Partners in Growth: Area Developers Scale Sport Clips across 3 States

Name: Mark and Jan Mansfield
Title: Multi-Unit Franchises and Area Developers
Company: Nextquest Inc. operates 5 Sport Clips. todumFX LP is a Sport Clips independent area development company with an additional 120 stores in North Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
No. of units: 5 Sport Clips
Age: Both are 62
Family: 3 adult children, Gable, 33, Dibrell, 32, and Boone, 28, and 1 grandchild, Maine, 6 months
Years in franchising: 27
Years in current position: 27

Mark and Jan Mansfield are the Influencer for Husband & Wife Team MVPs (Most Valuable Performers) for demonstrating excellence in franchising as husband and wife.

This year’s Influencer for Husband & Wife Team MVPs have been a couple since the seventh grade, married for 37 years, and multi-unit franchisees for more than a quarter of a century. Mark and Jan Mansfield grew up in Richardson, Texas, and attended middle school, high school, and college together before becoming partners as franchisees and area developers with Sport Clips.

When the Mansfields opened their first Sport Clips store in 1998, it was the franchise’s 26th location in the country and one of the first in the Dallas market. As the emerging brand focused on expansion, the Mansfields sensed a golden opportunity and added area developers to their responsibilities.

“Living in the area, we understood the local real estate and felt we could helpbring onnew franchisees faster to grow the market,” Mark says. “We really believed in the system. We had a lot of initial success with our own stores. It clicked early for us on how this could work. We saw it as a great business opportunity and just decided to go all-in.”

As area developers, the Mansfields recruit qualified franchise candidates, identify locations for new stores, train franchisees and their teams, and provide ongoing support. Mark’s primary responsibilities are in the early stages of recruitment and real estate development, and Jan handles the operations side with education, training, assistance with grand openings, and leadership and awards programs.

In addition to the five stores they operate, the Mansfields support 16 franchisees across 120 Sport Clips stores in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. They say one of the most rewarding parts of the job is the relationships they have with employees at their five stores, area coaches, and the franchisees and store managers they have worked with over the years. In addition to monthly meetings and quarterly visits, the couple hosts an annual awards gala among their 88 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. There’s also a virtual awards gala that includes teams outside the area.

“To be able to see other people have success is a big win for us,” Mark says. “We have people who started as hair stylists who have become managers, and two of our former stylists have become multi-unit franchisees. Seeing success stories like that has been very fulfilling. The money is also great—don’tget me wrong—and we get to have fun most days.”

While some married couples who are business partners have strict boundaries between their work and personal lives, the Mansfields admit they discuss business at all times of the day. They joke that occasionally one of their kids will ask, “Can we not talk about Sport Clips?”

Mark and Jan plan to continue adding new locations as area developers while doubling the number of stores they own. They have discussed a plan for their son to assume ownership of their stores when they retire. They also make it clear that stepping away from the business is years away.

“Do we really have an exit strategy? I guesswe’regoing to have to because we are going to die at some point, but that is not a great strategy,” Mark says. “I have no idea what we would do in retirement. If we want to travel, we can go now. We can be gone for two weeks and not miss a beat because of the people who work for us. We don’t ever see ourselves retiring, per se. We love what we do.”

MVP QUESTIONS

Why do you think you were recognized with this award? We have more than 25 years of leadership, growth, and success within the Sport Clips system. Our stores have won the Logan Trophy (top store) five times, and we have previously been named Team Leader of the Year and Area Developers of the Year. We offer an example of how a husband-and-wife team can have a successful working partnership.

How have you raised the bar in your own company? In addition to the five stores we operate, we support 16 other franchisees (120 stores) and help them grow their own Sport Clips business. We operate high net-sales stores and lead by example.

What innovations have you created and used to build your company? Sport Clips does a great job accepting feedback to improve things like operations and store design enhancements.

What core values do you think helped you win this award? We live and breathe Sport Clips values, which are “Do what’s right, do your best, and treat others the way they want to be treated.”

How important is community involvement to you and your company? We have been involved with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s head-shaving events and Dream Flights to assist seniors. Last October, we held a seven-day focus week in Lubbock, Texas, to raise $5,000 and awareness for Team Luke Hope for Minds for children with brain injuries. We also support the local high school football, baseball, and cheerleading organizations through T-shirt sponsorships at sports camps, sponsorships, and spirit fundraising.

What leadership qualities are important to you and your team? We believe being honest is most important to develop trust with our team. We’re focused on creating a championship experience for all team members, franchisees, and salon clients.

PERSONAL

First job: Mark had a newspaper delivery route and a lawn mowing service when he was 12. Jan was a swim instructor when she was 14.

Formative influences/events: Mark’s high school football and baseball coach, Russ Stovall, showed him how to be competitive and have empathy at the same time. Empathy builds trust, and competitiveness drives performance and high standards. Jan’s father, George McMillion, was the head swim coach at Southern Methodist University and was her example of helping others be successful.

Key accomplishments: We have won the Logan Trophy as the top store five times, and we have previously been named Team Leader of the Year and Area Developers of the Year.

Biggest current challenge: Picking the right people to work with us who we believe can be successful. In the hair industry, stylists and barbers must have a client-first attitude and be able to fit into a very structured system that provides a consistent, high level of customer service. If they cannot work as a team, they will not be successful with us.

Next big goal: Open 10 more stores in the next five years in our development area and eventually get to 135 stores.

First turning point in your career: When Mark left his other full-time job, we were able to focus on helping our local franchisees open five to 10 stores a year over 10 years.

Best business decision: Joining Sport Clips early and investing in the area developer program. Although it initially felt a bit risky, we believed in the concept and wanted to bring it to our home market of Dallas. Being first to the market had challenges due to a lack of brand recognition. However, getting in early allowed us to pick out the best real estate opportunities. Sport Clips’ founder Gordon Logan recognized our success and offered us the opportunity to invest in the area developer program. This allowed us to recruit other franchisees to join us locally, manage the local real estate, and further build out the brand.

Hardest lesson learned: There will always be change, and you have to adapt and grow along with it. When we had our first brand refresh in the early 2000s, we didn’t fully embrace the necessary upgrades and did everything on the cheap. We were compliant but not brand excellent. I think that made our team members think we didn’t believe they were worth the investment, and we lost a few people. Our team members are the most important part of our business, and their work environment needs to show that we care.

Work week: We both work about 35 to 40 hours per week, about 80% in the office and the rest in the field. We are night owls, so we usually work from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. As a small franchisee with five stores, Mark is also the maintenance man, so if equipment needs attention, we will usually work after hours so as not to disrupt the client experience during normal hours.

Exercise/workout: Mark works out Monday through Friday at Orangetheory.

Best advice you ever got: Kerin Haney, Sport Clips’ first VP of operations, told us, “Trust the system. It works,” but I’m sure it also came directly from the founder, Gordon Logan. We bought into a franchisee system that was proven, and they had already created the keys to success. Nearly any time a franchisee is struggling with their business, it is because they skip steps or ignore Sport Clips’ recommendations. There really is a playbook for everything.

What’syour passioninbusiness? Winning and being part of the success of other people.

How do you balance life and work? We love what we do, so it is an easy balance. We have clear roles in the business, so we are not stepping on each other’s responsibilities. Jan manages all store operations, and she has the help ofa very talentedarea manager, Candy Huffman, and regional coach, Brittany Burton. Mark manages the franchisee relations, real estate, technology, business, and financial responsibilities. Our offices are only 20 feet apart, so we are always bouncing ideas back and forth or asking advice from each other.

Guilty pleasure: Cadbury mini chocolate eggs.

Favorite book: Mark’s is The One Thing, and Jan’s is The Bridge to Terabithia.

Favorite movie: Mark’s is “Animal House,” and Jan’s is “Pretty Woman.”

What do most people not know about you? Mark was Jan’s first and last kiss, and Mark was a DJ in college.

Petpeeve: A half-drunk bottle of water. Such a waste!

What did you want to be when you grew up? Mark wanted to be a professional baseball player. Jan always wanted to be a teacher.

Last vacation: Pensacola Beach, Florida, in 2025.

Personyou’dmost like to have lunch with: Kevin Hart. We would be laughing through the whole meal.

MANAGEMENT

Business philosophy: Hire good people and treat them like family.

Management method or style: Servant leadership that focuses on developing team members to utilize the successful systems provided by Sport Clips.

Greatest challenge: Finding the best people who thrive in a team environment. We need talented barbers and stylists who enjoy working as a team. We have a high volume of clients, so the team must communicate well and help each other to keep the flow moving. When we hire the right team members, we can retain our staff and build on the culture.

How do others describe you? People say we are fun, outgoing, and personable.

One thing you’re looking to do better: Better organize our home offices. We’re a mess.

How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: We are always open to listening and allowing them to experiment. As a result, our team is great at learning and perfecting new ideas.

How close are you to operations? Jan is involved with operations, training, and marketing. Mark is involved with franchise recruitment and relationships, real estate and construction, and some marketing.

What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Keeping the system current with the latest technology (POS, scheduling, mobile apps, LMS, marketing platforms), technical training, and marketing support.

What you need from vendors: Education on hair care products offered in salons.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? The bulk of our marketing is handled at the national level. Our local marketing strategy has changed to be more digital versus print. We engage more with community events and school sponsorships.

How is social media affecting your business? We encourage our team members to show their creativity and share their haircuts on our social media channels. This gets seen not only by clients, but by other stylists, which further builds the brand.

How are you using technology, like AI, to manage your business? We use AI to assist in recruitment and scheduling interviews. AI also manages our customer engagement and reviews.

How do you hire and fire? Slowly and thoroughly with our management teams. We are very quick to hire stylists since there are so many different options for those positions. If a stylist isn’t a good fit with us after training, then we should part ways early so that they can find their success somewhere else.

How do you train and retain? We use LMS systems to track all the training of team members, which includes online courses, virtual training, and in-person training. We train our managers to teach their team, which can be technical training, customer service training, or assistant management training. We require every stylist to complete our Core Camp training within 30 days of initial hire, and our managers are required to complete an extensive series of training within five months of starting.

How do you deal with problem employees? We give our store managers the authority to hire and terminate. If we have a problem employee, our manager will always directly address the issue, document it, and attempt to resolve it while consulting with our area manager for advice. Our expectations are very clear and have purpose. Sometimes, if the problem employee didn’t understand the “why,” we need to explain it to them. If they don’t agree or if they can’t meet our expectations, we are not going to be a good fit for each other.

Fastest way into your doghouse: Arguing with a client or another team member in front of a client. The client is the only reason we have a business, and they deserve to be treated with respect.

BOTTOM LINE

Annual revenue: Our five stores did $3.4 million in net sales in 2025.

2026 goals: To open three new stores in our development territory.

Growthmeter: How do you measure your growth? We look at growing ourclient countandrepeatclients.

Visionmeter: Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? To grow our development area to 135 stores in five years and 145 stores in 10 years.We also want to double our personal store ownership from five stores to 10 stores in the next seven years.

Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? No. Sport Clips has done very well for us because we can focus and be a part of others’ success.

How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, your customers? The “No Tax on Tips” provision will refund between $3,000 to $5,000 back to our full-time stylists.

Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? Yes. Our locations are in Texas, which is a booming market.

How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? It puts more pressure on cost controls to avoid having to raise prices. Balancing savings in one area, such as phone and internet, helps offset rising costs in other areas, such as rent, wages, and insurance.

How do youforecast foryour business? We dynamically review the trailing 13-week average performance of our key business indicators (KBIs). We look at past client visits and hourly trends to forecast future visits and maximize staffing for client convenience, which will allow for growth.

What are the best sources for capital expansion? SBA and local banking relationships.

Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? National banks are a good place to get started for initial business with SBA loans and great online services. We prefer dealing with a local bank that can develop a personal relationship and understand our business. If a new opportunity arises and you need to move fast, a relationship with a personal bank helps speed things up.

What are you doing to take care of your employees? We provide them with a 401(k), medical insurance, and mental health assistance. Sport Clips also has a national relief fund that helps team members with grants up to $15,000 for unexpected crises (illness, death, natural disasters). We have assisted four of our team members with these grants.

How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? We implement smart scheduling tools to help manage payroll, but unfortunately, we are forced to implement some price increases due to rent and healthcare increases.

What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? We spent two days in Washington, D.C., lobbying members of Congress for the 45B tax credit, in which employers’ taxes are paid on tip income. The 45B FICA Tip Tax Credit allows salon owners more money to invest back into their businesses. The “No Tax on Tips” provision will have a positive impact on all our stylists and barbers. Most full-time workers will receive tax tip refunds of more than $3,000 this year.

How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? We have commission and bonus-based pay plans, and we provide quarterly and annual stylist awards by store for top KBI winners. We have an annual Area Awards Gala among our 88 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and an annual Virtual Awards Gala for those in other markets.

What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? Sport Clips has created a really great second-generation program, and our son has expressed interest in being involved in the business. We don’t consider it an exit strategy, but it is our path toward retirement.