This Men’s Grooming Hub Went From Bedroom to Barbershops

Growing its online retail business and enriching the experience for a 50,000-strong database of customers was no small feat for Men’s Biz. But a clever Qantas Points earning business Card helped this company find its niche.

“I’ve always been fundamentally interested in how businesses worked,” explains Nathan Jancauskas, the founder of grooming hub Men’s Biz. “So instead of getting involved with someone else's business I just thought I'd start my own.”

In 2006, Jancauskas saw an opening in the men’s grooming sector, predicting that there was a need for male-focused hair, shaving and skincare products beyond what was offered in department stores.

“I thought that men’s grooming had a lot of potential,” says Jancauskas, a Qantas Business Rewards member. “I’m the type of person who always seeks out the best products. When I started this journey into men’s grooming I could see there was room for improvement, so I borrowed $6000 from my dad and started distributing four products. Now I’ve got over 60 brands onsite.”

Men’s Biz evolved in 2014 with the opening of its first barbershop in Melbourne’s CBD. It now operates a further three stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, with a team of 25 staff across both its online and physical experiences and has sold over 500,000 orders to and boasts a barbershop database of 50,000 customers. The barber stores were a crucial part of Jancauskas’ strategy as they stock products sold by Men’s Biz and give customers the opportunity to try the products at the hands of an expert. It’s a 360-degree approach.

“There’s an art to delivering someone an elevated service. The barbershops complete this circle where people come in for a barber service or to buy a product and they receive professional advice along the way.”

Beyond the success of the online and bricks-and-mortar stores, Jancauskas is most proud of the service and community of “shaving geeks” he’s fostered.

“Growing the business online [means] we obviously need digital marketing. There is an element of our customers finding us after seeking out a specific, niche product but we still need to get out there.”

The business spends up to $15,000 a month on digital marketing through Google Ad services and Meta, all of which Jancauskas pays for with his American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card. With no pre-set spending limit, Card Members can access a dynamic line of unsecured funding¹ – a feature that has brought peace of mind to the Men’s Biz team.

“When you have a lot of automated outgoings, like digital marketing, it’s helpful that you don’t have to be constantly moving money around and ‘topping up’ your Card. It’s probably saved me hours of my life.”

The Card has also helped make regular business trips between Melbourne and Sydney more cost-effective by redeeming earned Qantas Points on Qantas flights, especially when the brand was building its barbershop in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. Earning up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on everyday business² with his American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card – and 2 Qantas Points per $1 spent on Qantas products and services² – has helped Jancauskas offset a lot of his travel costs..

“I’ve earned most of my Qantas Points through putting the Card down for those ongoing business expenses. The points are then typically used for flights: flying staff and myself around Australia for work and sometimes on international trips to buying conventions.”

Running a small business, Jancauskas soon learnt that “there are no sick days, annual leave or anything like that”.

“When I’m flying up and down between states I love the Qantas Club Lounge. It’s one of my favourite places to do work and definitely one of my favourite benefits of the Card,” adds Jancauskas, who receives two complimentary domestic Qantas Club Lounge passes each Card Membership year³ with the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card.

As for where Men’s Biz goes next? “I've still got some ideas in terms of elevating the service experience through packaging, order tracking and membership. I want to deliver something that makes people walk away and say, ‘Yeah, that was really good.’”

Unlock the possibilities

Nathan Jancauskas shares his top small-business tips…

The key to… streamlining your success

“I'm a small business. I need to create a service that people want to use but also get my business out there. Streamlining my digital experience requires technology like Xero, and they’re the kind of automated bills I put on my American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card. Having access to flexible funding¹ means I never have to think about those bills.”

The key to… managing cash flow (and stress)

“It would be very inconvenient to run a business without a card. Just paying for things when you're travelling, or paying suppliers overseas is such a convenient way to transact,” say Jancauskas. The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card helps free up cash with up to 51 days to pay for purchases⁴, which allows him to manage the cash-flow of everyday expenses and help him plan for those bigger investments. “When I was fitting out my shops it meant that I could keep paying my digital marketing bills (about $15,000 a month) without stress.”

The key to… being there on the ground

“I think that the biggest leap of faith was definitely deciding to open a store: the lease, the fit-out and the amount of time that comes with going down that path. It was so important to be there in person when we were building the Sydney store; I had to fly up from Melbourne all the time. It was good to be able to do that using the Qantas Points I earned with my Card.”

The key to… building a loyal customer base

“It’s quite a personal experience going through a barbershop so it’s great to build those connections and see repeat customers. I guess it's why we have over 50,000 people on our barbershop database and have shipped over 500,000 orders since 2006. We wanted the bricks and mortar to have a spot for our niche community but also to reach more of the ‘everyman’. I think that having a physical space helps us foster that.”  

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