Well, I bought a barber shop. But before I talk about that, I want to reflect on the journey that got me here. It will probably provide helpful context to explain why this makes sense for me.

It partially begins with my great grandmother who I wrote about in my article with The Tease.

She was born in Catanduanes, Philippines in 1905 and immigrated to Oakland in 1929. Looking for work, she got her cosmetology license and established a career in the beauty business. She worked in salons in downtown San Francisco and eventually moved with her husband and their two sons from Oakland to San Mateo. Little did she know that one of the cosmetologists working in her Burlingame salon would eventually marry her son.
Unfortunately, I was too young to remember my great-grandma, but fortunately, my family is able to paint the picture. From what I’ve gathered, she was a bold entrepreneur who cared deeply for her community. When I learned that about her, it honestly made me better embrace the entrepreneurial spirit flowing through my veins.

So, my great-grandmother and grandmother were licensed cosmetologists. For whatever reason, no one else in the family felt the pull to pick up shears and a comb except me. I gave my first haircut to my big brother when I was about 13. Our go to Supercuts stylist had retired and we were left to cut each other.

Those days were not like today. The cut was a simple 4 on the top and 2 on the sides. My mom was taking pictures of the moment. No real cape, just a cut out trash bag draped over my brother with some tissue paper wrapped around his neck. We used cheap ConAir clippers that mom picked up from the store.

My brother was hesitant at first. He wouldn’t let me do it. So I negotiated. I’ll let you cut my hair first, if you let me cut you after. Deal. When it was my turn, mom asked me if I’d ever cut hair before. I never had. She said I looked like I knew what I was doing and that stuck with me. Looking back, that felt like the first fingerprint.

When I got to college, a friend needed a haircut. I told him I could do it. That was the first haircut I ever gave in a dorm bathroom. It wouldn’t be my last. He was my first client and he even referred some people to me. I wasn’t charging anything really, I told them, pay me whatever you think it’s worth.

These were the days before Venmo, so I got whatever was in a wallet. It was typically $5 but sometimes they had no cash, so that was that. Honestly, I didn’t really care though, it wasn’t about the money. I enjoyed the craft and the conversation.

The next year is when it really took off. I was a resident advisor in the dorms, so I had 60 freshmen boys in my building and I quickly became the dorm’s resident barber. It was perfect. I was looking for ways to build relationships with my residents that didn’t involve writing them up for playing beer pong in their room. So a haircut was a perfect alternative to get to know them and build trust. Plus, I loved cutting hair.

Up until this point, I was mostly doing buzz cuts with clippers. But then, one of my residents from San Diego wanted to look like David Beckam. He wanted some flow. That was the day I picked up the shears. Honestly, it turned out pretty good too. I was impressed with myself.

At some point, one of my residents asked me if I’d ever thought about getting my barber license because it looked like I really enjoyed cutting hair. To be honest, it had never crossed my mind. I didn’t even know about barber school, let alone the path to become a licensed barber. Getting a college degree was the expectation in my family, so I never even considered a trade school whatsoever. But, that comment planted the seed. Another fingerprint if you will.

When I graduated college, I worked and lived in Europe for 2 years. I don’t know how, but I came across a YouTube channel called Nomad Barber. I was obsessed. Miguel was a barber who traveled the world documenting barbering in various countries. I was ridiculously inspired. So, as I visited nearly 30 countries in 2 years, I tried to follow in his footsteps and get a haircut in as many countries as I could. The list included: Ukraine, Czech Republic, UAE, Spain, England and Macedonia. I considered it research for the barbershop that I would open one day.

Graduating Barber School (a few years later, we celebrated my wife Kelly graduating Esthetician School).

I moved back to California and was just waiting for the right time to go to barber school. It lined up in 2018 and I got my license in 2019. I was the only barber student with a bachelor’s degree, so my perspective was a little different. The studies came easier to me than some of my classmates and it was hard to see some of them struggle which planted the seed for my future work helping students pass the barber exam.

My first job at a barber shop: Mike's Barbershop above Barrelhouse's Speakeasy.

I started working in a barber shop in the summer of 2019 and then March 2020 happened. With our first baby due in September, I decided to not go back to the shop even when the shops were allowed to re-open. I cut outside on my porch while brainstorming of other ways I could use my license. When I started researching, it became clear. I needed to help barbers pass the barber exam.

The pass rate was about 50% and barbers weren’t allowed to take their tests because of the pandemic. So, a student who graduated in March wouldn’t take their exam until January. I started teaching classes about how to study for the barber exam by sharing study tips and strategies to help keep the information fresh. My content resonated with an audience which was the beginning of becoming an ‘educator’ teaching workshops and classes in the industry.

I still needed a full time job though so I tapped into some old sales skills. In college, I worked in sales at a rising company called MINDBODY. My junior and senior year I cold called small businesses in the fitness, beauty and wellness industry trying to peak their interest in using an online booking management software. I enjoyed it and was pretty good at it. Funny enough, my Communication Studies senior project was about leveraging rhetorical persuasion in cold calling. Every sales rep that was hired at the company came through my cold call training.

When I was looking for a job in 2020, I came across Squire. They had recently raised a round of funding and were looking to hire for their sales team. Fortunately, some of my old MINDBODY co-workers were working at Squire, so I was able to land an interview and got hired as a Sales Development Representative. It was essentially the same role that I did at MINDBODY about 7 years earlier.

My first barber expo in Salt Lake City featuring Julius Caesar.

My job was to get in contact with barbershop owners and ultimately schedule a zoom call for the shop owner to see a demo of Squire with an Account Executive. SDRs book the meetings and AEs run the meetings. It was a perfect opportunity and fit for me. I was the only Licensed Barber at Squire and I had significant software sales experience. I came in and crushed it.

I talked to hundreds of barber shop owners across the country about their business. They flew me to barber expos across the country where I got to meet some of the biggest names in the business. They shared the problems they were facing, the goals they were trying to achieve and most important, their story. And those stories were inspiring, especially the shop owners. Looking at photos of their shops and hearing their stories further watered the idea of owning a shop one day. My mind was consumed with business strategies that could help refine and grow a barber business.

Teaching a barber exam prep class in San Diego at Associated Barber College

The business of barbering had always been on my mind since going to barber school. I meticulously observed and took notes of what I saw from school to the expos. So, I decided to start writing about it. I started a podcast, started writing a blog that eventually turned into a newsletter about the latest trends in barbering. A lot of my content bent towards the business side of the industry which wasn’t really being talked about in the way I was delivering. Some leaders in the industry read some of my work and that led to paid writing and consulting opportunities for some amazing brands.

Eventually, I left Squire but I never left the community. In many ways, that transition actually allowed me to really step into my full voice without feeling the conflict of representing a brand. As I write this, I’m actually the Director of Sales for the leading brand in boutique fitness: Mariana Tek. As we serve the most influential brands in boutique fitness, I’ve had a window into how these businesses operate at such a high level. These last 2 years feel equivalent to a masters degree in business and then some.

So I guess that brings me to this barber shop (and sub-leased salon). It’s a 35 year old, walk-in, cash only barber shop in Paso Robles, California. The owner passed away and his children were looking to sell. (The exact scenario I wrote about over a year ago). I was one of many applicants and the broker selected me as their top pick. Why? They loved my website, they listened to my podcast and were impressed by the professionalism of my brand and felt like I was the best candidate to take over the shop.

Like many, I’m my own worst critic. I always believes I can always do more. When I listen to one of my podcasts or look at my website, there is always something I can pick at. So, being selected as the candidate to buy this barber shop was humbling. If I can give a nod to my late grandfather who was a jazz musician, it feels like the last 5 years have been a crescendo. I had no idea that the podcast, the writing or the investment into the website design (shout out Mike Miller) would set me up for this opportunity. But you know what they say about luck. It’s where preparation meets opportunity.

I know I’m prepared for this moment. It’s been flowing through my veins for some time. Hope I make you proud, great grandma.

*I’ve learned so much during this process of actually buying the barber shop. Be on the look out for practical content that reveals the actual process. It was a first for me, so a lot to learn that hopefully will be to your benefit in some way.

If you have read this far, I really appreciate it. This is by far the longest (and most personal) entry I’ve ever posted. There’s a high chance that you’ve encouraged me through this barber journey over the last 15+ years, and for that, I can’t thank you enough.

Can’t wait to host you in my shop one day. It’s wild that that day is finally on the horizon.

I Bought a Barber Shop

State of the Barber Industry: Live Event Trends

10 Strategies to Evaluate & Grow Your Business