Meet Leonardo Garay

We were lucky to catch up with Leonardo Garay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Leonardo with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic comes from my father and my uncle, they were entrepreneurs since I can remember, they were responsible for giving me the example of never giving up and being the best in any area of ​​entrepreneurship. My first job was when my dad helped me sell shampoo door to door when we still lived in Honduras,i believe he was trying to teach me a lesson growing in life asking for more money, so he did his father job he taught me that money cost a lot and that it is difficult to make money even more if you don’t use your head, my father used that lesson to teach me that life can be very hard and you have to be smart about it. And since then I have been very attached to the thought “work smarter not harder”, don’t stay in the 9-5 job, bet on yourself, trust yourself, educate yourself, learn, invest in yourself and your dreams. I think life is too short to doubt yourself if you take risks or not.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Leonardo Garay, I am the owner of Fenix ​​Barbershop located in Knoxville, TN. I started business in 2020, we have had numerous successes bringing a new style to Knoxville and debuting as the best barbershop of 2022. For now I am professionally focused on opening my second business, my first business is at its maximum capacity I would like to make a replica in another place, I am focusing on obtaining my educator license under the state. Outside of my professional life, I want to formalize my family, buy my own house, and expand. I have touched and inspired many people lately, my most recent appearances were on ABC 6, WBIR 10 News cast, Marquis Who’s Who in America Biographical Dictionary. I feel like these things have helped me grow my audience and inspire those just starting out. For now, one of my greatest interests is to professionalize my photography and videography to have greater reach in the world of social networks, and I noticed that the barbershop is not just about cutting hair, it is a whole world behind, now it takes more effort and dedication. I firmly believe that in the future since it is a very competitive area, the barber will have to take an extensive course and it will not only be about cutting hair. I believe that the Fenix ​​barbershop has been one of the most talented and original in the entire city, since we focus on experience and have created a new culture. I hope to develop this vision with others and be able to attract the attention of potential clients

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?
Being honest Building relationships
Dependable

Be honest and keep your word firm, know who you are and never promise something you cannot keep, always respect other people’s time. Differentiate having honesty or being liked, honesty brings you credibility and seriousness, it makes people feel confident in trusting you for anything.

I believe that success is defined by the ability to create relationships and leave a good mark so that people remember you, I feel that most of my successes have been by knowing how to create relationships with people who have the possibility of helping you, traveling and Creating relationships has been a crucial step for me, not being afraid to make a fool of myself and always preparing for any situation
.
Being someone that people depend on professionally through your reputation is the key to opening up more opportunities in your career or profession.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed is when I know I have to take a break from everything and everyone, I know I have to travel. meeting with my family, visiting my mother, talking with old friends, seeing the situation of others and appreciating what I have, and definitely going to the beach, there is nothing that the sun and water does not cure, being raised near the beach I find it very therapeutic to listen to reggue music, especially Bob Marley, to eat and taste food from other cultures, to share drinks with friends, to dance, and to laugh a lot. My best advice is to always remember who you are, remember your essence, look for the things that bring you happiness, remember where you come from and how you started.

Feeling beat is normal, feeling defeated is normal, feeling swamp is normal, you are a human being we are designed to feel, What makes you different is how you seek to improve

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Reed Schick

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