Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael Delarosa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Michael, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
In order to be successful, you have to fail first. You always have to take a risk when trying something and usually the outcome goes in two different directions. It either works right away for you or you have to try it again. In my vocabulary, I replace the words “failure” or “loss” and use the words “learned” or “experienced”. This change helps my mentality in the long run to help make educated and calculated decisions in my business as a barber. I’ve learned to trust the process when beginning something new or along the way of something I’m currently working on.
My journey as a barber/barbershop owner, I’ve had plenty of obstacles and quite a bit of achievements in life and in my business in the last 5 years. One thing that helps me push forward every day towards my goals is to cherish your “wins” and “achievements”. The size or impact of your “wins” doesn’t matter. It’s extremely important to celebrate and acknowledge any positive or upward achievement because it’s very easy to get distracted or dwell on the negative obstacles and experiences you’ve had.
At the end of the day, ask yourself “What can I improve on?’ or “How can I get better/more results?”. I ask myself these questions to self-reflect. I believe self-reflection is the biggest feedback you can give yourself because you do have to hold yourself accountable or to a higher standard in order to be successful. I categorize my negative obstacles and positive achievements to help identify what’s successful and should be celebrated or to learn and improve on everything that is holding myself/my business back from progressing.
Once you’ve made self-reflection a daily standard for yourself, the cycle continues and that’s called growth. Growth can be scary and uncomfortable for some people. I embrace it because once again, in order to be successful, you have to fail first. Most people can’t reach their goals because fear and doubt hold them back towards making progress. I’ve been through this cycle many times and can say my growth since starting my barbering career has taken an upward direction that I’ve pursued to the highest level. I normalized the feeling of being uncomfortable to correlate positive progression in my life/business.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ve been a professional barber for 5 years now and a barbershop owner of Profile Hair Studio’s for 1.5 years. I started my career at 18 years old and became a shop owner at 22 years old. We currently have a total of 8 full time barbers working at the shop. We’re located in the heart of East Austin where many small businesses like us thrive off of the culture the city resembles. I’m very proud we’ve created a platform/foundation for people to feel comfortable about their appearance and trusting the quality barbers we have at our shop.
As a barber, I’ve taken on the challenge of creating content on social media to market myself for potential new clientele to come and see the quality they’re missing out on. The past 5 years, I never prioritized marketing in my business. However, since I began my career, I’ve made huge progress by successfully scaling my business from $20/haircut to $70/haircut. I’m very appreciative of the clients, friends and family that have supported me along the way to make this possible for myself. I take pride in my craft and business by being reliable, consistent and detailed with every person that sits in my chair. It’s extremely important to me that I take care of every individual that I have the opportunity to provide a quality service and experience.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first, most impactful quality that I’m still learning currently, is to seek advanced education for your business/skillset. We are living in a great time in the online world where so much information can be spread in seconds. It’s a no-brainer to gain/pursue knowledge for yourself/business. I currently learn from mentors and coaches to guide me through becoming an entrepreneur as a barber as well as learning new skills and techniques to become a master barber. I’ve found this to be one quality that has changed the projector of myself and my business in an upwards direction. Before pursuing advanced education, I look back at when I first started my career and wish I had taken the initiative to grow and learn more however it’s never too late to start, as long as you finally take action.
Develop progressive daily habits and create a higher standard for yourself. This is the second quality that impacted my personal life and business as a barber. Everybody has personal problems that bleed/effect the businesses outcome or flow. It’s important to take care of yourself because without YOU, your business can’t maximize its highest potential. I’ve learned to hold myself accountable, stay discipline, be consistent, persevere, be detailed and take one thing at a time to slowly make progress. I’ve always held myself to a higher standard when I first started my career. It took the self-reflection of my past daily habits to create that higher standard for myself currently. Waking up earlier, eating healthier foods and drinks, prioritizing my family, limiting my leisure time, are all just a small portion of changes I’ve made on a daily basis. It’s always going to start with the small details to eventually make change however simply making the changes will go a long way for yourself.
Lastly, always remember to find your purpose and pursue your goals. Without purpose, you might get to a point where you find yourself asking “Why am I doing this?”. I’ve answered this question multiple times and honestly there isn’t a one-way answer as everybody situations are different. I personally love the craft of barbering and take my business serious. I value and embrace the growth, knowledge, responsibility of being a young entrepreneur in the barber industry. This is my bread and butter; I live happily at home with my son and wife because I love what I do for a living. I found my purpose to create goals and pursue them because I have the support system around me to continue to thrive in my business. It is my belief that you cannot create goals without having your purpose. Your goals should be achievable, and you need to believe in your ability to do whatever it takes to accomplish those goals. “Being realistic” isn’t maximizing your highest potential because you are simply justifying settling or limiting for the bare minimum. At the beginning of my career, I had no purpose or goals and was blessed with the opportunity of becoming a great barber however I felt stagnate and lost with no guidance. Once I took the time to create that next step, my goals became more clearer and pursuing them never felt easier.
1. Seek advanced education/knowledge in business/yourself
2. Develop progressive daily habits/Create a higher standard for yourself
3. Find your purpose/pursue your goals
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?
As a barber, you service and come across all kinds of amazing people. It’s very interesting learning how people live their lives on a daily basis because you get a glimpse of how you as the professional are valuable to them. I have serviced clients who are millionaires and need a haircut every 4 days and serviced clients fresh out of prison who haven’t had a haircut in years. Different people, have different values and whether they value to be more well-rounded with a balanced life or value being strong in one specific area sacrificing a balanced life, there isn’t a correct direction to choose. It all comes down to what’s the most important thing to you based on your own life experiences. I personally have chosen to sacrifice a “balanced life” because I believe in myself to achieve more than what I’ve accomplished already in such a short amount of time. I value the progressive growth and the uncomfortable feeling when growing which makes me stronger in the end. No matter what you decide for yourself, as long as that choice brings you peace and happiness in your life, I believe that’s all that matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://profilehairstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fadelikemike
- Other: My Bookin Link: https://square.site/book/L6EADQRM85AT0/fadelikemike-austin-tx?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZ9w1ke2SmWbNRPw8A_uaWS6CHNGZR1inMZXoXLrAKFxcBlpDuVcnQDO6U_aem_JgpXE3spXW2P32-8PT_SyA
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