price for that service. Cosmetology equipment such as electric shears can be expensive, with a price tag running well into the hundreds for good models, but these require infrequent replacement.

 “I’m still using the stuff I got for Cosmetology school,” Zimmerman said.

Cosmetology is something of a specialized field, requiring graduating a trade school and obtaining a license. While the costs associated with this could potentially be a barrier to entry, Zoe found it quite manageable. 

“After scholarships and aid, I ended up paying virtually nothing,” she said. 

These low costs are necessary because while she’s been fairly successful on campus, she doesn’t make much per cut– the vast majority of her customers are men. 

“The biggest obstacle has been trying to work it into my schedule alongside everyone else’s while maintaining boundaries,” Zoe admitted. 

Since her business’ main struggle is time, spending most of it on her cheapest service may cut into her potential revenue. At the moment, she’s doing quite well– “I’d say I make from $100 to $200 a month doing this.” 

She’s even got some dedicated regular customers.Aidan Ableson is perhaps her best customer, regularly coming in for haircuts once every other week. 

“I heard about her haircutting service through a conversation with her,” Ableson explained. “I am very happy with her cutting service. Zoe’s haircuts tend to take longer than a typical salon cut, but they are more precise and overall much better quality. She has the technical know-how to give exactly the cut that works with your style, hair and head shape.” 

Emma Jones, one of Zimmerman’s few female customers purchasing her advanced services, shares the general sentiment. 

“I knew she had cut my friend's hair before,” says Jones. “I asked her to bleach my hair so I could dye it, and she offered not only to bleach it but to put the dye I already had in for free. It took several hours to do, but it was fun and laid back yet still professional. I’ll be having her touch it up at some point.” 

While excellent from a customer service standpoint, spending several hours performing a procedure for free with a product you didn’t sell to the customer isn’t particularly profitable from a business-oriented perspective, especially one struggling to find a good time-management balance. Her prices are so low that even her customers are complaining about them. 

“I do not think her price is fair– for her!” Ableson added. “She has not listened to my business advice and has not raised her extremely low prices to match her extremely high-quality cuts.” 

This is a problem Zimmerman is well aware of. 

“I feel like my business has been growing steadily, and I do want to raise prices in the future,” she said. 

At the moment, her business exists in its own little sphere at King’s, largely unburdened by external pressures such as costs or serious competition. That’s not to say she has no competition— though she far outclasses most local establishments for her price, some other enterprising students have tried entering the school’s haircutting and styling market. Zimmerman said this has not really affected her business, however.

 “Sometimes it actually helps me,” she giggled. “I get students who come to me to fix a job done poorly by someone else because they trust me to fix it.”

Joshua Story is the Humor Columnist for the Empire State Tribune. He is a junior studying Journalism, Culture and Society.