We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laleh Rezaie . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laleh below.
Laleh, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
If I can pause any of my personal qualities, it would be my resilience. I believe that I thrive best in adapting to challenges.
I was managing and working at a barber shop in Fort Worth, when I felt the necessity to put in my two weeks notice with the district manager, who promptly fired me. I had no plan, no prospects, no idea what I was going to do. So I went to a local brewery to cry into my beer and figure out a game plan for applying to other shops. All I could think about was how I didn’t want to be at the mercy of another terrible shop owner. One of the brewery owners and now a dear friend sat with me and we came up with the brilliant idea that I should have a pop up barber shop in the corner of the taproom.
It was settled: twice a week, I would set up shop and cut patron’s hair FOR FREE (tips encouraged). When he showed me the dark, cold corner with the foosball table, my shoulders sank. How could I ever possibly cut hair here? I made a list – barber chair, mirror, power strip, tool stand, broom, cutting tools – all of which could be disassembled and stored in a tiny space of the taproom.
And it worked! For 1 year, I was cutting hair in a space that was dark (why didn’t I get a light???), cold in the winter and swelteringly hot in the summer. (You have no idea how good of a barber you can be until you are trying to cut a decent skin fade in dim lighting with a sweaty head for a canvas!) When the brewery started construction on the to-go area, the foosball table and I had to vacate our narrow nook. What better place to relocate to than the stage. I wasn’t the headliner, since it was December, so my work station was precariously close to the edge of the stage, so as not to disturb the center-staged Christmas tree. But that was ok. I had a space to continue my work and build a new clientele. This would continue for almost another year.
Somewhere in the chaos of bartending and barbering, I met a man who wanted to invest in opening a shop with me. What a confidence boost. We worked up the numbers and had very important-feeling meetings. Mere weeks later, the wind was swiftly knocked out of my sails when we toured the neighborhood in which I wanted to put my shop – near the brewery and barely developed at the time. He didn’t see the vision. Too few businesses were open. He bailed. This neighborhood, in my justifiably biased opinion, is now the best neighborhood in Fort Worth.
Unfazed, I dove into my work. I met a woman who was developing a building steps away from the my current nomadic setup. With some help from my dad, I signed a lease for a cozy 300 square foot former paint booth. It was Dexter-esque with its red paint splattered walls. I thought it was perfect. I stopped by the construction site almost every day after brewery buzzes and watched a dream form.
I’m quickly approaching the five year mark for my barber shop and I often think about those extremely fun months at the brewery. Those turbulent times proved to myself that no matter how daunting a challenge may seem, hard work, human connections, and creative thinking will typically provide a path to personal success. I am determined to do things on my terms, and it’s my resilience and resolve that continue to keep me afloat.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m so fortunate to have found a career that challenges me in ways that aren’t exhausting. Having been a barber for almost 10 years, I really love my clients and love seeing them through different stages in life. I think what some people seek in a stylist or barber is a connection. Anyone can cut hair with enough practice, but every client sitting in my chair is my focus. The way I make them feel is just as important to me as how I make them look.
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?
My journey benefited greatly from tenacity, ingenuity, and managerial/administrative skills (Small Business for Dummies helps). The ability to overcome obstacles through adapting my behavior and expectations was paramount, since sometimes the target moves. Creativity and innovation are great on their own but they blossom most with determination. Mostly, I had to be brave (but not fearless) and trust that somehow I would achieve my goals because I’m stubborn and can find a way to get almost anything done. The path to the goal probably won’t be linear, but my mantra for a while was “I don’t know how but I’ll figure it out.” Trust your vision and understand that no two journeys are the same.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents immigrated to the US from Iran right before the regime change in the late 1970s, so they had to build their life here without most of their family. I think I benefitted most from their work ethic. They taught me by example that the only guarantee is that you can achieve goals only through working for them. Handouts aren’t an acceptable expectation.
Contact Info:
- Website: Southbarbershopfw.com
- Instagram: @southbarbershopfw
Image Credits
Nathanael Gassett Elizabeth Anne Kelsey Shoemaker
