Meet Tom Perez

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tom Perez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tom below.

Tom, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I would have to say I get my work ethic from my parents. They got divorced when I was quite young and I’ve seen them both work hard to provide for my sister and I. My dad started working for the Miami Herald in the printing room and worked his way up to a position for the company that owned the Miami Herald before he retired. He was never late to work and made sure we were never late to school on top of having home cooked meals for dinner every night. There were days where I could tell he was tired, but never made excuses and kept trucking along. He gave us both chores to complete every week so we knew what it meant to be responsible and to keep our word.

My mom was a seamstress for an athletic wear company when we were young. She made a little more than minimum wage at the time and never complained. Showed up to work everyday and found ways to make sure my sister and I both enjoyed the time we spent with her. Even with income restraints, she would always take us to the mall and buy us something that we wanted. Never once do I remember her saying she didn’t have the money to buy us things that we wanted as kids. After leaving the seamstress job she went on to work with one of my uncle’s title companies. She took on the job with no experience. Being a quick learner she excelled in no time and was a top performer at her position.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a Barbershop Owner and Barber at Gradients Barber Lounge in Plantation, FL. Our company opened for business in 2023 though I started to dabble in barbering since I was a kid. I remember always getting haircuts at salons and barbershops and never being completely satisfied. I always felt like there were aspects of my haircut that could be better. My first time trying to touch up my haircut did not go as planned. I borrowed my dad’s razor and decided to try and straighten my hairline. I ended up taking my hairline back half an inch on one side. Not only did I look ridiculous but I was also devastated. I had school the same morning. There was no way I could show up like that. I was too embarrassed to show my face. So, that was the first time I skipped school. I was only in 4th grade! Later that day I was able to fix my hairline to look presentable. Little did know I was on to something.

Throughout my middle school and high school years I continued to touch up my hair after every haircut from the barbershop. Seemed like they couldn’t figure out my hairline so I was determined to. I developed a system to get my hairline as straight as possible. It got to a point where I had friends in high school who would ask “how is your hairline always so straight?” and comments like “Bro, you have a perfect hairline”. Once I told them I did it myself they would laugh and say “Stop lying man. I don’t believe you!”.

After high school, I worked a few odd jobs. Never felt at home at any of them. Would always leave and find something new every couple of years. I started cutting my own hair to save money and got really good at it. Not just my hairline anymore.

One weekend I linked up with an old friend from high school. He complimented my haircut and asked where I got it done at. I told him I did it myself. In disbelief he asked if I could give him a cut. That same day I cut his hair and he was amazed at the outcome. He said it was better than what his barber gives him and asked why I didn’t become a barber. I told him I never really gave it consideration. I didn’t think barbers made much money.

Peaking my curiosity I decided to enroll in barber school. It took about a year and a half to complete. I would go part time at nights after work. Upon completion I was able to start working at a shop on the weekends to get my feet wet. The first shop I worked at really woke me up to what was expected from a professional barber. Being good at cutting hair is just a small part of it. You have to be timely, good at problem solving, be able to build a rapport with clients, keep your tools and station sanitized, provide excellent customer service, the list goes on. It took some time for me to hone in on all the skills but in a few months I was booked out daily. The money started flowing in and I made the jump to full time barbering with the support and push of my wife.

I was working at a commission shop at the time and after a few years I was capped out. They ran a tight ship and began feeling burnt out. So I decided to make a move to another shop and the city worked of a booth rent model. I had a lot more freedom there but realized that I was truly working for my self. I had my own booking app, had to process my own payments and run the business on my. As compared to just showing up and cutting hair like I did at the commission shop. I grew a lot in the next couple of years.

Within that time, another barber and I started messing around with the idea of possibly opening up our own shop one day. We stayed working at the shops we were at for some time til an opportunity arose. The owner of the shop I was at was selling the barbershop. After a few conversations with my wife and the other barber we decided to try and get a deal done. Using one of my wife’s connections we were able to secure a loan to buy the shop. There was only one problem. The deal fell through at the last minute.

Being as we had the funds sitting in our account from the loan we decided to search for our own space. Through a lot of searching and paperwork, Gradients Barber Lounge was born

We built and designed the place ourselves with some help along the way from loved ones. We wanted to create a shop that had some personality. That mixed the old with the new. That mixed the commission shop with booth rent shop. A place where clients and barbers both wanted to be. A place that felt like home.

After a year and a half of business we are still going strong. Still building our reputation around the city. We strive to provide more than just a haircut but an overall experience.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would have to say punctuality, consistency, and patience.

Being on time sounds simple. You would be surprised how many people are not on time. If work starts at 9, be there at 9. If you have an appointment or meeting at that time and you are late it sets a bad example. It says to the person you are meeting that you don’t care. Their time is not important to you. Being punctual shows respect and shows that you actually care about someone other than yourself.

Consistency ties in with being punctual. If you start work at 9, always be there at 9. If you greet one customer, greet all customers. It sets structure in your life. You become reliable to people which is an invaluable trait.

Patience is something we should all have a little of. Realize that things might not happen right away for you. It takes time to become successful. Just like trees take years to grow and bear fruit, becoming the best version of yourself also takes time.

If you stay punctual, consistent, and patient, you will be where you want to be in life before you know it.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I believe it is better to be a well rounded individual. Sure, your strengths are what might set you apart, but your weaknesses can also be your downfall. Working on improving those weaknesses can really take you further in your career and your life.

When I first started working at a barbershop I had a couple of strengths. I could cut hair pretty good and I would always show up to work on time. But I had more than a couple of weaknesses that held me back from building my clientele. I took too long on haircuts. I was very quiet during services. I took too many breaks. The list goes on.

As I saw the other barbers around me build clientele I stepped into high gear. I started to learn ways on how I could be more efficient during a haircut to cut down on my appointment time. Nobody wants to be in a chair for an hour for a simple haircut. I also started to build relationships with my clients, conversing with them throughout the service and following up on how recent trips they took were, how there family was doing, and what plans they had for the weekend. Never taking a phone call during their time in my chair. I also started to take one break for lunch and that was it. No long bathroom breaks or phone breaks. Another thing I did was further my skill set when it came to cutting hair. I would stay up late watching videos and tutorials on the latest trends and techniques. There wasn’t a haircut I couldn’t do. I made one of my strengths even stronger while rounding out the rest of my arsenal. From there I built my clientele in no time and was booked out for a couple weeks at a time.

I say being well rounded has more advantages. But it doesn’t hurt to lean into those strengths of yours from time to time.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @gradientsbarber
• Other: Website: www.gradientsbarber.com

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