Once upon a time, I was a freshman in college running low on funds with a newfound skill: cutting hair. Little did I know this skill would become a business, but more importantly, a lesson in the impact of marketing.

The Inspiration

When I was still attending college, I experienced something special.

Simply put: my roommate needed a haircut and I offered to do it, he agreed, I went for it, and it was halfway decent.

From there, I started practicing on anyone who was willing,

I bought new equipment, and watched youtube videos for hours upon hours. I got to a point where I was giving out high-quality fades.

After I’d reached that point, I learned to market.

Marketing my Brand

My first marketing step was to come up with a clever name, gringofades. It came from my own barber, who knew I was getting into the barber game, as well as being a white kid who grew up with a ton of Hispanic friends that often called me “gringo”. It drew attention and sparked conversation – everything it was supposed to do.

Not long after, I made an Instagram page for my little dorm room business (@gringofades). The page was a portfolio to show off my work. But it was also a networking tool and a great way to communicate with clients, and the best part was, all of my friends and clients could share the posts on their pages.

For my business, word-of-mouth advertising proved to be massively effective. I told a friend, who told his roommate, who shared it with his teammates, and so on.

The whole operation essentially sold itself. Anyone living on campus need not go further than my dorm room to get a great haircut for a fraction of the price at a traditional barbershop. A lot of guys told me the cuts were better than the barbers in the area too! As gringofades gained popularity, the incentive to leave campus for a haircut lost its luster.

My marketing techniques paired with the nature of the business, proved to be very effective.

More of the Story

I had become well known around campus, and an entrepreneurship group sponsored by the college took notice. They invited me to compete in their campus version of Shark Tank. I agreed to move forward with them and went along with the program.

Long story short, I didn’t win the contest. The judges loved my pitch, but there was some convincing competition and they deserved the reward.

The winners were a group of young investors, with business ventures throughout the United States and even some in Africa! They listened to my pitch and loved my business. They reached out and offered me $5,000 to develop my business on campus.

You must want to know what that business looks like today and I’ll be honest, I did not accept that offer.

But wait! Hold off your disappointment! I declined because I decided that the college life was not a good fit for me.

I was accepted into a business-driven apprentice program called Praxis. After three months of training (bootcamp), I will begin a full time apprenticeship and embark on a brand new and exciting journey. I am currently in the first month of “bootcamp” and I can honestly say this is the greatest community I have ever been a part of.

Although, the whole thing played a vital role in my decision to take Praxis and run with it. I began to wonder: if my dorm room barbershop could attract the attention of a $5,000 investment, then imagine what I could do with more time, less distractions, and a tireless spirit. Praxis gives me all of that and more.

Final Thoughts

Marketing got my business to this point. Word-of-mouth advertising and a social media presence gave gringofades everything it needed to make a splash and gain support.

The experience I gained in running my “cut rate, cut right” barber shop taught me valuable lessons in all aspects of business, but specifically in marketing.

My little dorm room side hustle quickly grew to gain the attention of potential investors, and it sparked an entrepreneurial fire in me that isn’t going out anytime soon.