The Barbershop Next Door Saved Our Grand Opening

The barbershop next door saved the opening of our first Scooter's Coffee.

And it happened because I broke my own rule.

FUFU — Follow Up or F*ck Up.

At the time I had just transitioned from the GC side of the fence to the Developer side.

If I'm honest… I think I let it go to my head a little. Just a little. I was enjoying not juggling the typical jobsite fun.

So I made a dangerous assumption.

I assumed our GC had handled the utility paperwork. I didn't verify it. That was a one-player game, look in the mirror, failure.

Several weeks before training was to begin, we discovered the problem: We had zero power. We were not even on the schedule.

If you know how utility companies work, good luck rushing that schedule or getting any kind of understanding.

No power meant:

No equipment testing

No internet

No staff training

And our vendors refused to work off generators. We were staring at many weeks of delays and thousands in extra costs.

I could have escalated it. Lawyers. Emails. Blame.

Instead… I walked next door.

The barbershop next to us was also under renovation. I introduced myself to the owner and made a pitch:

"Let my electrician run a line to your panel. We'll pull power from your building. In return, I'll pay your entire electric bill for 30 days… and you and your crew will get free drinks while we are training."

Now, as soon as the words left my mouth, that voice in my head said, "You're an idiot, you haven't even asked the electrician if he'll do it."

I told the owner to hold that thought, and ran back next door.

Turns out, it's still true. A case of beer goes a long way on a job site.

Thank God the barbershop owner was a good dude. He thought the whole thing was amusing, but we had a deal!

We ran the line. The vendors got the power they needed. We stayed on schedule. Grand opening saved.

But here's the part I didn't see coming…

That barbershop owner became one of our best referral sources. Every customer in his chair heard the same thing: "Go grab a coffee next door."

A handshake solved the problem… and created years of new customers.

Scaling businesses isn't just about boardrooms and spreadsheets. It's about resourcefulness. A title doesn't open a store. Sometimes it's just a conversation, a few jokes, and a handshake.

AI and systems are incredible for scaling. But never lose the ability to walk next door and solve a problem.

And never forget: FUFU.