My Journey
How I Became a Barber — and Why I'd Do It All Over Again
By 786 Barberstudio | Webster, TX
People ask me all the time: "How'd you get into barbering?"
It's one of my favorite questions to answer — not because the story is dramatic, but because it's real. There was no straight line. There were doubts, detours, and moments where I wasn't sure I was making the right call. But looking back, every step led exactly where it was supposed to.
This is that story.
Growing Up in the Shop
I grew up going to the $6 barber. Nothing fancy — just a chair, a cape, and a cut.
That changed in 2012. I was 16, working at Whataburger, when a barber handed me his card after a brief conversation. From that day forward, I had the same barber for the next eight years — and in those eight years, I fell in love with barbering culture. Not just the cuts, but everything around it. The shop, the conversation, the jokes, the life lessons passed between the chair and the mirror.
At one point I almost dropped out of high school to pursue it. My barber talked me out of it. He told me straight up — I wasn't cut out for that life yet. Too undisciplined. It would ruin me.
As hardheaded as I was, I listened.
I spent the next decade working in everything from restaurants to car sales to managing a gym. But barbering never left the back of my head. It was always there — this quiet pull I couldn't shake.
The Decision to Go All In
In 2022, I got laid off from my job at Peloton. I already had an offer lined up at Tesla. On paper, the path forward was clear.
But I was at a point in life where I was looking for something more than a paycheck. I had made money. It didn't make me happy. I wanted to travel, to do something I was proud of, something that felt ethical and meaningful — work where I could look back at the end of the day and actually feel good about what I'd done.
Around that same time, my good friend Javi — about two years into his own journey as a barber — was cutting my hair. We'd talk constantly about me making the leap. He believed I could do it before I fully believed it myself.
I still remember the text I sent him: "Dude guess what, I just found out I got laid off."
His reply came back immediately: "Barber school??"
That was the moment. I knew I wasn't taking that job at Tesla.
Building 786 Barberstudio
Opening 786 Barberstudio wasn't just about having my own space — it was about building the right space.
The name itself carries meaning. 786 is a numerical representation of Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim — "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." That phrase grounds everything I do. It's a reminder that the work I do matters, and that serving people well is its own form of purpose.
I wanted to create a place in Webster where clients felt respected, where the craft was taken seriously, and where every appointment felt like more than just a transaction. That's still the mission.
What I Know Now That I Wish I Knew Then
A few things nobody tells you when you start out:
Your consistency will build your reputation faster than anything else. Show up, do great work, be on time. That compounds over time in ways you can't even imagine when you're starting.
Every client is trusting you with something personal. How they look affects how they feel walking out that door. Take that seriously.
The craft never stops teaching you. The barbers who plateau are the ones who think they've figured it all out. The best ones stay curious.
The relationships matter more than the haircuts. The cut brings them in the first time. The way you make them feel brings them back.
Why I Love This Work
Barbering is one of the few professions where you see the results of your work immediately — and you see them on someone's face. There's nothing like a client looking in the mirror and their whole energy shifting. That moment doesn't get old.
This is work that matters. It connects people. It builds confidence. It carries tradition. And every day I get to do it at 786 Barberstudio in Webster, I'm grateful for the path that got me here.
Want to come see what we're building? Book your appointment at 786barberstudio.com
