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Luke Brand - Welcome to the Fade Club Podcast a podcast for Barbers by Barbers. In todays episode we speak to a young barber who is still learning his trade at barber college, in his 2nd year of college and building his reputation as a young talented barber in his area.
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Luke Brand - Welcome to the Fade Club Podcast a podcast for Barbers by Barbers. In todays episode we speak to a young barber who is still learning his trade at barber college, in his 2nd year of college and building his reputation as a young talented barber in his area.
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Luke, a young aspiring barber, shares his journey of how he got into barbering. He initially wanted to be an accountant but was encouraged by his sister, who is a hairdresser, to pursue barbering. Luke talks about the first year of college, where he learned the basics of barbering and the importance of sticking with it. He mentions that the kit provided by the college wasn't great, so he invested in his own equipment. Luke also discusses the practical and theory aspects of the course, including the importance of hygiene and cleaning equipment. He emphasizes the need for barbers to prioritize cleanliness and hygiene to ensure the safety of their clients. In the second year, the focus shifts to cutting hair at a faster pace. Luke encourages other barbers to promote their clean and safe practices and to brand themselves accordingly. Good morning and welcome to the Faith Club podcast. My name's Kevin. Today I'm joined by Luke who's a young, aspiring barber who goes to East Kilbride College, yes? Yes, that's right. And he's now in his second year. But Luke, thanks very much for coming along today. Much appreciated, pal. Pleasure having you. I'm very excited. If we can go back a wee bit before you get to your college years, when did you first think about barbering and taking it up as a career? Well, it all kind of started for me about sport time because that's when I kind of fell out of love with school. Like, I was kind of determined to be an accountant, which if you look at me now, you're like, where did that all go? But my sister's a hairdresser, so she kind of gave me the boost to kind of go for it because I was lost. I thought, I kind of, confidence was right down because I was failing in school and I was like, what do I do now? But she was like, give it a go. And then before that, I just... What did you think about school? I found it just focusing because I always found it hard to focus on stuff I didn't enjoy. Did you? Because although I wanted to be an accountant, I didn't enjoy it. I was just like, oh, money's there. So I'd be stuck in a job I didn't enjoy for the rest of my life, which is why I'm happy where I am now because it's something I can do and I can say I love it. So it was better your sister that's kind of pushed you into it? Aye, definitely, because she was in the same position. She was meant to go to uni, and then turned around and went, I'm going to be a hairdresser. So I knew it was possible, so I just went for it and it's led me to where I am now. Brilliant. So talk us through the first year of college. So anybody listening that's thinking about wanting to become a barber or has aspirations to become a barber in the future, what's the first year of college like? I'd say it's quite exciting because it's new for most people who go into it, and most people don't stick at it because you normally start with longer hair and people are like, I'm here to do skin fades, which is not what a barber is all about. A barber is from anything to skin fades to longer hair even. But I say you've just got to stick at it and you'll learn all sorts of different things and it'll really set you on your way to become a barber. You could probably start cutting hair in a shop straight after the first year because the second year is more looking into creative cutting, so your first year is all about just getting the ball rolling I think. That's what really helped me. You've had the fun of trying to do the 45 degrees and the 90 degrees. I know that, I can't really remember all the theory behind it, but I just do it. So you started off probably not even knowing how to hold the scissors. No, I was terrible at all that, I couldn't even flip my scissors or whatever, I couldn't even take a clean section, but now after just practising and practising you just get it and it's become natural for me. Talk me through, it's quite important for a lot of people, how good was the kit that you got at your college, do you think the kit was a decent kit? I'll be honest, not really because you didn't get a pair of clippers, you get a wee neck trimmer, so not even like an actual detailer. You got a comb, clips, a brush and a bowl and all that, so I'd say compared to other colleges it's quite, it's not as good. At least you're not getting the same treatment. Definitely, I'm still getting the treatment every day, so we just went out and bought our own kits to be honest. So you invested in your own kit? Aye, I saw them straight away because I started in January, so for my Christmas and my birthday I just thought, get me a barber and stuff and then... Talk me through the kit you bought. So I bought a pair of Monster Clippers, they're not the biggest brand, but I noticed someone I worked with had them, so I gave them a shot, they're only like £100, so I thought it was quite a good deal. Then I went and bought the PPOB trimmer and foil, it was the Demon Foil, Demon Trimmer rather, and the Skull Trimmer, or Skull Foil rather. Because it was a good price, it was only like £80 for the both of them. Yeah, it was good, £80 for the both of them together, so I thought even to start me off it would be alright, I'm not looking for anything fancy, just enough to cut hair. Then I went and bought a pair of Aoi Scissors, I was left handed trimmers and like 6 inch scissors as well, just because the scissors you get are left handed, so it's always a pain to teach. But the scissors weren't the best quality you got in the kit, they were alright, but I wanted something better, definitely, so I thought if I invest in a good pair of scissors, they'll last me like 10 years, if I take good care of them. All you had to do was cut in the heads anyway. That's it. Scissors pretty much get rid of them. Exactly, so I used the scissors I was given with my kit for the heads, and then for actual people I'd only use my good scissors, because I'm not wasting my kit on like the Sally Heads, because it'd be a waste, because I know they use your purpose on it, it blunts them, and then scissors, it blunts them as well, so there's no point wasting your good stuff on fake hair. Yeah. So you've done well with the practical side of things, it sounds like you're patient with that, how did you do with the theory side of the first year of college, and what did that include for you? Well, the first year was all about the kind of chemistry behind hair, who hair is made up, like all that, and then you learn about skin conditions, you learn about, you learn about all that, how you treat these things, things like that as well, how you know when you're looking at all these different skin conditions, and how to treat them, but for me personally I found it hard, because there was a wee bit of studying involved, and that was something I never done at school, and that's something I could never get into, because I just didn't have the focus for it, when I was in my house I'd be like, oh, nah, I'm not doing that, but I feel like, it's all kind of multiple choice questions, or whatever, so I found that easy, and then you just have to explain a wee bit more, you kind of get it. What's achievable? It's a very small part of the course, and it's not really stuff you need to know, it's nice to know at the end of the day, but it's not essential to your career, but I did find it quite straightforward after I got the grips of it, because a lot of the questions repeat themselves, and are topics. It's really important, because for me I go and get my hair cut, and there's numerous times I sit down in the barber chair, and I don't see anything getting cleaned before I get my hair cut, and it's a thing that really needs to be changed. Definitely, because if you just leave hairline around, it's putting the customers at risk, and that's why you see so many of these smaller barber shops, the ones where you're just in and out, getting so many people with ringworm and all that, because they don't take good care of their sections, or their shop, it's all just... Hygiene's not there. Exactly, so after they've got their hair cut, you should be always cleaning their clippers, cleaning their hair up, even wiping down your section, just so it's clean. Do you think that comes down to, possibly, these barbers have not been to college, and they've not learned about the dangers of not cleaning their equipment? It could be a mix of that, just sheer laziness, because most of these shops are just shop shops, where you're in and out, they tend to be one after the other, not booking, so they don't really have the time to do it, but you should always make time, because at the end of the day, it's hygienic, it's safe. It's part of your service, isn't it? Definitely, because you don't want to go in and someone's not changed their razor, but they've just slashed someone. It's not on your face. I know it's on others, but it's on it, you know what I mean? It's terrible, but... It does happen, by the way. I know, I mean, we learn all about it. I've witnessed it. I've been in shops, it's... It's terrible, because... Just stay away from it. Incidentally, like, you know, I'd rather pay a bit more for my hair cut, knowing that it's clean, it's good quality, and I'm not going to contract anything. That's something for you as your target, what we're talking about, you branding yourself. Don't be afraid to brand that side of yourself. Aye, definitely. Don't be afraid to go and make videos of you cleaning your equipment. Aye, people like that as well, even people who aren't barbers, they just like to see people cleaning, because there's a kind of magic side to this. Definitely. Show people that you've got it, show people you use it. Keep people waiting. Don't be scared to keep your image client waiting for maybe five minutes, ten minutes while you're cleaning your product, because they'll be happy to wait. Aye. I'd be happy to wait ten minutes in a barbershop. Aye, I'd be boiling this and watching that. Because everything's clean for me, it's all round. Aye, sitting and watching the barbers cleaning, you feel a lot safer going into the chair knowing that you shouldn't contract anything off it. Aye, that goes for all young barbers. Aye, definitely. Anybody listening in, try and promote it. The more we promote it, the more it's going to get better. Aye, put your name out there as well. Just promoting that you're a safe, clean barber. Aye, that goes a long way. Moving into your second year. So you're in your second year now of your barber course. What's the difference in the second year compared to the first year? I'd say the second year is a big jump, because your first year is all about just getting a haircut done. And they're not really too bothered about how long it takes, but second year is more about getting a haircut done at salient speed. And your haircuts are more creative in the second year, because your first year was focused on getting your basic haircuts done, but your second year is more outside the box, feeling the colour, feeling the designs and different shapes. So it was a big jump for me, because originally I wasn't going to go back. But then I thought, I may as well give it a go, because it's just more experience at the end of the day. So I went back, and I was quite shocked, because it just felt so much higher standard. And I feel like I've learned a lot more from the second year. And it's been great, honestly. I've learned so much more different haircuts, and just a lot more skills that I can take on board with me. Have you challenged a long haircut yet? I actually have. Luckily, my brother, his hair grows in my head. And he hadn't had a haircut in a few months, so I was like, right, I need to just get it tackled. Because if I went back and say, I may as well try and cut long hair while it's someone I know. And I dealt with that, and it came off brilliant. And I was like, right, I feel a lot more confident now that I've got that under my belt. Because, honestly, it's quite scary. Everyone sees long hair and thinks, oh, it's terrible. But if you just have a formula for it, it's not that bad. Yeah. So are you still taking pictures and getting built up to social media while you're doing all that? Definitely. Every time I do a haircut, I still take pictures. Because even if it isn't the best haircut, you can learn from your mistakes. Yeah. And if it is, put it on social media. And if people see a good haircut, that's good, because it can help you with jobs. It's a good boost just seeing people appreciate what you're doing. We were talking about that before we came on, weren't we? How they can build your brand. Definitely. Because it's such a competitive market now, isn't it? It's become a lot more... It's become a time to stand out in an industry that's got so many young barbers coming in. Definitely. It's a lot more popular nowadays than what it was 10 years ago. Because it was seen as quite girly and all that, because it was like, oh, dealing with hair. But now, everyone's wanting to get into it. All these boys that are quite cool and quite different, they want to try and do barbers It's trending. It's trending, I thought it was earlier. And it was one of the main reasons I got into it. I loved my hair, I loved getting it cut, getting stuff done with it. So I was like, I think it's something I could deal with personally. Yeah. But it's definitely competitive, so you've got to try and put yourself out there and show why people should pick you, and why you are a great candidate for a certain job or award. I love that. And you've now managed to get yourself placement, so talk to us about who you're with, where it is, and what you do when you're there on your place. Well, I'm currently with Iconic Gets Hair in East Kilbride, in the village. I've been going there for about 10 years now, probably, getting my hair cut. I've got a great relationship with the boys in there, and they've been great in terms of my career. Because before I started going to college, they had me in for a year, where I just got to work on a day-to-day basis. And I learned so much great skills, and it helped me, because everyone's got their own kind of niche in the shop, and it helped me kind of... Yeah, you can learn off the others. Definitely. If you go round all four of them, you could learn a skill off everybody, because they all cut hair differently, but they all achieve the great results. Yeah. And I couldn't thank them enough for everything they've done in my career, because I wouldn't be where I am now, if I didn't work in there. Well, you're a nice boy, so that's why they put time into it. Definitely. I appreciate that, and they're all great as well. I couldn't recommend them enough. So, is that going to be your next step, then? Are you going to try and finish your next year, and then progress into getting a full time, you reckon? Well, I would like to, but it's just a matter of space. I'm not really... I'm more focused on getting a job anywhere at the minute, because the sooner I get out there, the sooner I'm kind of in at the deep end, getting the feel of working that, and it sets me on my way for the rest of my career. And I'm quite excited for it, because that's where the money is at. You know, it gets you the money, it gets you the feel of working on a day-to-day basis, and that's all I want to do right now, just get working, because as I say, it's all you want to do is make some money. It's quite new. That's why I started doing this as well. I think young barbers are missing out on so many different aspects of how to make money. Definitely. It's not all about just cutting hair, there's so much more to that. There's education, there's products, there's sweet things like that. It's not all just cutting hair, there's so much more different treatments. You can offer people luxury shaves, you can offer... There's now a lot more things like micro-pigmentation that's becoming a lot more popular now. It's not just all about cutting hair, there's so much more to the industry now. Definitely. And that's where you've got to find, figure out how to bring that all together, and make that your brand. I can do pretty much everything. I've got my own products. I've been on social media. I've got this, I've got that. It's just trying to push it all together now. I think that's the exciting part about barbers before. If you go back maybe five years, social media in barbers wasn't as crazy as it is. But now, barbers are getting to a point now where they can actually make more money off of their social media by doing brand deals, by working on social media, than they actually can without having to cut their hair. Because most of them, they'll be selling products, they'll have partnerships with certain brands, so if they do a video cutting of a certain product or a certain clipper, they can make money easily from that. And then those barbers that have their own education systems, they don't make tons of money from people buying videos of them cutting hair. The barbershop you're in now, do they get the training program at all? They don't, but one of the boys who works with us, Montel, has got his own internship with Joshua P, which is obviously a really big brand around the world for cutting hair. And he's got his own formula for cutting hair, which is called the BFS, and it's helped me personally cut hair because I always thought all the scissor cutting and all that was quite challenging, I didn't understand it. But this formula works with all different types of hair, but it's long, short, curly or straight, it's just... Montel, I need to get you on here. Oh, he's still doing a heartbeat, I reckon. He's always up for something like that, but... Has he got a training program like he can buy or purchase at all? He's not at the minute, but I reckon in the future I'll definitely do something he's up for because, honestly, he's basically given me one-to-ones for a year now, and I think it's mainly what I am to know. Brilliant. I love that. Looking at everyone in the shop, obviously, that are cutting, it's quite confusing, but obviously, that's just their way of cutting. Watching Montel, I think, personally, it's the way I understood it the most. Any job moment. Definitely, because I watched it and I was like, hold on a minute, have I seen it that straightforward? Yeah. And you can do it with any cut, which is the best part. That's the thing about college, if you've got a teacher and they're teaching you and it just doesn't resonate with you, then it becomes difficult. Right, definitely. You're putting yourself in a situation where you've got four barbers and you go and do your placement, so you can bounce off of them and then you've obviously got your college tutors as well. There's just so much information to take in, but you learn wee bits of everyone. Yeah. So they'll cut another fade, and there's so many different ways to fade, and that's what I've learned. I've tried different ways out, and then it's all about just finding what works for you most. Yeah. That's all you think about when you first start. Ah, it's just how to do a fade. How to do a fade. Right, definitely. You've got to learn how to do a fade, but it's just so much more challenging. Exactly. You've got to get to the one back in size to get the fades done, because at the end of the day, there's perfection in every haircut. If there's a one back in size, there's a certain way to perfect it. Let's take yourself three, four, five years from now, as we say. What's your main goals and your ambitions of where you would like to take this career? What do you see? Where do you see yourself in five years' time? Because I always find that a bit of a crime. People tend to ask that a lot, but personally, people always ask, do you want to own your own shop? At the minute, it's not in my plans. Maybe a lot further down the line, but personally, I just want to get working, become self-employed, so I have a steady client base, where I can, wherever I go, I can rely on having clients behind me. I maybe want to build my social media, have a bit more of a following, so people can learn off me on social media. Then maybe dive into awards and stuff, just try and put myself out there as much as I can. Do you know how to build your social media better? I feel like, again, from working on my work, they're all into our social media, so watching them, it's helped me grow mine as well. Just doing wee videos or doing compilations of me cutting hair. I've done one yesterday of me just videoing a whole haircut, but I've made it down into a minute, just what I do, and it's doing really well already. I don't know how to build my social media, and that's something that I want to try and get somebody who is really clever at it to come on and speak to them, and then maybe they can try and put some videos or do something for me that we can then put back out and let you guys work off of, because I think if you can get yourself to that 10,000 following or 20,000 following, maybe it's an opportunity. It's good. You see people with that, and you wonder how much they make, because... How do you know how to price yourself? Imagine a brand came to you, and went, as well, for example, here's a set of curls, can you put them on your mixtape? How would we know how much that is worth? It's such a new industry. And it's such a big brand as well, because it could be anywhere from a few hundred to maybe a few thousand. You never know when a brand is big as that. I'm shocked that there's no football agent type set up in the barber industry. Ah, you think there would be? Yeah, to go and get the best young barbers, and take a look at them and their books, and go in and try and work with them, so that if a brand comes to that barber, the barber just goes to deal with the agent, and then they know how much money to go and try and get for that brand deal. Does that have it all being on the barber's shoulders? It could be someone who can just deal with all that, while the barber focuses on their... And this is where I think, this is what I think will happen in this industry in the next five years, I think. I think it might happen even quicker. I definitely think a big company will come along, like an agency, will come along and will start looking at, especially in our country, will start looking at all the best barbers, and it'll be run like a football type agency, and you'll start to see a lot of the barbers taking on much more work and getting paid than they should be getting paid for that. Aye, because I do feel like barbers could be underpaid, because as you were saying, in America people can make almost £80,000 for just starting off, but you've got people here, who've been cutting hair for 10 years, but charging like £20, £25, which is not a lot in terms of like, in the long run, because they've got to be making way more than that, because they could be doing arguably better haircuts than people across the sea, but they're getting like half the money, and it doesn't show, you know what I mean? It's a much bigger industry in America, isn't it? I think so, because it's like one in three people probably do barbelling, because there's a barber shop on every corner. I know, pretty much, but it's not the best ones. If it's over there, you can go anywhere and be trusted. Because I went to New York a couple of years ago, and it's just funny to see a couple of barber shops. It was brilliant, and they're all great as well. They're really pushed out there, I feel. Yeah, it's a big, big, big business, isn't it? Definitely. It's really trendy over there. Being a barber's like being a rockstar over there. I know. I see them all on Instagram, and I just, for them, like, all their price lists and all that, and you're like, how does that even, how do people charge that? I listen to a podcast, and it's called College Barber Success. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. I don't think I have, no. It's on Spotify, and it's a guy called Kate Charles, and when I started listening to his podcast, I got interested in doing a podcast myself, so that's kind of where my interest came from. And he speaks about, so he's got his own barber shop, but he's also got his own training academy. Right. And he speaks to you and tells you how much how barbers are making, and he'll tell you this in a moment, two years in. Once they're making $80,000, $80,000 a year, even more than that some of them, because there's probably no decline in them. But you should listen to that. It does sound interesting. It does give you an idea of what it's like over there, because I definitely think if you are young and talented, and you can get over there, you will make yourself an absolute fortune, because the opportunity is just sitting there for people just now. Right, because I think they're just trying to get people overseas as well, just to kind of, it's becoming a lot more popular, not even just barbering, just in the industry in general. Like, Brits are seen as very hard-working people, so people in America, even Australia is huge now. If they can get Brits over, they'll do it in a heartbeat, because they know they'll always turn up, they'll get the job done, and they'll work probably more hours than they should. The biggest thing I don't like about barbering, and I guess you're quite young, so I don't know what your thoughts will be on it, is I could walk out of this room just now, not have any qualifications in barbering, and open up a barbershop, but that's just no qualification at all. Which I've not found that, because that's kind of a, that doesn't matter to me, that you can open up a barbershop, anybody could, they don't need a qualification. But yeah, using razors, and using shaving equipment, those things are dangerous. That is true. It could be quite dangerous if you're unqualified, obviously, you might not know how to handle these things properly, which could be a danger to a client. But there's quite a few barbers I know who aren't qualified, and they're great, but I feel like young barbers should be pushed to go get qualified, because it would make a client feel a bit safer as well as, you know, you'd feel a bit safer knowing how to handle a razor properly, hold clippers properly, even hold scissors. It's just, it's a lot better just knowing how to do all these things accordingly, rather than putting people at risk. When you started getting into the aspect of dyeing hair, had you ever done it before? Well, to be honest, no. I'd had highlights before, but it wasn't anything extreme. My sister used me for an experiment, she was like, I need to try a cat highlight, so I let her do it, and it worked out, so I was always interested in doing it. Then I started, obviously, started working when I was working, and I'll start from there. I shaved my head, dyed it blue, and since then, I haven't looked back since, to be honest. Are you quite confident about dyeing hair now? Do you feel like you're quite comfortable doing it? I don't know. It depends what I'm doing. I could do a full head, but I struggle most with root B growth, because there's so much precision involved, and I just, I can't do it. I struggle so much, but, and highlights as well, it's quite tedious. It's not something I'm looking to do now, but maybe down the line I'd look to get into it. That's the thing with other shops now, and it's like, guys are getting in now, and they're not just getting in and getting just a haircut, but they're getting their hair dyed, and they're getting it styled, and they're getting two and three colours in their hair, and that, I was speaking to people about this as well, I think, there's going to be a massive opportunity comes for young ones who are really good at colouring hair, with the LGBTQ, with the whole section of hair dressing and barbering, because you're getting loads of these young girls now who are getting their hair shaved, and they're getting green four colours in their hair as well, and it's kind of a, it's something that's really, really growing. I think people are now just kind of finding themselves, and people are a lot less afraid now to just be out there and try different things out with their hair, and like their clothing as well. It's just like, people aren't afraid to express themselves. Like ten years ago, it was a lot less popular for girls, especially, to maybe have like proper dyed hair, or like designed in their hair and all that, but now people are a lot less afraid to just kind of be out there, which is great, because for a barber, you get to try loads of different things, and you get to meet people from all different backgrounds, and I think it's huge. Does your course cover social media at all, like how to kind of grow your social media at all? To be honest, I've never really looked into it. It's more just like, we've spoken about it, rather than actually learning about it. I'm curious to know if there are other courses out there, like if there's a college out there who's actually implementing social media into a course, because I think it could be quite interesting. No, it could be definitely, because one of the main parts about barbering now is like advertising your social media, growing on it, put yourself out there to people to see who's cutting their hair and what they can do. So I feel like your higher-up kind of academies and all that would definitely be into it, I reckon, because that's what it's all about, just growing. So I'm sure they know best about it. With your barbers that you're watching, who's, if you're going onto YouTube, who's the one that you're kind of keeping an eye on? Who do you follow? Personally, I like the way Shaun the Barber cuts hair. He works down in Liverpool, and he's more into his buzz cuts and all that, but the way he fades, I think, is brilliant. He's quite creative in the way he does it, like he does tapers quite differently. I'm not afraid to try something different in the way he edges it up and all that, and I think it's brilliant to watch it. And obviously, Josh Opie as well, he's like, everyone who works with him, like Tony Forrest, Marie Rainsford, and all that, I think they're great, because, again, they all use the same formula, but each individual person in that company has their own speciality. Marie's brilliant at long hair. She does the formula, but it shows how it works in ladies' hair, whereas Tony's more into his pompadours and all that, and it's just brilliant. I've done a seminar with him once, and it was brilliant watching him do it in the flesh. Has anyone came out to your college and actually done a demonstration or given you a barber bash at your college and done an event or anything like that? Well, we've had the boys from Iconic come up, because obviously they're local and they're quite well respected among where we are in Scotland, so we had them come up and do a couple of haircuts to show people how to do, like, not be afraid to do different kind of styles, because we're just learning the basics about cutting hair, to be honest. Like, we don't know how to do, like, Yeah, like, they were showing us, you know, don't be afraid to do afraid. Like, I watched Tony, who's my boss, he just cut a clip of me, like, opened it and just went right up the guy's head, and he was like, I can still fade this out. And everyone was sitting there like, God, what's he done? It was brilliant. And we've had, like, a couple of guys who are past students come up and do it, but we've not had any, like, huge barbers come up yet. I think we're looking to get, like, Tony Forrest up, because obviously he's from Scotland, so it's a bit easier, but we're just looking to get the formula kind of implemented around the college, just because it's probably the easiest way to cut hair, I feel, and it's quite straightforward to teach, because my lecturer's dead into it, so having learned it in the shop and learned it in college as well, it's definitely made it easier to kind of grasp. It's great that you've found yourself a place to go if a placement is looking great. It's such a difficult thing at times to find a good placement, but it's so competitive. Like, how many people are in your class at the moment in college? There's probably about 10 people in the class. We've had people come and go, and it's, all of them are just from different areas in Scotland, but everyone's more competitive, and they charge us to be the best, and it's quite cool, because it pushes you further as well to become better, because having all these people around you wanting to just be the best, you know, it gives you more encouragement to just get out there and get it done. How did you get in contact, if you've got somebody listening just now who's maybe 16, 17, and they're thinking about going to college, how did you actually get in touch with the college? What did you do to get in touch with the college, and was that an interview process for you, a selection process? How did the college work for you when you first started? For me, I went on the website, obviously, to the college, and then there was applications applied for it. You put all your details in, obviously, write a wee personal statement and all that, just showing who you are and why you want to do it. Then there tends to be an interview process. I've done it once, and I went in, obviously, I was just presenting myself as well as I could. Was that your second interview? Yeah, the lecturer I had did interview me, so I just, you know, I'd recommend putting yourself out there, presenting yourself as well as you can. Dress well, have good hand movements and all that, just present yourself as well as you can. Then just seem really eager, seem really encouraged, just show why you should be in the college. Were you shy when you first went? Oh, definitely. I kind of kept to myself the first year, because I was like, I don't want to embarrass myself, because, obviously, I was young people, everyone in my class was like 20 and above, so people seeing me and thought, right, it's just a young guy, I don't want people to have that mindset, that I just was this annoying wee guy. So I just kind of kept to myself, only kind of spoke when spoken to. But then second year, I've just kind of, I want more, because I feel like I've been in the industry now for about a year since then, so I've been working around people, I've been a lot more confident, because I feel like people now understand me as not just a wee guy, but as mature as anyone else. Yeah, no, you've come across as a nice young lad. I can picture you being pretty shy when you first started out, just when you said, we're skilling. Aye, that was a shame. That was a shame, because I didn't skill as well, I was quite, to myself, only if I knew the people, I was out there, but I just found it hard to speak to people I'd never met, but obviously from seeing other people do it, from seeing my fellow colleagues and guys in my class do it, it's just been something I can take on and go, you know what, what's the worst that could happen? That's the point I'm trying to get across here when I ask you that, is barbering seems to be an industry that when people go into it, they don't ever want to change their career. No, definitely. People don't enjoy it so much, especially young ones coming through, they seem to really, really enjoy being a barber. Every day you get to do the same thing, you get to make people happy, you get to speak to people from all different backgrounds, build great relationships with your clients and your colleagues, it's just something I can say I want to do for the rest of my life because definitely, I couldn't imagine working in an office or whatever, because I just couldn't do it. I like being up, doing something practical. I think you've done this before. Definitely, because if you become self-employed, you can manage your work hours, I mean, you can work as long as you want, as long as you want to work. The boys will probably work longer than the barber shop. They'll probably work from nine in the morning to about nine at night some days, but that's so they can maybe sacrifice a weekend, so they can go, right, I've worked this many hours during the week, so I can work a short shift on Saturday, for instance, which is good, or sometimes even take a day off, which is perfect because, you know what, it's alright working an extra day just to get an extra day off, because who wouldn't want two days off on the weekend still? I never know in the future, it might be you and your sister, where you combine barber hair together. Who knows, I have worked a couple of days with her before, and it's been good, just honestly, because I never expected it, to be honest. Does she own a shop? She does, she owns her own salon. What's her name, Albert? Sorry? What's her name, eh? It's the TLC Hair Design, it's in the Everlast, Germany. Germany. She owned a salon down at the College Milton, like, in a industrial estate, but it was just too big, like, she had a lot of space, but didn't have that many hairdressers, so it was a waste of space. Location for barber shops and hairdressing shops is the biggest thing. Aye, definitely, and because it was kind of heading away, but this is a hair salon in a gym, that's like one of the best places you could go, because from working in there for a couple of days, I was a barber in a gym, which is a huge location because it's full of guys going in, doing a workout, and maybe someone's going, let me go get my haircut, just because they're there. It's convenient. I've seen that, and I think it's the boys in Stratfathers that have now opened up a barber shop in the Asda environment. I've seen that, it's big as well, because it's a big Asda, and I've been there loads of times, I can't lie, and honestly, I think having a barber shop somewhere that's going to have loads of people going into is huge. Back in the day, the town centre, where we are now, that used to be the spot, because it used to be mobbed every day, because it used to be so, like, huge. The alley used to be huge, but sadly it's gone a bit downhill, which is... I think a lot of city centres have done that. I know, it's a shame. You find it now, the young barbers who are coming through, especially in the south side of Glasgow, they're going into all the nice villagey areas, and all the up-and-coming areas, where the coffee shops are, because really you're now starting to find the barber shop. There's a combination now, where you get your haircut, but you can also get a coffee or whatever. It's quite cool, I think it's definitely something to implement, because into the day, it's more money. It's just a wee service you can offer. People will feel a lot more safe, and a lot more at home in a shop, where they can sit relaxed, get a coffee, get a wee bite to eat. It's very welcoming. You'll do well, because barbering is not just about how good the haircut is, pal. Barbering is about how you go into your barber. If you keep trying to put yourself out there, come across the way you do, you'll do well, pal. Definitely. I think it's not just about the haircut, it's about how you present yourself, how you treat your clients, how you put yourself out there on their Instagram, all that. Coming across as a good person, rather than a good barber. How long have you got left on your course now? I finish up in March, so I've got about five weeks, I'm sure, so not long left. It's coming a bit more sudden to me, that I'm like, I need to get working now. It's all about the end, I need to get the head down and get going. You said that you're in a situation where you don't know if there's going to be a spot for you at the barber shop that you're at at the moment, just maybe through the size of the shop, might not be big enough to accommodate another couple of barbers, so what would you want to then say to anybody who's listening in that's maybe needing a young lady looking for it to go into a barber shop, or who would you like to tell yourself to at the barber shop? Well, I'd be willing to say, give me a job. To be honest, I'm just... Is it a job you're looking for, or are you looking to try and get into a strong barber shop? Whether I'm an apprentice or a full-time barber, I'd like to just get working, whether it is a big barber shop or just somewhere. I think it's important that you keep putting yourself out there and whatever your barbers say. Definitely, because obviously, from working with barbers who, you know, they've got hour appointments where they do £20 an hour, because I couldn't see myself working in a shop where it's like, in and out, because I feel like it's like, I'm used to such a high standard now, where if I work somewhere with a lower standard, I feel like I get a bit confused and a bit anxious, so I want to try and surround myself with barbers who have got a high standard. Keep learning, I think. Definitely, because I couldn't imagine working somewhere where I can't learn, because at the end of the day, everyone in that shop is still learning, no matter how old they are and how long they've been working, they learn every day. And to any young barbers, as you say, what would you say about going into barbering, would you encourage it? Oh, definitely. Somebody in fifth year in school or fourth year in school are now listening in to this. Definitely, if they want to do it, then by all means go for it, because that's what I thought, what's the worst that could happen? And since then, it's been the best thing I've ever done. I've loved it since, and it's just an industry where you can express yourself however you want, and you meet so many different people and they can, you know, give you so many opportunities doing things like travelling and meeting loads of different people and celebrities. There's a chance you could always bump into a few. It's not my main concern, meeting celebrities, but... There's a couple of players in there. Oh, definitely, that'd be nice, wouldn't it? You know, if these are like you... That's like any couple of players in fifth grade, isn't it? That would be great. But he's a bit old now, isn't he? Much younger. Aye, exactly. It's a shame. Aye, I mean, definitely. I mean, your idols could soon become your clients, that's what I mean. Like, it's huge. And... It's like you never notice when you're cutting someone off, you always treat them anyway. You've got to be dedicated, though. I feel like you've just got to have the head down. If you've got the motivation, then you'll go far, because, you know, ever since I had the motivation for it, I've just been having the head down, been learning as much as I can, and it's led to me where I am now. And I think I have been motivated since. Good. Well, keep your head down, pal, because you're definitely doing well, and we'll maybe catch up in six months' time or so and see where you're at. So, thanks very much for coming on and letting everybody know your story and how you're getting on, pal. It's much appreciated. Well, thanks very much for having me. It's been a great experience, and I hope people learn some things from it. Brilliant, pal. Thanks very much. Have a good one. I think I've done a lot better than I expected. You've got things.
