Meet Brett Burcham

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brett Burcham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brett, 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 had the privilege of working for some small business owners during college and after I graduated that I attribute a lot of my work ethic to. They threw me to the wolves and helped me realize that I can mess up, solve problems, not be perfect, and come out on the other side a better, wiser worker. They also proved to me that you can just make sh*t happen if you want it to. They helped me conquer anxieties and doubts of myself, and they probably don’t even know how much they mean to me. I should probably let them know soon!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I split my time between my three passions: my work, doing hair; playing music, both privately and professionally; and my family, my wife and two girls, 4 and 1 1/2. In October 2024, I left the salon I had been at for four years to open my own salon suite. I was going to name it “Brett B Hair,” because the opportunity fell in my lap and I needed something in a pinch. Upon sending some logo drafts to my friends for critiques, they riffed on some funny names, in jest, but one stood out to me—Butter Cuts. My first Instagram handle in 2011 was @butterbcharm, an anagram of my name. My friend said Butter Cuts, and it stuck. I immediately began envisioning the branding and potential merch items. Over the past year, I have made my suite into a home away from home, and I get a lot of compliments on it from clients, old and new. It’s private, with a frosted glass door. I use warm lights to make it cozy, and offer all of my clients complimentary beverages and shampoo/head massages. When I moved from my salon to the suite, a lot of my clients came with me, and naturally a bit dropped off. My new spot was also a little hard to find, so I didn’t have a great store front to advertise myself. But when I turned to Google Ads, I began getting at least 2-3 new clients a week. From conversations with new clients, the hook really seems to be two-fold: they find me from a simple “barber near me” search, and they usually mention that I have great reviews and my pictures are different from the typical page of fades from a lot of barbers. I have my short haircut price set to $60, and I’m a tip-free business. I made the decision to go tip-free when I saw another stylist do it on Instagram and have success. I tried it and never looked back. It gets rid of the awkwardness for a client, and it speeds up the transaction process for me. I love design, both visual and practical. Everything I’ve chosen for my business is in an effort to streamline the process—quick and easy online bookings, fast checkout, I send detailed directions on how to find me to new clients, and I try my best to create an easygoing, relaxed atmosphere.

I also play music on the side, ranging from solo cover gigs with just me and my guitar, to front-manning cover bands for weddings and parties, to leading worship at church, and just got a new gig as a piano accompaniment to a violinist for weddings! Music is my first love, and I’ll never stop playing music. However, I do see playing out mostly as a means for a secondary income.

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?

Managing expectations has been one of the most valuable skills I’ve learned for myself. To under-promise and over-deliver is always my preferred method. I am detailed and thorough almost to a fault. There’s many times when a guy just wants a haircut, and doesn’t want to talk about it. Oh, but I’m going to talk about it! Otherwise, I feel like I’m going in blind, and I’ll be more likely to leave the client unhappy. When someone shows me and inspiration photo for a haircut, I ask questions like, “what do you like about that hair?” “Do you like the front? Back? Sides? Texture?” “He most definitely has product in there, are you willing to style it with product every day?” “If you cover up his face, do you still like the hair? Or do you just want to look like Ryan Gosling?” But when I manage expectations like this, everyone is happier at the end of the haircut, and no one is caught off guard.

The second quality that I’ve tried to hone in myself is letting myself be scared. So many good things have happened after I was nervous, anxious, and scared about trying something, and I can’t imagine missing out on those moments and opportunities. It’s a little morose, but a phrase I began repeating to myself a few years ago was “Six feet under.” Everyone here is gonna be six feet underground, anyway, and no one will remember this… just do the damn thing and don’t worry what everyone’s going to think.

The third thing would be to value yourself. I don’t have the most expensive haircuts in town, but they’re not cheap. But I’m confident in my ability and my clients tell me they are, too. If you put time into a craft, become fluent in it, and desire to only get better, people are going to see that organically, and they’re more than happy to pay a premium price for a premium product that will maintain consistency.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

It’s groanable, but How to Win Friends and Influence People. As a stylist, I’m talking to people all day. I listened to How to Win Friends on audiobook and it course-corrected some bad tendencies I had when having conversations. One of the most famous points from it is that you can never go wrong with talking about what the other person is interested in, rather than what you are. I still catch myself sometimes trying to insert my own stories and experiences after other people’s stories, and I’ll just try to ask a connecting question about what they just told me instead. I get much more open, in-depth conversation doing so.

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Image Credits

All photos by me 🙂

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