BarberEVO Magazine

Be part of the Barber EVOlution

Andrew Brewster

Disruptour features top educators, hands-on instruction and a newfound energy

If you missed Wahl Professional’s first leg of the Disruptour, you’re in luck. The nationwide educational experience is back at it this month with three more stops, beginning in Chicago. Attendees will learn two trendy haircuts, social media best practices, photography tips and the latest product information from the nation’s top educators.

Last year’s ‘tour went on an unexpected hiatus due to the pandemic. But the desire to serve communities with an education-first mindset about how to best use tools behind the chair only grew stronger during the break.

“We sat and thought about how we wanted to relaunch in 2021. We wanted to see how we could reach people in a different way,” said Lisa Finucane(@lisafin1), Wahl Pro US Director of Education. “People were looking for a connection, not just to a brand, but to each other.”

To that end, the 2021 Disruptour is demystifying clipper cutting education by breaking down the barrier between the company and communities with a shared experience.

ENERGIZING THE EDUCATION

This year’s setup is different, but excitingly so. Every educator is assigned a table with at most five attendees, allowing everyone to feel a stronger, more intimate connection to the material being presented. And while the core group travels to every stop, each experience promises to be different.

“There are new people that join at each location, so you won’t get the same experience twice if you decide to go to multiple shows,” says Finucane.

For example, attendees will be able to earn Continuing Education credits in Chicago, purchase products in Atlanta, and party with a year-end celebration in Miami.

Attendees will feel at ease no matter which city they travel to. “This is one of the least intimidating experiences anyone will get. You’ll learn something no matter your skill level,” says Finucane.

GETTING BETTER IN EVERY CITY

The Disruptour has been to Austin, Boston and Nashville already, with noticeable progress at every stop.

“(Austin) was a little scary since we were still in the midst of Covid, but once we got there, everyone felt a sense of relief and a lot of healing came from this show,” says Finucane. “The team really started to gel in Boston and everything came together in Nashville. Communities were coming back into the light again after a dark time.”

MORE IS ON THE WAY

Plans are already being made for an evolved 2022 Disruptour.

In the meantime, barbers and stylists should be on the lookout for popups that include information about different tools and the 1919 haircutting system, along with a full-force, one-stop-shop for cutting, styling and finishing.

HOW TO ATTEND

Tickets for the Disruptour are available exclusively online. VIP tickets can be purchased and come with a limited-edition Disruptour Clipper, two mannequin heads and hands-on instruction.

Out Now: BarberEVO North America Issue 20

The Speedster Barber

Front and center of this issue is an in-depth interview with legendary Drew Munoz, aka, Drewdabarber, talking about how his success has come from determination and being his most authentic self and his commitment to JRL tools. And how, in order to service a wider clientele, he trained in Scalp Micropigmentation. It’s an insightful read about how education has opened new doors to him.  

Hair enhancements

By age 50 some 50% of men will have some experience with hair loss and balding. But when your clients start losing their hair, it shouldn’t mean you start losing your clients. Hair experts Hairskeen talk to us about hair systems, while Taylor Perry talks to us about Scalp Micropigmentation.

Male grooming

The male grooming industry has exploded over the last few years. No longer will men settle for a trim and splash of aftershave. It’s an overall experience that is being sought… are you able to provide that level of experience? We talk what is expected and what you can introduce to your own shop to encourage a new level of client and more importantly… income! Alan Bleak, Gino Miggio, Michael Giraldo, James Villagrana all weigh on the men’s grooming movement.

Styling and finishing

It’s all about the finish, right. When you swing that chair round and show your client their new look. That’s the crowd pleaser. What products you use, and the tools needed to create that million-dollar look. Ashlee Lavalee and Sofie Pok talk all about the perfect dryer to finish with and why it makes all the difference while Frank Soto tells us every we need to know about styling.

And there’s more…

Whitney Ver Meer takes you by the hand and leads you up the steps to the to becoming a platform artist and educator.

Cassondra Kurtz tells us all we need to know about seamless booking and payment methods

Also, our regular columnist Joe Agnello of City Image Barbers and Schedulicity asks an important question. Are you ready to be a barbershop owner? If so, Joe has written a book that lays it out in five steps to ensure you success.

As always, we have the latest hair collections that impress and push the standards. One being American Crew’s ARC collection, that celebrates texture, technique, and shape. That sits alongside the announcement of the North American All-Star Challenge Winners.

Probably Could’ve Been a Little bit Smarter…

A barbershop in Newport, Wales has been closed for two weeks and it was found in multiple breaches COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

The not so aptly named ‘A Smart Barber Shop’ were given a surprise visit from the Newport City Council enforcement officers last week, and while at the shop they found that no member of staff was wearing any PPE, let alone the type II mask and visor set required by the Welsh government.

The close contact risk was so apparent that the client’s contact information also have to be taken for the purposes of Track and Trace.

Newport City Council has instructed the business to be closed for 14 days from the July 28th, when the notice was issued, until August 11. This notice can also be appealed to Magistrates’ Court.

This is A Smart Barber Shop’s second offence regarding COVID violations, however their first offence was withdrawn after they applied the changes that was asked from the enforcement team.

Image: walesonline.co.uk

Independents Can Do More To Stand Out On Today’s High Streets

The Retail Mutual is seeking to help independent retailers grow their businesses and encourage the use of technology to adapt to the changes that have taken place in consumer’s behaviour.

The pandemic has accelerated the change in shopping habits with a dramatic move to online purchasing through both necessity and preference. Many independent retailers are thinking about how they can encourage customers back onto the high street and are also looking at how they can benefit from the new order.

Rob Gibbs, Marketing Manager for The Retail Mutual, says, “Thanks to modern technology, it has never been easier to access information from anywhere in the world. Businesses that do not embrace digital, or any type of marketing for that matter, will find themselves struggling to compete.”

To help, The Retail Mutual has launched its Stronger Business, Stronger Future campaign. As an independent business, it can be easy to feel like the underdog when competing with larger brands. The Retail Mutual have collaborated with marketing experts, Wonderful Creative Agency, to create an in-depth marketing promotion guide. This is to help independent business owners get the most out of their digital marketing to attract more customers and increase on and offline sales.

This guide includes information on:

  1. SEO – How to improve your website so that it has a better chance of being found online
  2. Google My Business – A free way for your local community to find your business online
  3. Social Media – How to make the most of social media for your business
  4. Paid search – What it is and how paid search can work for your business
  5. Paid social – How advertising on social media can help you find new customers
  6. Video – Use video to promote your business and engage your customers
  7. eCommerce – How to use your website to sell your products
  8. Reporting and monitoring – Find out if your marketing is working by measuring data
  9. Bringing offline, online… Use traditional marketing to drive online sales

Jon Taylor, Mutual Manager for The Retail Mutual, says, “The Retail Mutual exists to support its Members. First and foremost, this involves protecting their businesses from risk.  Many independent retailers face commercial risks which may be addressed, at least in part, through greater use of the many digital channels now available to them. This guide seeks to arm them with the information to help on this journey’.

The Making the Most of Digital Marketing guide is available to download on The Retail Mutual’s website (www.theretailmutual.com/downloads).

Black Barbershop and Beauty Shop Owners Oppose Amended Bill

On July 15th Senate Bill 803 was voted to be amended by The California Assembly Business and Professionals Committee. The barbering industry oppose these amendments, which lead to a protest at the capital.

The amendments were initially brought forward in February 2021, by Senator Richard Roth who represents the following constituencies in California; Riverside, Perris, Jurupa Valley, Norco, Moreno Valley, Norco, Corona, and Eastvale.

The bill severely reduces the number of hours training a student hopeful in barbering, or cosmetology, will have to undergo. The hours would dip from between 1500 to 1600, to 100.

The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of LaRan Professional Hair Care System, Lorenzo Griffin and his wife, Wanda, are among the frontline line of the opposition. Griffin has been in the industry for 35 years and believes the amended bill will eventually relax the entire cosmetology and barbering industry to a negative standard.

In a petition created to stop the amended bill it states “SB-803 doesn’t make cosmetology education any cheaper, it simply removes a third of the education. Buying a car for 33% off seems like a great deal until you realize that the car you bought is missing a third of its parts.”

You can read more about the petition here.

Tennessee Help Trade School Students

Due to the regulations in Tennessee, it is required for local barber and cosmetology students to obtain 1,500 hours of training before becoming fully qualified. This has led to certain career-paths in the industry to be financially unobtainable for a lot of people.

Furthermore, most monetary aids have year-long waiting lists, leaving the majority of people having to borrow from the government for their tuition, meaning they start their already challenging career in financial hardship.

However, with help of the ‘Tennessee Promise’, which was launched in 2015, this means there a whole new era of industry hopefuls that this cycle of near (or actual) bankruptcy will not effect.

Since the state launched the initiative, almost half the number of college students taking out government loans have stopped, at about 40%. Student’s debt load also decreased by about 32% on average reports the Journal of Higher Education, which was published in April 2021.

This has led to some capacity issues however, but overall, the ‘Tennessee Promise’ has had a massively positive effect regarding becoming a student locally.

Tennessee has spent around $80 million towards updating renovation public trade schools, which adds to the hope that this may solve the capacity issues in the future.

Barber and Client Both Shot

Chicago Police have stated victims were inside the Creative Salon, located in Lawndale, Chicago, around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday 28th of July, when the gunmen entered and opened fire.

Both the 50-year-old barber and 22-year-old client were shot in the chest, and rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, were both of them succumbed to their injuries and were announced dead.

Among the witnesses were the owner of the shop, other employees, and a mother and child. All staff were working when the incident first happened. Creative Scott, the owner of the shop, said “I tried to save him, man – I did, (he) was definitely not the intended target. It was basically, you know, the individual that was in the chair.”

CCTV captured everything that happened in the thirty seconds it all took place, however the gunman did have their faces covered and no charges have been made as of yet.

Tennessee Barbering Industry to Provide Domestic Violence Training

Commencing January 2022, licensed cosmetologists in Tennessee and barbers will be required to undergo specialised training to identify the signs of domestic violence.

State Board of Cosmetology, The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, and Barber Examiners, are aiming to train more than 50,000 licensed beauty and hair professionals to recognize the markers of abuse, how to respond appropriately and what resources are available to the victim.

“Tennessee’s beauty professionals are caring, compassionate individuals who are committed to ensuring the health and safety of all their customers, but may not know how to respond when confronted with domestic violence,” said Board Executive Director Roxana Gumucio.

He continues “Most domestic violence victims will not report abuse to law enforcement, but they will tell someone with whom they have a long-standing relationship, such as a cosmetologist or barber. Tennessee beauty professionals have a unique position to help identify domestic violence and assist victims.”

Starting January 1st, this new law will come into effect and industry professionals will have to undergo an hour of training, either online or in person – this training is also completely free.

To assist, Barbicide teamed up with YWCA to offer the Shear Haven Domestic Violence Training.

Andis Launch Brand New GTX-EXO™ Cordless Li Trimmer

This contemporary masterpiece posses all the strengths of the Cordless T-Outliner with next-level performance from the modified housing and new GTX-Z blade.

The features for this new model include:

  • With classic performance you love from the original cordless T-Outliner® in an intuitive shape, enhancing visibility for precision detailing
  • GTX-Z blade is pre-set with a tighter gap for fine detailing in a custom gold corrosion-resistant coating
  • Powerful lithium-Ion battery delivers over 100 minutes of runtime on a single charge
  • Extremely powerful, high-speed rotary motor delivers 7,200 strokes per minute with advanced Constant Speed Technology for ultimate blade performance through all hair types
  • Cord/cordless operation for no downtime behind the chair and no waiting for charging

Andis have advised that the GTX-EXO can be used Cord/Cordless trimming and fine detailing of necklines, facial hair, dry shaving, designs, and hard parts. Rotary Motor; 100-240 V | 50-60 Hz | MAX 7,200SPM.

This model is now available for pre-order and can be shipped on August 16th 2021, more details on the product can be found here.

From Cattle to Clients

Mandip Garcha is finally having his dream come true of becoming a full-time barber, a dream of which was convinced when Mandip arrived in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada seven years ago.

1949 Barber Shop, which opened its first location in St. John’s in 2018, gave Mandip the opportunity in May. The business has dubbed itself the “UN of barbershops” as most of its clients are from an array of ethnicities.

From an Indian background, Mandip told reporters of CBC.com that his parents had dreams of him one day becoming an electrician – however, also being a musician, he knew his career and talents lay somewhere more creative.

“My fiance, she knew how much I wanted to do this. And so she pushed me to go for it and maybe go ask my own barber (of the 1949 Barbershop) if they can teach me” Mandip told CBC.com.

They agreed and took Mandip under their wing for two days a week while he worked full-time at a restaurant, as well as a diary farmer with his father for years.

His hard work did in-fact all pay off, as he got made a full-time member of the 1949 Barber Shop’s second location in May of this year.

Mandip finishes “I hope I can continue doing this. And I don’t know if one day I will have my own shop”

Image: CBC.com