Alright guys, so a lot of people access how do they make a podcast? I'm let you in on a secret on the easiest most productive way to start a podcast and get it up and running and that is the app called anchor is free. They have all kind of cool creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. They will distribute your podcast for you to all of the major Outlets including spot.Why Apple Google many more and you can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership is everything you need to make a podcast in one simple easy place. So if you're interested in starting a podcast Go download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot f m-- to get started. Let's do it.All right, guys, welcome back. Welcome back ey L. We on the road again. We got the Green Room. That's a fact. That's a fact we in the great. Well, it's not even a state territory of Washington DC nation's capital District of Columbia for sure. We just we literally just finished an event that we had our first of our weekend events and it was crazy crazy made something out of it. Now. It was like the Beatles man. It's like the Beatles and Michael Jordan. It's a whole vibe man. So shout out to everybody.From DMV and whole country that came to the event that prevents a group man. Shout out to our boy not I was as shocked as Shivani man shot his Irani and so breaking news breaking news. We are going to do this again and Atlanta hit ya ATL addition. We going to have a live podcast. We're gonna have a workshop we gonna, you know, we can't play around Atlanta. So it's soul and it going to be serious that's going to be January 25th and January 26, so we're going to be releasing information on that very very soon, but you so So Linda guess right. So, you know how we how we do when we come to Atlanta. It's going to be a whole ordeal. No. No, it's going to be a Vibes coming your valve. So all right. This is the episode that we've been looking to do for a long time and it just kind of fell in our lap because we did, you know, we were blessed where people reach out to us now to interview them and things that our nation is but we wanted to do a interview on The Barber Shop industry, right, but we didn't want Just do it with anybody. We wanted to do it with somebody that has a successful model. Somebody that has scaled their business and somebody that can really teach the game, right? So yeah, Alicia's all about just dropping gems and providing information. So yes, one of our loyal Ernest DM us and said, can you get him on a podcast gentleman name is Wade Mendez. And once I looked at this page, I'm like, yeah and I DM them and he was like, yeah, let's do it. So I'll get a background so weight is interesting because he started off as a barber by trade right and that's not any different from any other Barber, right? That's one thing in our community. Is this a lot of people that cut here right? I think just cutting here was in ancestry his the long line of Barbers. Yeah, so he started off cutting here, but the thing I like about him is that he's expanded his business. So he's grown his business and now he has multiple locations. We'll talk about that. But we're really really really put them on the map and change the game is that so I'ma call it with the streets call it and then Troy going to call it with the technical term it so if you're not familiar that the hottest thing in the streets right now is the is the man unit and of the man unit is man we've man calling all umi's man. Yeah, man with no disrespect. I'm not bored. I'm light-skinned and I have a short haircut have a Caesar. I still grow here. It's the Emoji. I'm about to I'm about to grow my hair back. But yeah, but Troy Troy is bold Choice. It is what it is. I'm bald. I know I have a recession. Yeah people deep deep deep recession. So so so what happens every recession so what happened for years and especially, you know, black men, you know, just rock the ball head, but recently a lot of men have been given a second chance of life and you know, you can have a hairpiece. Yeah, and it's actually looks pretty dope. Like I've seen it and you can style it you can cut a you can put parts in wash it it's a whole it's a whole vibe and weight was one of the first I really blew it up. Up or social media and he became extremely successful. He's been a black Enterprise and up a bunch of different Publications by since Rachel Roy HBO read BTW NPR, they wrote about milkmaid over a half a million dollars last year really? Have a good day knew ye it's a whole million dollar operation. So we're going to talk about it going to get in Dap and we got corrected the name though. Yeah you topic so it is a man weave on the streets, but it's also known as a here unit or a cranial Paris. Is thisis that's a right properties prosthesis. I was close. Yeah, you cranial prosthesis. All right. So first and foremost, thank you known as the to pay a thing. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Appreciate man. My pleasure my pleasure for being here. Thank you all for having me. Sure. So can we all right. So can we talk about your journey? Because like I said the bomber conversations interesting cuz how I look at in our communities is that there's like three businesses that black entrepreneurs want to start. Barbershop hair salon, right clothing stores some sort of fashion and a restaurant. Yeah. Those are like the three like go to businesses. Right? And I always say that the only problem with a barbershop and the restaurants and the clothing store is that they all can't be scalable but 95% of the time they're not scalable. They stay just local mom and pop and it's hard to really make a lot of money. When you don't have a scalable model, all right, but you do have a scalable model. So first and foremost, how did you get started in the barber shop industry Barber industry. And when did that turn? Like when did you start to look at it and to say okay. I can actually make this into a multi or a million-dollar plus operation. Well, I mean, you know Barbara is running a family my great-grandfather had a barbershop. My grandfather could cut my dad. Could cut my uncle could cut and I ate it went to me. I started cutting my hair goes 12. So it was a situation where I tried different things kind of got in the industry because it was my passion but I didn't know you can make bread with this. I didn't know you can make money with with Barbara like that because I never seen an example of somebody really making taking it seriously and really making money and trying to make something some things happen. So it wasn't like something I got into for the money. I got it to it for the passion and for the impact that it As on people, you know, I mean, I think that you know, once you when you when you focus on those things money will come but I think every year I just progress on just got got better and gain more because I was pushing myself more every year, you know, I never I got a fear of being complacent. I never just want to be complacent. So every year I was pushing myself to do more and think more so about from behind a chair just not at the local barbershop where like, you know, I started cutting different celebrities traveling that little mold and barber school. Ooh, and it from there, you know I'm saying travelling meeting different levels of care for BET Awards different award shows with bttv one different stuff like that or whatever and I just didn't know if I didn't necessarily want to be a normal Barber at a barbershop, you know, so I was like, all right, how can I take this to the next level and then started getting to the hair units, you know actually so so actually I'm a little quick story. There was a young lady I was dating with And we actually yeah, well I so let me go back come on boy. He met his wife got a shop in Chicago. She a hairstylist. He'll bother he was like bro. I'm making so much bread doing weaves. He was like man, she won't want my wife taught me how to do is so I wonder if we're going okay. Okay, because you know, you can only you can only charge the so much as a bother he said before but for those like nah, bro, I'm not paying that so I'm like and you kept out is as far as how much you can make you know, and so he was like man, he was like yo you need to get into this because I'm making like $400 ahead now. So I told my girl at the time she was out there not doing it. How what would the stigma be if you want? Yeah, so there was that and then she was like, I don't trust them girls. They going to be all you know. Out of phase. So I was like, all right, Hammer make more money without killing myself. And so would you own your stop shop at this point? Yeah this time. I had one shot. Okay. I didn't have the second location yet. And so I going to lasso the shop thing, you know, unless you're doing commission as a barber you really not making a whole lot of money off. No barbershops, you know I'm saying but I'll be honest about that. Ernie Leeds is brought to you by skillshare skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of amazing classes covering dozens of creative and entrepreneurial skills. You can take classes in everything from photography and creative writing to design productivity and more. So whether you're returning to a longtime passion project challenging yourself to go outside your comfort zone or simply exploring something new skills here has classes for you. They offer a wide range of courses. You can study film and video marketing freelancing entrepreneurship and our personal favorite. The class were enrolled in right now music production. I got to actually watch and learn how to mix and master music with young Guru. That's right rod Nation Zone and Jay-Z's Engineer don't know how much we love Jay. So getting to learn from Guru. The guy that curated is sound is definitely worth checking out. We learned a lot of new tricks that were actually applying to our podcast right now. So join the millions of students already learning those skills here today with a special offer just for our listeners get two free months. That's right. Skillshare is offering Ernie Leisure listeners two months of unlimited access to thousands of classes for free to sign up go to skillshare.com Leisure again, go to skillshare.com / Leisure to start you two free months now. Now that skillshare.com Leisure. Oh, how do we go? Because I know like you've studied here like you want you went to the Avril Academy Rivera's. Yeah it is. All right. It's out of high school, right? Yeah. I went to college for a year and a half and then I went to barber school. Okay. And so what was the process of getting your first show that that was the W loft? Yeah. Laughs. Oh, yeah, what's the process of even getting that? All right. So actually I actually had an event distant earlier today talking to share my story so I had I had went to the salon suite for two years. I outgrew that because it's like a little small room that you end by yourself. So I had some clients was like man, he need to get your own shot because this room is cramping, you know, she's we crammed up in here. So I went to the bank got denied. It was like now we can't give you any money to open those spot or whatever. So I just start stacking my money and just saving that's it. Uncle like if I wanted to open a barbershop things like we're not trying to give you loans most most times unless you have something to show for at the time I didn't I didn't I didn't own a house or I didn't have I didn't really know that's what really I had no assets so so I said I started saving money but then I had it was like almost like I had to two angels that came like a man what's going to take the you get a shot it gave me $20,000 and from that point. So Angel Investors like yeah, they died. They literally I felt like God sent his Angel both ha ha ha ha Except I got to tell you this so they were like, hey, we gon we gon we gon we gon get you this this money. You're going to cut our hair for free and you gonna pay us back monthly. I gave them four monthly installments, man, and they will not cast the check to this day. That's eight years ago. There is not cash the check and they there's almost like the advantage because I don't even talk to them no more. They act like they gone. What was one of the name Michael that is not hurt him. But I say that when you follow your passion and you and you doing what your perky, you know fall in fulfilling your purpose, there's always going to be provisioned as made for you. You know, I'm saying and like whether it's like you getting out there and going after or things coming to you. You can't be lazy though. You got to go after what you what you what you want. But at the end of the day, you know, I try to build a brand that's you know, respectable people, you know, just respect what I was doing and it was like they wanted to see me go go to the next level, you know, I mean, so that's That was that was the first thing to get that shot. Yeah, but the hair unit stuff man. That was as a prayer. That was a young lady at the shop, you know after after a while. I got the shop or whatever. I have people in there had a whole team and everything she came in there. It was like pulling our hair out the bag like afro hair and was adding it to she was she was a lot Titian. So she was added to to people's locks and I was like man, I even know they sold at type of here. So from there, it was like a light bulb went off and I was like, all right. We got to do this for God. Guys, that's that's losing their hair, you know, and I didn't know it at the time but it just started becoming the thing and then it's like now I'm able to you know, make you know, a lot of money off of one person as opposed to that me cutting one cutting all day and only made six $700. I can make that off of one person now. Yeah, you know, I'm saying that you say you said something I was interested if we could just go back to the barbershop conversations. He said that unless you have a commission you can't leave make money in a barbershop, right? So there's two the two different types of bills miles of barbershops right rent and commission is that you explain all the rent. Obviously, it's like you have five Barbers and they're paying you here read it five dollars a month or something like that. Yeah. What's the commission model you can imagine is you getting a piece of every person that walked through that door. So every time I get a cut you get a beat-up you actually get a cut I get a percentage of that of that. Yes. So as a business owner for a barber shop and a lot of people but I want my own shot one my own shop now, it's cool to have a shop just for the look. That's what you just want. You don't want me. No money like you just wanted to pay for itself. All right, that's what you want. All right, cool. But if you if you really trying to profit as a business owner, you have to either have a big shop that has a lot of chairs in there. There's a lot of people paying Booth rent or you got to have a commission based model now for my first two I did not do that. I did you know who friend and so they paid for this so I told my boys all the time. So I feel like I got to community centers. But yeah, I was like what? The same time I'm being able to help others and I feel like that's why I'm getting blessed now because I imparted I help other people give get money. I mean II as mad Bob is that him I shop I train them now they got their own spots and stuff like that. So it's cool. But I said my next time I'm you know, I got to make you know, thinking more business-minded. So in these last maybe I would say two to three years man. I've really been trying to build systems and put systems in place that make money for me in my sleep. So that's where I got the book. That's why I got the oil. Online classes. That's why I have you know the network. I have a referral Network way I send out Barbara's. I mean I send out people have taken my class. I send out clients to you, you know I'm saying and so I take a percentage of that. They just Building Systems and Building Things, you know, I just always been trying to just multiple streams of income multiple strange man. You said you said something very interesting, right? So in a w/w hair loss right at the time you had a client a celebrity kind that kind of change the way for you because what you're saying now is Obviously you've branded yourself. Yeah, you said little mole. Yeah pay a big party and you realizing that man something little I thought yeah, how did that happen? So it's funny shout out to my boy Elliot and I did a cut on him and she saw it and she was like who cut your head and I was stealing barber school at the time. She was coming to barber school, you know, and it was crazy. Everybody's like yellow more at your bar at the bottom like put it on me Thomas a little bit after now I was after let's get married. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so that was still pretty much a hit for you know it Tom and so I'm lucky star struck and I never loved at that point. I was like yo, this is crazy. I'm shaking. So I start cutting the singers background dancers and all that stuff or whatever and then we should start traveling. She start introducing me. She I'm at baby Lil Wayne did he like mad people are so I cut On Dixon through her and then from there is to start growing Ireland Legend and I'm an urban legend. And so yeah, then I start I got connected with somebody I BT and I started doing like a lot of the BET events and BET Awards and stuff like that from guys. So, all right. So the barbershop right you were saying that so for the units is anywhere from like 200 to 800. Yeah, but here it could be a little more than that depending on how severe. Well if you save your wife. Getting a custom unit that's going to be run by 9:00 or so. So that's mean you can't grow nothing. I got the whole joint piece. Yeah. So yeah, and if you want to dress it just get it get up there but so support for a bar of soap for a haircut. It was like, well the average barber in New York $25 right Savage Savage kids. So I always wanted I always wanted like you see you standing up all day, too. Yes. I got it. Probably lots of people don't realize that he's standing up all day. And you work on Saturdays you work on Friday nights, you know really have a good schedule as a barber and you work nights a lot of times and you're not really making that much money if you think about it, even if you have 15, that's a lot because that's like, you know, it's like 15 hours times at times 25. That's not a lot of money. Yeah. So you gotta do it every day. Everybody's not gonna cut every single. Yeah. So now you transition to the units Now I want to say some room. Alright, so before I was even doing units as I was I was cutting I was going to kick us pretty much from about 30 35 dollars a hit. Right, but and I tell about was all the time you have to promote yourself and bringing some I was already making six figures before I even started doing any units how because I was cutting all day. I was put I wasn't lazy liquor. I'll be in there from 8 o'clock the 1 2 3 o'clock in the morning. No, I'm saying I heard this model the other day shoutout to mg. He was saying that he got there's a So rate, if you get it after eight o'clock, you do something like that. I would do some I would do that. Sometimes the 25 out of cut if you got to come like on a 9:30 at night like that's gonna cost you 15. Yeah, but I also was heavy for this to note this. I was also doing the Beijing Beijing Beijing Beijing. Harrison and I had man clients that that would tip because I only do appointments. I wasn't doing walk-ins so they would give me $20 tips and stuff like that. I mean so at the end of the day, you know, you add that up, you know, and so yeah and selling products because we got to think you got to think about you know, a lot of Barbers don't sell their concert party. They trust you you are calling you every week. I trust what you were going to tell me to buy for my head like so you got dry scalp or shampoo moisturize. He's in pain. He's different stuff like that do-rags brushes. Yeah, if you were going to buy from you because you didn't bother I feel like most convenient every bottle. I think that I've encountered is only looked at it as being a barber like they never they're not here specialist:yeah both naive and nice like a lot from Arts business man. That's like what you said just makes so much sense, but it's not times people don't think about it. Like if I'm already if you're going to come to me every Sunday to get your hair cut. Why are you going to go to CVS to get shampoo? You might as well get your shampoo and conditioner and Here Greece from me I buy a wholesale and I can make a profit off of that. That's another income that you've scaled. Exactly. So you're already making six figures as a barber. Yeah before the but then you just realized it was just too much manual latest for the amount of money. Yeah. I actually got to the point man. Well, I was losing time with my family. Like I went through a divorce and I stuck and part of that we will help break us up was because I was always working. No I'm saying my mother to this day has a she we working on it, but she had she was very upset with me because cuz I spent so much time working. I wasn't there for her when she went through the cancer like she wanted me to you know, I'm saying and so like it's a I spent a lot of time grinding but at the same time like okay, I can't spend all day at the shop, especially when you going to have a family, you know kids and all that stuff or whatever. So yeah the whole making more off of each person is all right. So now we're gonna go into the next time we're going to talk about how you how you blew up and get transition to where you are now for sure. Ernest you currently paying off student loan debt interested in improving your financial literacy are looking for new ways to earn income and today's ever-changing digital landscape. Well on the talk money with the mesh lakhani podcast mesh will follow Paper Trails chat with experts break down complex ideas and bring Clarity to the mystical Financial phenomenon. Each episode will be filled with compelling stories covering a broad range of subjects from buying Bitcoin dealing with student loan debt and everything in between. Solution to talk money with mesh lakhani on Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast and learn how to spend invest in learn in today's economy. Alright, so now we're going to go into. All right, so you found out about the unit's right. How did you find out about it? Well from from young lady but was that yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She actually just went and got his license she out here cutting out too far down. This is nice. Hey, so know what so what happened was, you know, she gave me some advice on some stuff, but then I had to go and take a look. The class with a do in Atlanta named nail styles. So everybody couldn't give you know, everybody couldn't get the the so in thing, so I went and did the quick Wii version with him and then I went to another leading lady named Tony love and learn her technique and different things like that. So it was like, but then I had to get back home and do a lot of trial and error like, you know, so at the end of the day like I educated myself in different arenas for different things and then I kind of created my own Own out of that, you know, and so that's how I kind of got introduced to that whole world. Okay, so all right, but we're really blew you up is that you you also a good marketer as well, right? So at what point because you are like a hundred forty thousand followers Instagram. Yeah, my dad, so, all right. So you start to at what? All right, so you start to implement it in your business. Can you talk about that like the beginning stages? Like what was your marketing plan? Because now it's acceptable but people was kind of I assume a little hesitant about that. So like what was your marketing? As far as like to get it out there but consistency is everything, you know, and I think that you know, when I first put it out there yeah, it was talked about but at the same time there was a lot of people like sliding them ideas. Like how what's that what yeah, I get that. Was that the wizard? Yeah wizard of DC anything you put you present the people and keep it in there and therefore in there in the site. It becomes normalized after a while. You know, I'm saying you keep you keep putting in front of them. It's like, all right, you know, it's not it's not so bad and over time. Um, it just was like, alright, I'm at right now. And so it just something that just kind of grew for so what okay, but and also the like trying to just promote and put quality work up, you know, so that I mean consistency and having quality is going bring value to whatever you doing now. I love what you said because that's so true and people don't fully understand it. It's like As long as you're consistent people will buy in. Yeah, eventually happens all the time. It's like even music like you might not like us song but you hear it enough and it's not that bad to you anymore or food you start to eat a food enough and it's like, okay and it's like people they always stayed they might laugh at it at first but now it's not funny anymore. Yeah because it's like your favorite celebrity got it. Yeah, and it's like, oh well sure I was gonna say it's like there's a certain kind of tension that comes with men that are doing this but we've been seeing are women doing this for years well, I'm glad you said that because we get stranded real 2.5 billion dollars was spent last year on women's weaves extensions and wigs black women just black but with so 2.5 billion and might even be more than that, but it's a huge industry. So to see it now on the men's side and they say like almost I think 60 or 70 percent of black men experienced some form of hair loss after 30 something like that. Yeah, so it's very common. Let's comment. I mean I haven't got kids. Kids man, I got people as young as 12 years old like those and yeah alopecia, you know, whatever, you know different things man. Just happening. It's just it's a big thing. So when did it take off for you? Like when did you really start to hit his stride? I would say last year like the beginning of last year's r18. Yeah, 18 it really it really took off to the next level. It was like a gradual, you know, it was a gradual scale, but you know last year Probably when it really went off but what made it like really gone to pot. I mean, I think the more repost I got like whether it was World style or you know, those those repost apps, I mean Pages or whatever then then when Vice news HBO and all that happened. It just went to that next level was like viral adapt. How did you get the Press? Like, how did you did you pay for that post actually publicist? No. No, actually, I got a publicist after that but so from I guess the people from Vice they were looking for you know, some new stories. I don't know how they got me. I think one of my guys in New York John Cotton it at says something to them. I'm not sure exactly who how happened but they were doing a story on on the head unit because they saw it online and so me being one of the Pioneers for it. They hit me up and was like, hey we want to do this documentary on you now. Do you have to come up with a technique to actually get this done? Right? I'm sure. Like when you first tried it was like well that didn't work. How long will the process before you like? You know what I've perfected this man. I mean I did I started about five years ago with this. So I mean, I'm really just getting to lies 3 2 to 3 years. I'm actually just starting get to the point where I'm super confident with it because it's still there were still a lot of unknowns even as I was progressing and getting more popular for it. They were still things I'm like, you know still trying to figure it out. You know I'm saying. - yeah, and as a Barbie anybody would tell you man, I don't care you you've been growing even and this is when you stop growing that's what you need to be scared. But as a barber uses you learn different techniques all the time, you know, it's different things all the time. And then you stop growing then it's a wrap for you know, they had to keep growing and what you said is just not even just Barbara's just in life in general Vibe any any type of business you always have to sharpen your Tunas the business podcast and it goes for anybody that's listening no matter what profession you're in. And you can never be complacent. Yeah, because there's always new technology. There's always something new and this is a prime example. Yeah, you gotta stay on point. But also I want people to understand is like see the catchy headline that I think it's like any parties like you made it half a million dollars last year, you know doing man units but that's not that doesn't tell the whole story because you scaled the business so you teach classes. Yeah, right. Yeah, so can you talk about that? Yeah. Yeah. So I Do I Do classes I started doing the classes probably about a year. After I really started doing my first unit because it was once I was poised. I was posting on social media and people like man, please teach me teach me what you doing, you know, and I do my classes because there was one particular person that was doing the the units before me and they were they were doing pretty well with them whatever but they would not teach me and they yeah. Yeah for whatever reason I asked twice they occur because I know so I start doing the classroom because I didn't want to I didn't want people hit me up and I'm curve. Right now I'm not teaching you just got me trying to Corner the market and I'm like man not you can't be blessed like that. So I'm like man anything I got I'm going to share it and when you I was listen to dr. Myles Munroe, I don't know if you guys know who he is, but he's deceased now, but one of the one of the best motivational speakers that ever lived I feel like you know, but anyway he was talking about if you have a talent man how many people have you cultivated? How many people have you trained to be better than you if not, Like you but better than you, you know, I'm saying like that that shows you that shows your impact. You know, I mean and I want to leave a legacy man. I don't want to just yeah. Well, he's he was a good father. Oh, he did good with them units but not want to leave some people back that's going to keep this thing going, you know, I mean, so you gotta train people and cultivate other people man. I'm not I'm not intimidated like by other people's gifting so I'm always going to help other people to get to that next level or go go further than the sound like like some of our guests man, and it's a valuable lesson. Is Indian entrepreneurs, how do you replicate yourself? Yeah, you got to have the quicker. You can do that in the quickly discuss. Well, also, we just had a episode we talked about multiple streams of income and we were saying a lot of misconception or a lot of people is that they think they need seven different occupations are seven different businesses to create seven streams of income. But it's like we always say you don't really need you just need one thing that you do really well and then branches off of that. So so if like for you and correct me if I'm wrong. So like you got the you got the barbershop, right? Right, that's like where it all started at. So that's it. That's always going to be a stream of income. And then you have now you have multiple barber shops. So you get paid from Barbara's that are in your shop, right? Yeah. So that's that's two streams of income the barbershop you getting paid for The Barbers you you actually cut here and put in the units yourself, right? But now you teach classes. Yeah. So that's for you wrote a book. That's five. Don't forget the products sell products. That's six. That's crazy. Right like if you if you think about it, right like you're actually putting the products. That you have to use to keep the upkeep. Yeah on the unit and then you actually the people that you train you said you synclines to them sometimes when you get a commission off of that. Yeah, so that's seven string. Oh, there's another one because you have relationships with brains. Yeah. Oh, yeah Palmer's and Shea butter is a Walmart. Yeah, there's another stream but it is what it all comes back to one thing. Yeah. I mean it was forgotten. Yeah. You know just people just met people there was one guy named Amar. He you know, he has those relationships with Walmart and he was like bro, you know, I'm a connect you with these people and they saw what I was doing and it was like, oh, we love them. You know, we loved your presentation online, you know, we want you to work with us and so being professional like trying to be professional when I like that first initial time that I work with Walmart. You know, they love the My Vibe. They love you know, what I was doing. I try to be professional, you know present represent, you know the correct way and they just kept hiring me and then they're just branched out to other things and then so you promote one product other people other products and sponsors of seeing you online too and I only want you to help, you know, people want to spend more time with people spending money, but that's what I love about social media to is like before social media celebrities were only musicians and actors. Yep, and you know celebrity tons. Yeah athletes things of that nature. But now you could be a celebrity Barber you could be a celebrity teacher. You could be a celebrity real estate broker. You can even be a celebrity podcast. Yeah, but it's because it's like now Brands will pay you to post on social media and you can do ad campaigns and it's like that would have never happened before the power social media. So I always say social medias like the great equalizer and if used properly yeah. Has a lot of power it does has a lot of power. I know I know my brand is not is only where it is because of God and social media. Honestly like the real I mean you you can make a post and people all over the world can see the giant like in the matter of minutes. So it's like man like that it can you get like what it is you talk about especially in Brandon is changing the terminology of the Hair Care industry, right? So like and you know when we talk is like yo your wig got push back your head like yeah, like you'd like just saying like yo, That is the area of recession even the cranial piece. Like is that a conscious effort that you made? Yeah, just stigma. Yeah. I had to I have to because I mean people and that's all people in my even in my classes because your terminology and what you call something can turn personal awful it can put an oil can be like, oh, yeah, that's cool. You know, I mean, so I think you know how we how we represent things and how we talk about it is Big, you know, we are visual people. We are people that you know, the way you talk about something it You know it gets in it gets in you and your soul. It's in your spirit for real and it you know how we represented. I think this is everything, you know, no that's not something that I learned early on. I'm a financial advisor and like even early on we're going to different social classes off like that. I learned that language is extremely important. Yeah, it's extremely important. So like a lot of times like you'll say like, let's say one product is $100. Another product is $50 right instead of saying this one is more expensive. It's richer you say is richer Rich. If you want to be represented by saying is Richard, it makes it seem like it has a higher quality and now you're more enthused to pay $400 instead of 50. If I said this is more expensive. Of course, you're gonna go with a cheap item which actually trained so yeah, it's very true is there that's another that's another business gym for people to understand is like be careful how you speak and be careful how you describe things because like you could really sell anything. Uh, if you if you describe it correctly, you know, I mean, it's all it's all about in the wording. So but one thing we got going to the next to the last time before we do I wanted to ask you a question because I see this now a lot of Barbers are following this trend where I looked on your your link tree and it's like you only work by appointments, right? That's all I don't got time for walking for the nonsense, right? So that's absolutely that you're not trying to talk about who the best basketball player is. I know all business. Yeah. I got a things to worry about. I'm glad I'm glad Barbara's really Implement that and I hope more do because it sets it sets up professional Trend right? And can you talk about that like how because now even people? I'm sure they look at you different. They're respect you're talking people come late people. They do all kinds of stuff. So I really see it as a benefit obviously being well I cut my own hair now it's all right, but having children and having to sit around and wait, yeah is nothing like you got a four-year-old and you got to wait six people before you get a kid like we're done. But he's in your chair. Well, I only I only go through Thursday night shout to my barber bubs bubs what I can't play I can't play a game. I don't have time to hear you lying on Saturday morning about no you just want to do that you lose track of who came first and then it's just like a whole bunch of water story. It's like I'm gonna let you in front. Yeah, so so when did you realize that you had to structure and run your business? Like a business not just like a side hustle type of I'm having a holy bro. When I first started got our barber school II experience where I was doing some Walkins and stuff like that and I hated the fact that people was jangling keys because I'm you know of doing there was jittery because I've been waiting long and stuff like that and make my nerves bad. Okay, I can't About of barber school, maybe two or three months and I was like, yeah, I'm gonna do the appointment thing and I started just having people eat. I first started with the book Because all these booking apps without like then and so I started with like your schedule book y'all making appointments. That's not that's that or whatever then we did. The I think this sling was the the next thing that I went on but it set it just helps so much people going to texting me like they can just go online online and just make the appointment but then you you know at that time it was a lot of people that was like, Oh, no, I ain't trying to do that. Like imma just call you. I'm just text you didn't want to go through the numbers actually. Yeah, so but now it's getting to the point where a lot of people is a lot of Barbers are doing it and it's just it's such you apartment it's professional. You don't have to have to have people texting you at all times of the night people. Just go on your on your website and just book whatever is open and they pay before him and it paid they put a credit card. Yeah for the card easy beforehand tells you to tell you everything exactly all they gotta guess to know saying it's you know, Professionalism is going to set you apart, you know from being the the regular, you know Barbara from around the way you go into that next level. So it's like going to the dentist. You just don't randomly go to the dentist coming. You got to make an appointment ribs walking around. Yeah, exactly. I'll get you when I get to you. All right. So the last thing we're going to talk about scaling and where we go from here to 2020 and 2021 2020. So Legacy show What's up, y'all? So if you're listening to this you obviously like podcast and you probably like music just as much on Spotify. You can listen to all your favorite artists and podcasts in one place for free. You don't need a premium account Spotify has a huge catalogue of podcast on every topic including the one you're listening to right now on Spotify. You can follow your favorite podcast. So you never miss an episode premium users can download Episode to listen to all Wherever you are, and it's really easy to share what you've been listening to with your friends on Instagram. If you haven't done so already be sure to download the Spotify app search for earn your leisure on Spotify or browse podcast in the your library tab. Also, make sure to follow us so you never miss an episode of Ernie Leisure again. All right. So, where do we go from here? Like what's the scale? And that's another thing too is like you've you've created multiple streams of income you've elevated yourself, but now the next step in any business has to be how do you like? How do you expand it? Because it's another thing when you can be complacent in business. So what's the scaling model for you moving forward? Well now it's mostly like I'm doing the Atlanta location, you know and building shops that you know, We're not doing the mobile front shocks. But yeah, just building having locations and commission commission shop Mission shops. Yeah, and also just building this building the brand and not just being a Maryland thing but different regions different countries different. Did you like that? Did you choose Atlanta intentionally, I feel like that is it like the Hub of black here, correct. So I went off of where my my big markets are. So Atlanta is a big one for me in New York is a big one for me. And then you know, I plan to go to La Houston dif different places like that. So being strategic and where I placed it understanding my markets, you know, I mean, so that's why Lana that's why you have the master class, right? So that's one way that you also scaling it says that you have over 500 students. How does that work? Do they come to Atlanta to they come to DC and well what happens so it depends most of my classes are based in the DNA. MV but I do too is here in there. I'm workin for my working on my 2022 right now. I did one this year in 2019. I went to Barbados someone to Canada. I went to man every pretty much I went I was in Georgia. I was in New York, Ohio Chicago different places like that, you know, I mean and so just set the tour out and set the dates are and people just like, you know, they signed up and we their Florida the Florida as well what happened so when we get there Was in are you like now in this how to sew I do a lecture and talk about you know, I it's because it's different terms of different things Insurance options. So people if somebody wanted to savings you want to get one you want to get one but you want to use your insurance to get it. I teach people how to accept Insurance. Oh how to do that that type of thing as Publishers. Yeah. Wow, because it's health insurance covers. This song was playing coverage so that everybody's if I have like alopecia. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz it's alopecia now absolute value alopecia cancer or something, you know, like a sickness that cause you to lose what is alopecia so is when people lose their hair because it's different. Yeah, it's hair loss. But it's like different types of alopecia you have scarring on the PC where that leaves scars alopecia areata was like in different spots spots, right? Yeah, so it's different. It's different types of I wasn't even thinking about that. Yeah from a healthcare standpoint like yeah, we took we deal with that and Actually do live models when I show them how to put the piece on didn't make the make some of units we make some of the units in class man. It covers a lot man and a lot of one day and one day it's like a 67 our class A lot of people do like man. This is the best class I ever ever taken. So I mean that's cool, you know for me and one of the things that these units do obviously, you know, it's a transformative look but the testimonials that I saw me how Total is about that man. Nice. Is it literally, you know because I'm not only do men but I also do women I'd be having Brothers about tear up. You know, I'm like man. I see my hair since I was 16 like, you know and wives even commenting always sending me messages man, you know, thank you because my husband had PTSD and was depressed for a long time and now because he has hair his confidence has gone up and now he's taking me out on dates like, you know, thank you because he treat me better now, you know, I mean different stuff like that. One lady the other week. I think she has cancer something. She didn't tell me exactly what was going on. But I know something and she got our unit down and started crying man. Like she had me tearing up. I was like bro. This is crazy. Like she was like, this is the most beautiful I've ever felt in my life. You know, I mean her daughter like like do you know like the Heathen cry like, you know saying like hey, yeah, I'm like crazy. But you know, it's lives that are impacted, you know from this just from Heaven Hair man there. Hair is a big thing. A lot of people, you know, it's big and so being able to you know, fulfill my purpose man. It's like so fulfilling and even when I'm like talking to other Barbers and just people just in general like cuz that's people that be like man I watching what you doing. You inspire me you and motivating me. That's the fuel that I keep me going because people like man you you know, you never sit still but it's like I can't because it's so many lives and so many people that's been touched, you know, and I just want I want to make my impact while I'm here man like I gotta make sure I do all I can. While I'm still living I want to be just wasting time and just being you know, I'll take time for myself to toe. You know, I take vacations. I travel a lot. Like I just came back from Israel's like I was in China the other week like that something is that something you have to learn because obviously you said in the past. Yeah. Sure sure these last couple years man. I've been I've been learning that and I just stopped a little bit but for this pretty much this whole year, I was thinking the one week off every month, you know, just to kind of give my gun myself that balance, you know, just a ruse. AA weather is taking a trip for a couple days come right back. Like, you know, I mean just go sit on the beach relax different things like that. Let me ask you this. All right. So how does the commission system work? Like it's like 20% for every single person that walks in the door. It's whatever percentage you make it now don't don't rape the people man. You can't you can't stuff it. What's a fair percentage? It depends on the for Barbara So Barbara as well because he depends on how much your price levels are. So savings is like If and a lot of times if you're going to do commission, you need to provide the people with the products to so if I savings if I'm if I'm do 50/50. I'm a provide you with the hair. I'm gonna provide you with the products that you need to carry it out. You just you win at that point because I'm giving you clients, you know, I mean, even these like bubbles and haircutter e and you know, those those type of salons and barbershops like that even what's the one guy? I forgot it. But anyway, there's a lot of shops that do. Those chain shops, they all like commission-based without solid able to sustain its like what's the big one Supercuts? Yeah. You got Supercuts. Yeah. I know guys. It's another giant that forgot about but anyway, yeah, man, that's that's how they able to keep those models going and they have franchise now, they have different locations all over the world because they're doing that, you know, and it's just now I will say a lot of Barbara's especially in our community tend to shy away from Commission because it's more responsibility on your end now, yeah, No, but as opposed to just coming and showing up good-looking Booth rent. No, but now you got to do some stuff you gotta promote. You got to provide the product and then some case you gotta pay taxes for them because now they are employees depending on how you set it up. You know, I mean, but when you say provide the product so I mean service your product. Yeah. So whether I'm providing the hair right adhesives that's needed for it. But you have your own hit the unit like you make it as it like because I know some of my make myself but yeah I have Then I using stuff like that. But yeah for sure I was I was that because like vendors I know a lot people get their here from vendors. Now, you said that units cause between 200 to 600 dollars, right? But on average. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, but there's another close to the maintenance part of it. Yeah, it'll be don't know about that. So it depends on which unit you have. So there's there's levels to it man. But if you got the the one or two month unit, you know the maintenance could range from Fifty to a hundred dollars or so, but then if you don't know three to four-month unit you got the the maintenance is usually I charge anywhere from two to 250 or so. And that's you come every once a month or there's some people that just come once every two months they all depends. You know, you still getting Cuts while you have it right? Yeah. Yeah, you can still get in Cuts. Yeah, but so I'm at the point now, I can't really cut everybody that comes and get the unit. So I send them to my barber's or I send them out to the people in my network as a lot of people fly in to come get this service so you can cinch I got like last week. I had people from Chicago from South Carolina Canada different places like that. So that's why I try to build a network so big that I have people that I've taught in different states have different cities. So like Super Cuts and all that. I just thought about something they're charging commission or even you you charging commission. How do you track who how many people coming in like, you're not there every day? I cameras receptionist or receptionist. Okay. Yeah. It's definitely a lot of businesses. So now you're running like a real business. They check they come in they check in is a book log of who came in. Yeah what they got done. So we're not just winging it like I contagious be like, oh, yeah, bro. I only cut five but they cut in. Yeah, we got the camera on you. Yeah, interesting. Okay, and that's do you think that that's the business model moving forward for Barbers to like really be successful Barbershop owner Barbershop owner. Yes be successful. Yes. And it is good for people that's just starting off and they don't have a lot of clientele. Now. A lot of people are stabbed like a lot of bars are stars that are established already. They ain't going to no commission situation because they feel like you're going to take all their money. Yeah, but somebody that's trying to build and grow, you know, it's a perfect situation because you don't have to you know, pretty much me getting you clients. I'm gonna feed you pretty much and I'm a providing client in the training for you, you know, so can you go swimming with these units the three to four Young ones. I actually wanted the one or two months once you can as well then two to four week units don't mix this recording. Nah, you get what you pay for. Yeah for sure, but then it's like so say this is this is a thing. I tried to tell you even if even if because it looks like it's yours. It's not the thing is if you keep up with the maintenance you find but there are some people that do not keep it with the maintenance and it's so if it's if it's already lifting a little bit for you. Now water I would say it's gloomy. Let me ask you this. I'll do it for thank you wiggle have cited for Barbie. Black Barbie specifically. Is there any way because there's any way for them to kind of make the money that you make without doing the units like can you make that kind of money just being a regular barber shop owner? No, probably not owner possibly. Yes, if you have like a lot of different locations versions. Yeah, but it's hard you just a barber now. You need to have a hot some type of high ticket price. I don't know. Nothing. Yeah, you got it. Can't be a gotta be more than $40. Yeah you 25 $40 knock. That's the hot towels not gonna be now you can make six figures but not multiple six-figure low six figures. Yeah most most like a hundred thousand. Yeah. So this is this is the way this is this is the business model moving forward gotta get into this guy get it they gotta get into it. Yeah, I'll figure out they got take your class. They do. Hey Shameless plug, we only try to help all of them. We only try to help out on that. So if y'all see me out there with it what a unit I don't want you to laugh. Just know that way did it? All right. So yeah when you said previously I don't know where I thought about this question just came out of nowhere, but you said you said previously that it was two business models, but There's a membership model, you know about that the membership model. So people pay a monthly membership to be a part of my network. So you can either be a part of the network where I send you clients or you can be a part of my mentorship. So it's two different prices for that. And then there's a fee when I actually send you a client I get paid off the first visit. I don't take I'm trying to be greedy only pay you only pay me the first visit that I seen you say since a fan since I seen you, you know Go to and and they give me 50% of the service that one time but now that shit client forever. You know, I mean, it's a good time. It's a tester. All right, because what I didn't like you if you didn't like it, yeah, then isn't that dad's name is on Allah ya facts facts facts facts facts. I've had I've had that happen once so far yet to barber shops have memberships like Jim's like can you be like I thought that's interesting. Yeah. So is that what I'll call wash? It was like a subscription for my car wash where like I feel like $40 and I can go like anytime I want. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah I have Do they have like you pay $500 but you can get as many haircut since you weren't there are some people that do that how you feel about that, you know, cause they'll abusive. Yeah of you mean every other day. It's like if I don't know where I'm going to be at the rest of the time like I don't even know like next week I could get a car. You gotta go somewhere. I don't like now my clients and know what I do also notice it much. Are they pay a deposit? So sentence is this if the service is 650 that the client is paying like 260 deposit. For a even show up so adding a lot of that does kind of lock me in so I have to plan my life around get it. Yeah, I had to talk like what how long does it take to get it done? So it takes me about an hour to hour and a half each head. That's typical. Yeah, just like could you imagine well because I hate it when I first started it was like three hours but now because I'm so used to doing it. Yeah. It's about an hour to an hour and a half. How many days in how many days a week do you cut? I mean, I mean like not cut but you can only cut one day I want to cut Fridays, but how many ways? You do units. So sometimes on Mondays, but mostly just Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Okay, so I do policy 67 people sometimes eight a day a day surprise all day pretty much. Yeah. So you're off traditional Sunday and Monday Barbershop days off. Yes, and it's Sunday and most Monday's lot of farmers take Monday. So I never understood like nobody works for everyone, you know we get so they got away. All right. We pleasure pleasure. Thank you for dropping Jim's on is how can the people contact you information on your on your shops information on the classes all that social media handles. All social media handles way the barber way. The barber.com is my website. All information is always there for the classes or whatever I got going on. So yeah Instagram is probably the the probably if you don't go on a website Instagrams by the next page, you know Facebook. I'm I'm working with my Facebook my Facebook post to Facebook from Instagram. So okay. Yeah way to Barbara all social media social media Outlets scuse me. Don't don't don't Troy housekeeping items. Yeah, man. Shout out to everybody on patreon.com. We actually just ran into a bunch of our patrons and I'll event man shout to everybody that came through from patreon and all our new members. I actually spoke to a few of them today and that was dope because they've been connecting with us and now we get to see us in real present like so glad you came to deal. The shout to them as you know, that's how proud to pay program. We have five different tiers. So feel free to join at any just know that at tier 4 and 5 you have access to eyl University as you see that we are wearing some new merch today. We got the eyl university merged as and hit the streets here, but it will be by the time you hear this. So make sure to go support that and stay in tuned for our Monday webinars on Wednesday webinars and Thursday floating webinar. We try to figure out which day is going to be there Friday, but Three times a week man were given out classes and webinars are different types of business and real estate. So stay tuned for that. And what else we got, man. Yeah. Well you by universities want to double down on that. Once again, if you're not familiar, I said educational portal that we have and we do three live classes every single week, but different presenters on different topics and is a zoom class so you can interact with the presenters and it's really it's really don't want thing about the podcast. We establish really great relationships with people and you know, they be Our friends and they teach classes for they do workshops for so it's really know and here we just we just we just finished up our second Workshop that we that we did for the year and we're doing our live podcast some all that's going to be crazy. And once again, we hitting the road we taking this dish on the road. So January 25th, January 26, hopefully you've ever met she might be up by the time this podcast comes out. If not very soon. I will have all the information and all the details are on Atlanta, but make sure you check us out on the And a man for sure and make sure like you said the merch still popping all flavors to yeah. Yeah, for sure. So yeah, that's it. Anything else. Yeah. We got a book to oh I got it. I'll book tip is the success factor 12 keys to help you win in life by you know, I gotta ha ha ha. Yeah, none other they meant and then Des. Yeah. They appreciate that. No problem. There you have it there. You have it a great book. I highly recommend it. Another stream I gosh thank you for working with us. We'll see you next week. Peace.
One of the most requested industries that we haven't covered yet is the male haircare business. Barbershops are a staple in every community especially in black communities worldwide. Before we did an episode on barbershops and hair entrepreneurs we wanted to make sure we had the right person to talk to. Wade Menendez aka Wade the Barber is a world-renown master barber and stylist, he became a rockstar in the male hair care industry by mastering a technic called cranial prosthesis aka ”the man unit” or “the man weave”. The man unit is a hairpiece for balding men that can last for up to several months. The units have skyrocketed his business, he earned over $500,000 last year and has surpassed that in 2019. He has multiple streams of income from his barber business which include teaching classes to other barbers on how to install the units, he also sells products and has several brand partnerships. He has scaled one of the most common small businesses in any community into a multi-level million dollar operation. In episode 52 Wade broke down his business model, explained how he created multiple streams of income from his root business and gave insight on how barbers and other small business owners can become profitable by growing laterally. Guest IG: @wadethebarber Book Tip: The Success Factor: 12 Keys To Help You Win In Life  ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app  · Talk Money With Mesh Lakhani Podcast: On The Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani podcast, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the mystical financial phenomena behind your finances. 