The 52-year-old from Baston, who was born and educated in Peterborough, started Head2Head in May 1995 and is now the proud owner of five outlets spread across the city and into Yaxley.
Employing 15 full time and eight part-time staff - who have been put on furlough due to the pandemic - Rob plans to open a sixth shop once business returns to normal, and he puts the continued growth down to the friendly and relaxed atmosphere which customers can enjoy.
“We have a laugh. Everybody knows I like a really good atmosphere. I’ve always told people if the customer is a friend they will stay with you,” he said.
“When I first opened up somebody I knew in business told me that and I always pass that message onto my staff.
“We make people feel welcome and get to know their names. We’ve got lots of loyal customers.
“We have people come from Skegness and Lincoln. They moved away but still travel to get their hair cut with us. We have three or four customers from Skegness.
“We even had a customer get a train from Edinburgh for four hours for a hair cut then get the train back.
“I’ve been cutting people’s hair since they were kids and now they bring their kids to me.”
Rob, who was educated at Eastholm School in Reeves Way, started his business in South Street, Stanground, where customers are promised “bags of entertainment and banter,” according to the Head2Head website.
They also used to be greeted by Rob’s dog Dudley who sadly died in October 2018.
Recalling how he started his business, Rob said: “I was working for somebody else in the city centre for 11 years then I decided to set up on my own.
“I found a unit in Stanground and just took it on a gentleman’s agreement.
“I started off on my own for 10 months and it was early starts and late finishes. Fortunately, I was able to take on more staff and four years later opened another shop at the Werrington Centre.
“Then four years after that I opened a shop in Cowgate and then four years after that a shop in Yaxley with a pool table.”
In April last year the fifth shop in Eye opened.
And while plans for the sixth outlet (the location is not being disclosed yet) are on hold for the time being, Rob - who has been busy ordering personal protective equipment and hand sanitiser - is looking forward to giving more opportunities to young people in the community when the Government gives him the green light to re-open.
“We like to give lads and lasses in the local community opportunities,” he added. “People doing Saturday jobs we end up training as barbers.”
