Commission vs Booth Rent: What Barbers Really Need to Know

By Sharp Top Barbershop | April 2025

It sounds tempting: “Keep 100% of what you make.” That’s the booth rent pitch a lot of barbers hear when they're starting out. But when you really break down the numbers — booth rent, taxes, supplies, card fees, marketing — most booth renters are left clearing less than they expected. Sharp Top Barbershop is built differently. Here's how commission can actually put more money in your pocket, with way less headache.

Real Numbers: What Booth Rent Really Costs

If you're making $8,000–$9,000 a month in service revenue, your real monthly expenses as a booth renter look like this:

• Booth Rent (Standard Shop): $500–$800/month ($125–$200/week)
• Booth Rent (High-End Shop): $1,000–$1,200/month ($250–$300/week)
• Card Processing Fees (3%): $240–$270/month
• Booking System (Squire, GlossGenius, etc.): $100–$150/month
• Marketing (IG ads, flyers, website listings): $150–$250/month
• Self-Employment Taxes: $800–$1,000+/month
• Products, Razors, Supplies: $150–$200/month

Total Overhead:

• Standard Shop: $2,000–$2,400/month
• High-End Shop: $2,500–$3,070/month

When you’re paying $2,400–$3,000 just to break even, booth renting becomes a lot less attractive — especially when you’re stuck grinding to get new clients on your own every month just to survive.

How Sharp Top Commission Actually Pays More

At Sharp Top, you work on 60% commission — and when you add tips (usually around 25% of gross revenue), here’s what your paychecks realistically look like:

• Weekly Revenue: $2,000–$2,200
• Commission Pay (60%): $1,200–$1,320
• Tips (25%): $500–$550
• Total Weekly Take-Home: $1,700–$1,870

Monthly Take-Home (4 weeks): $6,800–$7,500/month

Unlike booth rent, you’re not bleeding thousands on overhead. You’re stacking cash. You’re building savings. You’re putting yourself in a position to grow faster without the stress of carrying an invisible business loan on your back every month.

Annual Take-Home: Booth Rent vs Commission

When you run the full year numbers, here’s what it really looks like:

• Booth Rent (after overhead): $60,000–$72,000/year (if you stay busy and keep your marketing up)
• Sharp Top Commission Model: $88,400–$97,240/year

Commission gives you stability, a consistent check every week, and lets you focus on sharpening your skills — not sharpening your business tax filings and expense spreadsheets.

Hidden Costs Booth Renters Don't Think About

It’s not just booth rent and card fees that eat you alive. Booth renters often forget about:

• Slow Seasons: January, February, and back-to-school lulls can crush independent barbers with no fallback.
• Client Churn: Not every client is loyal. People move, change jobs, or just ghost you — and then you scramble to fill slots you were relying on.
• Burnout: You’re not just cutting. You’re posting ads, DMing clients, handling reschedules, buying products, managing your own brand, paying taxes, and chasing walk-ins all day long.

By the time you’re done "being your own boss," you’re working 70 hours a week just to make slightly less than you would’ve made simply focusing on cutting inside a structured team shop like Sharp Top.

Why Sharp Top Isn't Like Other Commission Shops

We’re not just throwing you in a chair and hoping for the best. At Sharp Top, you get:

• Walk-Ins: Paid marketing driving real, daily traffic into the shop.
• Booking Systems and Reminders: Clients get texts, emails, confirmations — you stay booked and organized without chasing people down.
• Culture and Team: You’re part of a group that’s trying to grow the brand and help each other get better, not just fighting over walk-ins.
• Guaranteed Support: We supply product, backbar, towels, drinks, music, management, and a place where you’re proud to bring your clients.

In short, you cut, you build your name, and you grow your wallet — without burning yourself out doing everything alone.

Ready to Level Up?

If you’re serious about building your future as a barber — not just making a few quick bucks this month — Sharp Top is where you need to be. We’re growing. We’re scaling. And we’re building a real community of barbers who want more for themselves, their families, and their careers.

Apply today. Bring your ambition. We’ll handle the rest.