Do you remember when I became a barber?
Roughly 11 years ago I brought everyone in the world of Pomade and Pompadours on my journey of becoming a barber. I had made a small handful of videos on my YouTube channel showcasing my barber school. Back in 2012 a ton of you followed that journey intently! I also had a lot of followers come to my barber school, as well as the first shop I had worked at in San Francisco. Do you know how good it felt when the other barbers and stylists took notice that I had a “fan” base? I was one of the only people who had no background in cutting hair, so I didn’t even have a handful of friends to give me any social proof of my barbering skills. By then, I had met so many people in that first year who were willing to come to San Francisco to get a haircut from me, and it was amazing. The feeling of support and community, the fellowship, and an unwarranted adoration from so many people were like no other.
Some people continued to support me as I took my barbering out of San Francisco and to Redwood City then Belmont; only about 20-25 minutes outside of San Francisco respectively, but too far for everyone to carry on with their support.
This level of risk was absolutely terrifying. Even though it wasn’t my choice (I got fired, heh,) the reality of starting over in an up-and-coming shop, in an area where I didn’t know the lay of the land, was truly the test of my wanting to be a barber. Having started my barbering career in a shop that was already established and had some world-renowned barbers occupying that space meant that I didn’t have to ‘earn’ my clientele, I was just fed them. This time around? It was all on me, and I had no idea if my reputation built in San Francisco carried any weight outside the 7 by 7 city…
The shop was Captain’s Sk8 & Cuts, where I was the first and only barber there. The owner (while his wife is a hairstylist) was anything but a barber. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing! He had a vision that I wanted to be a part of, but ultimately that same vision was the reason why I would no longer be a part of that shop. I only knew the San Francisco level of service (which at that time, was considered “elevated,”) and I never knew how to operate a first-come-first-served style of shop. I never even went to that kind of barbershop as a kid! Eventually, I imposed my style of barbering, which was more by-appointment-only, and I had built a reputation. In a short amount of time, the reputation started to grow and people heard about the shop, Saturdays in the barbershop really felt like Saturdays in the barbershop! Working 9 to 9, kicking back with pizza and beer at the end of the day, it was fun! It was an amazing experience to have built out a barbershop reputation from soup to nuts. My reach had actually expanded, and I had clients from even further coming out to support me! They sacrificed their time and money to become my clients, and I really grew to appreciate that level of patronage. Ultimately, I had to part ways with the shop because money became an issue (business model,) and had me second-guessing my career as a barber.
Eventually, I found my way to Belmont, where I worked out of an old-timey shop called Bushwackers; which ended up buying and rebranding Captain’s Sk8 & Cuts some years later.
Bushwackers was fast-paced, reputation, and patrons stemming from the 1970s, and probably still had some hair on the floor from that era. What’s not to love? The money was constantly coming in, as it had been an established shop in the neighborhood for quite some time, but that also meant it carried the same price tag from back then. $20 for over 20 years! This level of work was hard on the body, because – by design – you’re supposed to optimize your work and do 3 cuts an hour. That’s some good money! But the end result was something I couldn’t say I was proud of because it lacked something important to me that I’d come to realize later in my career: connection. I, again, imposed my methodology and made less money, but had come to enjoy the overall work environment and quality of life it provided. Though I made less money than the other barbers, I still maintained a healthy connection with my clients, which will serve me well down the line.
While working there, Chris (whom I met working in San Francisco,) had reached out as he was finally opening up his shop and had wanted me to join the team. This was huge! The barbers that helped shape my career in 2013 finally reunited in 2014! One year apart doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but so much happened in that time frame. So being able to pick up where we left off was exciting! Everything felt like it did back then. Exciting, new, and hopeful for a long and fruitful future.
Being part of the Dogpatch journey, not just the barbershop, but the community, was everything I had wanted. It had the taste of a community barbershop in Redwood City, felt as if we were building a legacy barbershop like Bushwackers, but still had the contemporary vibe of being in San Francisco. Man… This was it for me! Or, so I thought…
Throughout the years I thought the place and environment were what I was after. I thought I wanted heavy old barber chairs, maybe some subway tile backsplash, or some obnoxiously loud music. All of these can be components of a barbershop, for sure. But after some time I came to realize that a barbershop without its patrons is just a room full of chairs…
One thing I took away from the various locations and shops I’ve worked at was that I liked the connectivity I had built not only with the barbers but also with the patrons and clients of the shops. I’ve met so many people in such a short amount of time! I mean, how often do you get to interact with dozens of people a day, with various backgrounds and upbringings, and get to know them in a very intimate way? And then rinse, cycle, repeat this process day in and day out for a decade? The way I got to connect with people in that time has made me more understanding and empathetic in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I first embarked on this journey. Barbering is typically looked at as a results-driven industry; very transactional. I cut your hair, you give me money — that’s it. This is a very linear business and has been that way since the beginning of time. But for someone like me who has grown and learned other aspects about what it means to be a barber, I’ve started to outgrow that old way of business…
My clients started off as just that: Clients. As time progressed and my ability to communicate improved, what was proposed as just a simple exchange in value became more than that. The value became more than a haircut or a service. It became a level of connectivity no one expected to make. Even clients that I’ve only worked with for 5-6 haircuts understood the value I brought to the table. It was far different than any barber they’ve encountered in their lives. We’ve developed a friendship from what started off as a business transaction.
Not friendly like you are with your local barista or bartender (unless you’re a hardcore regular!) But friendly to the point where even when my clients had moved across the other side of the Bay Area in 2020, they still came all the way across the bridge to support me. They’ve converted everything else to their locality. From bread makers, dentists, and restaurants, but the one thing they’ve maintained on this side of the Bay Area was me — their barber. Most people wouldn’t support their barber when they increase their price, but to invest their time and money into maintaining their relationship with their barber on a recurring schedule? I’ve even had clients move out of California make a point to make an appointment with me, or come by the shop to catch up! That amount of support is something I’ll always share my gratitude towards.
The amount of impact a lowly barber could provide is something else!
Ultimately, I’ve made the extremely difficult decision to transition away from barbering…
Why? Why would I build up this story to tell about the relations I’ve built with barbering? Why would I throw those connections away? Why would I invest the last decade into a trade and just give up on it?
The answer is simple: I have to.
As unfortunate as it is, I’m in the phase of life where I need to begin providing value away from barbering and into another field. It sounds ridiculous, but that’s where I’m at in life. I know the value I provide and tried and true in the barbershop setting. I need to know if it’s truly valuable outside of it.
Believe me, it is tough to walk away from an amazing clientele base that professed their unparalleled support for me with this career change. Many of them admit that I was the “best” barber they’ve ever had. While I will contest that they’ve had better haircuts out there, the type of connection and comfort a lot of my clients got from sitting in my chair will go unchallenged. To be able to converse with any and all walks of life without quantifying their value to a dollar amount is extremely rare in the barbering world. Every seminar or course out there for barbers and hairstylist overlook the value proposition and place it on a simple metric of dollar and time. While that isn’t objectively wrong, I’ve learned to appreciate barbering outside of that, and that’s why I need to step away from it.
Being in this place of growth means I can’t be doing the same thing I’ve done for the last 10 years and expect a different outcome. If any of the changes I’ve experienced over the last decade has taught me anything, is that I can adapt and rise to the occasion. And seeing the value outside of the surface level is a valuable skill set in and of itself. But allowing others to also see that same value is unique.
What does the next step bring? I don’t know. All I know is I hope to utilize everything I’ve learned through this blog and becoming a barber, in whatever the next adventure brings.
Until the next time,
Pomp Hard
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The Rebel Rouser 