Your Haircut is Great, But No One is Noticing

This one cuts DEEP.

In a world where quality haircuts are a common part of daily life, it has becoming increasingly challenging to stand out. But why do some skilled barbers get lost in the crowd, while others gain widespread recognition? 

Self-Reflection: The Starting Point

Let’s take it back a few years. We have to dig a little deeper for this to make sense and fully connect.

Our ability to understand ourselves deeply often stems from how we have grown up, the environment we were raise in, and the conversations of which we were a part. My family never asked me what I thought of anything, so when I grew up into early adulthood (around 19-20 years old), it felt like the first time I had ever been asked to form any opinion on anything about the outside world. I always knew there was a connection I might have been missing internally, but I never could explain what I felt and the idea of wanting to explore what that meant made me feel too vulnerable to explore. Time after time, I would go the opposite direction and keep things more surfaced level.

However, what we feel on the inside connects to everything we do on an external level.

Coming into self-awareness is what will help us understand how to improve ANYTHING. Those of you who are great at fades can understand this. When you are cutting and you see lines, you are able to clean it up and fix it most of the time, right? Think about when you started in your first year and you would take pictures of your work, you can laugh at it now because your technical eye is much stronger today, but you might not have really noticed it before or been able to identify how to fix the problem. 

You have to remember, we cannot fix what we are not aware of. It is a mental and physical skill you HAVE TO BUILD. 

The environment I grew up in did not aid me in this way. I had to figure out the questions AND the answers myself. There is a particular class that really stood out to me in college and maybe it was just meant to be, but it sounded interesting  based on some of the things I knew I was struggling with; knowing myself and how I communicate with others. That was class was Interpersonal Communications and I ended up taking it at 3 different colleges as my education progressed just to learn more about it. 

This class focuses on understanding and improving the way individuals interact and communicate with each other, covering aspects like self-awareness, relationship management, and effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills. 

What also made this class different, was that there was not a ton of individual work. We always had our desks in a circle or even had to sit in this cut out in the middle of the classroom and we were heavily doing all interactive exercises with new students which scared the shit out of me every time. I have many memories in shaking during presentations to the class. But I kept on. I knew I had no other choice.  

Those classes were a kick start in my life that I needed. If you have any resemblance in your life relating to what I was going through back then, maybe this will help you too. From those classes, I researched and found some self-help books  that have helped me tremendously. I recommend the following (in this order):

• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

• Unfuck Yourself

• You Are A Badass

Those are four great books to start with in your self-awareness discovery. If you don’t like reading, I’m sure there are audio book options that you can tap into as well. 

So when it comes to barbering, I believe there are endless levels of depth about ourselves that we have to explore. I scroll on IG everyday and I can see how people are struggling to stand out and find meaning within their posts. 

Virality VS Value Based Content

Inside the world of social media, there is a strong distinction between content driven by the pursuit of virality and content rooted in providing genuine value. Virality-focused content often focuses on trends, eye-catching visuals, or shock value, aiming primarily to attract immediate attention and a quick surge in engagement. While this approach can have high visibility in the short term, it often lacks depth and lasting impact on the people who come across your page or your followers who don’t feel the need to engage.

On the other hand, value-based content prioritizes meaningful engagement and building a sustained and realistic connection with the audience. This type of content is more likely to be educational, inspirational, or deeply relatable. Its goal is to offer something beneficial to the audience, whether it's knowledge, insight, or emotional resonance. 

The key message for content creators, especially in fields like barbering where skill and expertise are crucial, is to lean towards value-based content. It is about creating a narrative that resonates with your audience on a deeper level, encouraging them to return for the quality and reliability of the content, rather than just a momentary trend or viral hit. 

The idea is to create valuable pieces of content and if something does GO VIRAL, it will give a stronger reason for that person who comes across your page the first time, a reason to stay. 

Now, I invite you to take some time to reflect about where you fit into all of this. 

It is one thing to contemplate these ideas, but articulating them through writing or speech, allowing us to actively engage with them, takes their power to the next level. Here are a couple of questions to consider: 

1. How did you get into barbering? 

2. What challenges have you overcome?

3. What are the techniques or styles you are most proud of?

4. Think about the moments you’ve truly connected with clients. What made these interactions special?

Start each day by setting a specific goal or focus. If you do this everyday, it’ll help keep you on track. Remember that a little everyday leads to a lot overtime. 

With each client you come across, aim to understand their past experiences and think about what you can do today to make sure you meet all their needs to keep them coming back. 

Be present in every haircut, considering how your work reflects your personal brand as a whole. Are you looking at every client that comes back and looking for ways to improve it each time? Even if they’re asking for the same thing, look for areas where you can give more each time. Maybe that is in the technical part of the service or in conversation, but make it a goal to deliver more than expected. 

With those things in mind, now we craft it into our own story online. 

• Tell your audience about your journey and inspirations in barbering. Keep the message short and concise in the caption. People love to learn more about what keeps people going!

• Share stories of memorable cuts or client transformations.

• Offer tips and tricks on something you recently figured out.

Share your experiences and document your journey. This is what gravitates people to resonate with you.

• Give your posts more than a surfaced level finish cut.

• Share your own stories or experiences in your posts.

• Respond to comments and messages, creating a dialogue.

• Share how you contribute to or interact with your local community.

And remember, growth cannot happen with CONSISTENCY.

This doesn’t mean you need to post 7 days a week. It’s more meaningful if you can get 3-4 solid meaningful ones that are important to you. This is a way more realistic approach that won’t burn you out.

Maintain a consistent schedule for your online content. Make a content calendar with when you are posting to what channel. This will keep you more accountable.

Regularly check your analytics on your social channels to track ideas that are working or need more editing and revision. This will help you gauge your content to get better. 

Stay updated with industry trends and integrate them into your work and online presence so you can stay relevant and competitive in the market. 

We are in our last month of the year. This is a major time of reflection for many of us as we plan out what we want to do in 2024. I write this one to you because I myself have struggled heavily in this area of connecting what I do to the meaning of why I do it. I hope that this guide can get you started somewhere along your journey to move to a place that allows you to get deeper with yourself. 

This guide is just a starting point to map out your internal dialogue and think about how to craft your online presence. I hope you all have a great week ahead of you!

PS. I am announcing a giveaway on Wednesday on my IG (@staygold31). It’s going to be easy to join and try to win! It will include some of my favorite products in barbering that I know are going to be a huge help for many of you. 

Happy Holidays,

Sof!