Episode 13 Link: https://uada.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b0bab4d3-7fc0-4be0-b8ed-ace700d79121 1 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Come join us, explore the impact of small business here in rural Arkansas. 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:14,000 What challenges would you face if you opened a small business who can help you meet those challenges? 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,000 How do you get in touch with others like you? This is Create Bridges, Arkansas. 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:35,000 And we invite you to come cross these bridges with us. Hello, everyone. 5 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Welcome back to another episode of Arkansas Small Business, big rule impact on this week's episode. 6 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:46,000 I had the opportunity to sit down with small business owner and entrepreneur Dylan Smith. 7 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:52,000 Dylan is a founder and owner of State Line Barbershop, located on Main Street and Mammoth Springs, Arkansas. 8 00:00:52,000 --> 00:01:00,000 He's from the area and also serves as a firefighter. I first met Dylan almost three years ago when I moved to the area and was in need of a barber. 9 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:09,000 Back then, owning his own barbershop was just a dream. Today he's been open for more than a year and business is good even despite the pandemic. 10 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Dylan shares what it's like to start your own business and the process to getting funding and literally building from the ground up. 11 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:21,000 He discusses some of the key ways he markets himself and taps into the local and tourist economies. 12 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:27,000 And he spoke about some of the challenges he's faced and what he would have done differently, knowing what he knows now. 13 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:31,000 And one additional note, Dylan and I recorded this at his shop. 14 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,000 And if we sound a little muffled, it's because we had our masks on. Just to be safe. 15 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Thanks. Enjoy. All right, Dylan, how are you, man? 16 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:44,000 I'm doing pretty good, man. How about yourself? I'm doing great. Well, hey, thanks for joining us on the Create Bridges podcast. 17 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:51,000 Before we get started, once you just tell us who you are, what you do, and just a little background about yourself. 18 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,000 Dylan Smith, I'm the owner of Stateline Barbershop here in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas. 19 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:01,000 I've been at this location for about 14, 15 months now. 20 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,000 You never know what to expect. One day the next and a barbershop, it be the busiest day of your life. 21 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Or you can sit here and wonder, man, why did I open today? First few months in here. 22 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,000 Sometimes you get two or three people are now. It's I mean, anywhere between eight to 14 a day. 23 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Never. Sometimes you get two more that you just may not should have closed up a few hours ago. 24 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,000 It's stopped people coming in here, im hurting. 25 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:30,000 And it's after hours doing the recording because you had somebody here up to about almost 530 finishing up a cut. 26 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:37,000 So this is one of those long days for you. So let's let's dove in. 27 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:46,000 When I met you almost three years ago to close to two and a half, three years ago, you were you were cutting hair, but you weren't. 28 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:51,000 You didn't own your own shop. Tell me, what made you decide to open up your own barber shop? 29 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:56,000 And did you always think that you wanted to be a barber? No, man, I. 30 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,000 I've wanted to be a, be a psychologist for a while. 31 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:05,000 You know, a mental health counselor with my mom. That's what she owns her shop doing that. 32 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,000 But I had recently gotten out of the army in the National Guard. 33 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:16,000 Still, I recently got back home and was working at Wal-Mart. And I was actually attending college. 34 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:21,000 And I was but I didn't have college that day. And my parents said, hey, let's all just have family day. 35 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,000 And a sudden didn't go to work at Wal-Mart that day and they all want to go get haircuts. 36 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:31,000 And I've known the lady where we went. It's actually where maybe you met in that beauty salon. 37 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:37,000 I was sitting there, she's said Dylan said, we have had a barber in Mammoth for about 20 years now. 38 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:42,000 And said, you your hate in college, you hate working at Wal-Mart, says, what do you got to lose? 39 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:48,000 I spent about six months just watching videos of barbers, cutting hair, doing face shaves. 40 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,000 And I said, hey, that looks pretty fun inside when it's hot, inside when it's cold. 41 00:03:51,000 --> 00:04:02,000 Can't beat it. And. So about you know about a year, you're about six months goes by, not call down there to Jonesborough, went to be a barber school at. 42 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,000 And found out I could enter anytime I wanted to, so I'd start a job and 43 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,000 From here to Jonesboro for 18 months. Seventy five miles. 44 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,000 One way, 150 miles a day 45 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:21,000 Go into a barber school down there and then came back and I was working in that beauty salon right there for roughly about a year. 46 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:29,000 We started getting this shop here built. And I didn't I mean, I wish I hadn't owned mt own shop. 47 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,000 It's everything's on you, but. 48 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:40,000 One day it'll be all be mine, though, so for our listeners, you know, we have people listening that maybe want to start their own business. 49 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:41,000 There are lots of different avenues. 50 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,000 You know, you go to the bank and get a loan, you know, for fortune, enough to work a side hustle and and raise the money. 51 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,000 But talk about how you were able to get started, because I think I have it correct. 52 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:57,000 You worked with a local incubator, some. So I went to the community first bank here and there, Missouri. 53 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:04,000 And that's where I started getting my building fund. I did a construction loan and I bought the property here and then. 54 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:10,000 And then did all that to get everything financed where I could build this. 55 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,000 But then the loan officer there told us about Osby. 56 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:23,000 And she said, you might really want to look into this and, you know, work that avenue for you, some to get some capital going for you. 57 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:27,000 And so caught up there got at a point man and met with them. 58 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,000 And what they do is they don't. 59 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:38,000 They can't I mean, you know, with the bank, they can't put a lean on the building or anything because the bank already has that. 60 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,000 So they'll put a lean on all your equipment. So I didn't have to have anything for them. 61 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:47,000 They just. So where you got enough equipment, you've got all your you've paid for your schooling. 62 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:54,000 Well, we'll take all that kind of stuff. To get you your loan, and it was just I mean, it wasn't terrible to do at all. 63 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:59,000 The big thing is you have to. They want a little bit of a feature graph of what you think you're building. 64 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Do. Do you have any competition with you, against you? You know, this, that and the other notes like, well, I got no competition there. 65 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,000 I've been a barber in Fulton County for over 20 years and there's not one in there. 66 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,000 So, I mean, I've got the beautician's a competition, but now won't taking time for the minister. 67 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,000 I want to go to a barber. So I said I don't have any competition within 30 minutes of mammoth springs. 68 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:24,000 There's not another barber. So I kind of cornered the market there and it worked for me. 69 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:30,000 What kind of things that you have to do? You know, whether it was permitting or picking out the place. 70 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:36,000 You talked about the financing side and working with the banks and Osby, but what else did you have to go through? 71 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:45,000 There was a man process. You just you had to be able to vision it because there wasn't, you know, early 19 hours. 72 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:51,000 We're talking nineteen twenty two prai not prior 19 18 because they were manufactured nails 73 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:58,000 not hand forged but old two story doctor's office because it really was two doctor's offices, 74 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,000 a house that was one of those people lived in there together. 75 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Rentals right beside me. We had to go and tear that down and then build new walls in here. 76 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,000 Yet he had a vision and it was just. 77 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:21,000 Build Deck says, I had to try to explain to people I'm not going to have a bunch of stairs because I got older clientele. 78 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:25,000 They need to be walk straight in. And I feel like, oh, that won't ever work. 79 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:31,000 Well, it has. We built a front deck to make this look more like an inviting place. 80 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Instead of just, well, what it was. One of my favorite things is the hot towel shave in Little Rock. 81 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:43,000 People get their beards cut beards trend, but nobody did a hot towel shave, at least not near the barber shops I was in. 82 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,000 How did you pick that? So that was one of the things I tried. I tried watching videos of haircuts. 83 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,000 I watched. You know, this goes back to before I went to school. 84 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,000 And I actually I go back to before I ever graduated high school. 85 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,000 There's a barbershop in Hardy I went to and I walked in. 86 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:07,000 I said, hey, do y'all do shave? And they said, no, we don't do them here. And then before I ever went after I graduated high school. 87 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:11,000 I went to a barbershop in West Plains and I drove. 88 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:17,000 I mean, I drove around for 45 minutes, barbershop to barbershop. I said, can get a shave, get a shave. 89 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:22,000 And one of us said he said, man, I know me, said he used to do. He's like, there's just take take too much time. 90 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,000 And I was thinking, yeah, you don't offer them at all. 91 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:32,000 It's not that you don't offer if you're not busy. You just don't. Because he had nobody else in there and he wouldn't do it. 92 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:38,000 And so I've started finding barbers are going away from them. 93 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,000 And I said, I don't want that to go away. I love Doing it. I like the attention to detail. 94 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,000 I just that's just something I like. A lot of borrowers go out. They say it takes too much time to see if you know what you're doing. 95 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:52,000 Don't take it in time, then. Do not, you know, overly attention, detailed, high fade or something. 96 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:57,000 I mean, heck, I could spend 30, 45 minutes cutting, you know, Steven Freeman's hair. 97 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:04,000 And I can do a face shave in 15 minutes. And I charged the same for face shave as I do a haircut. 98 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:10,000 People call me crazy, but it don't take me any more time to do one. I mean, I think I do probably five a week or more. 99 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:19,000 And that's not even including head shaves. I mean, I do head shaves and facials, but we I probably do three to five face shaves a week. 100 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,000 I want to pivot and talk about tourism a little bit. 101 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:31,000 I know, for example, my family, when we travel, I typically look for somewhere that can give me a face shave or wife's gonna get a Mani Petit Kasar. 102 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:37,000 I'll join her for that too. What have you done to tap into that tourist crowd or is that something that you look to do? 103 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:43,000 You can't beat a pedicure man. I mean, Im on Google Maps, Apple Maps. 104 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,000 And then if you search barber shops around me, I pull up on the top. 105 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:53,000 On our search I did, but I'm in mammoth. So geographically, I couldn't tell you about that part. 106 00:09:53,000 --> 00:10:02,000 But like my sign out there, people drive through it says Hot towel Shave's right there on the sign and I get quite a few people in here. 107 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:09,000 Word gets out. People talk about it now. I've got cards all spread out around at the restaurants still. 108 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:17,000 So I, I tap in to like that away. I don't I'm, I don't do much on the Facebook ads and stuff I probably should especially do in the summer. 109 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,000 But I did that for one. I didn't see a big return on profit for that thing. 110 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,000 You know, word of mouth for barbershop is pretty good. 111 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:30,000 And then just, you know, the free stuff on, you know, Google and all that, people look on their maps. 112 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:35,000 So, you know, all there's a barbershop right there. How do you show people you've got the quality work that you know you can do? 113 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:43,000 Yeah. I need to really start Buckling down and start taking more pictures of my haircuts and put them up on Facebook and keep him my page active like that. 114 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:47,000 What future plans do you have for this space? I see there's room for another stall. 115 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:52,000 What is there? What's kind of the future look like? Man, I would love to have another barber in here. 116 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:57,000 I could see maybe another one on one other wall beside me. I could have one more easy. 117 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:01,000 I mean, some are going to come in tomorrow. If they wanted to, I'd have to order the barber chair forum. 118 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:06,000 But I've got a spot. I mean, automatically for someone. But the problem is, you know what I faced? 119 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:13,000 I had a fight drive one hundred fifty miles a day to go to barber school in Jonesboro because you've got Jonesborough, a little rocker, Springfield. 120 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:19,000 So that's, you know, one of the challenges I face and I know some people that they know they're in Hardy and they're like, Oh my God, Hardy. 121 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:27,000 So, I mean, maybe one day I have someone I might have in person move into mammoth that used to be a barber and they want to be one again everyday. 122 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:33,000 I hope someone walks into the door says, hey, you know, another Barbar here said, let me order the chair for you right now and then we'll get you going. 123 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:37,000 Well, I think that's one of the challenges, you know, in create bridges. 124 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,000 One of the things we focus on is a workforce development. And, you know, this is a prime example. 125 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,000 You know, you're a business owner. 126 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:50,000 You are the only employee right now as much as you want somebody else to be in that chair and for the business to grow in that aspect. 127 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:55,000 There's a challenge in connecting people with, as you said, schools and then having them come back to this area. 128 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Yeah. Well, because. Well, when I was in school. I mean, I was dead set. 129 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:05,000 I'm going to until about three months from graduation is like I'm going to go back to Mammoth, 130 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,000 I'm going to open my own barbershop, do this, that and the other and rock on. 131 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,000 And then I had a guy. He was getting his instructor license. He owned his own barbershop. 132 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:18,000 He said, hey, what do you think about staying around here and cutting hair? And was like, I think I will. 133 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,000 But in the end, I did not. 134 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:28,000 I was like, you know, I'm going to come back to mammoth family and I don't wanna be alone down there forever. 135 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,000 Tell me tell me what has been kind of some of the biggest challenges you face. You know, running a business. 136 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:37,000 One thing is, I mean, you just got your monthly expenses the beginning of every month. 137 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,000 You know, you just take that first week, week and a half pay and you just set it aside. 138 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:46,000 It's not for you is to keep so you can have the rest of the month for your expenses that'll come up. 139 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:56,000 You've got your insurances and sometimes that can you get told, hey, it's going to cost you this much and you're like, what? 140 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:01,000 And then sometimes you you'll be cutting someone's hair for a long time and they'll call you the next day. 141 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:07,000 And then that prescribe best haircut you ever gave me. And I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult, but I take as a compliment. 142 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:11,000 Like, I don't know what you were saying before, but I'm glad you like this one. 143 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:16,000 What sets you apart from your competitors? What do you do different that your barbers don't? 144 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:22,000 You mentioned the hot towel, Shaves. But what what else sets you apart? I guess I thought it was a common thing, but I've had that. 145 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:30,000 You know, the shop vac I have hooked up to my clippers. I mean, no, you know, if I don't have to break up my scissors. 146 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Besides me taking my little tremors or known the ears and the neck, you're not going to get a piece of hair on you, people like I. 147 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:42,000 And, you know, that was a thing. How long is this new? And I'm sad. No vacuums have been around for decades. 148 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:48,000 Have been around for a long time. Besides the little fine hairs around that year that my clippers didn't get that I have to take 149 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,000 my tremors and get you're going to walk out of here and you can go back to work and not have to. 150 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:59,000 Like man itch and the rest of the day. I looked at offering like facials with the facial cleansers and the lotions and stuff. 151 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:05,000 And I even bought a steamer. But it's not tall enough, I mean, some. 152 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:09,000 It'll be like, you know, three, four inch from your face and I'm like, I don't want to cook someone's face. 153 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:17,000 So one of these days, I'm going to buckle down and build a better one to one and maybe even two foot stand that can roll around. 154 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Are there any other news services or things that you want to be able to offer? 155 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:25,000 I think at one point, didn't you have a mobile app you could do reservations or. 156 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:29,000 Yeah, I've thought about doing that because it is pretty it's really popular. 157 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:35,000 And I wish I could do reservations and appointments. 158 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:46,000 But there's just so many farmers around here, and just like I mean, I've told you, about 60 plus percent of my client tells that over the age of 60. 159 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:51,000 And I wish I could reservations because, I mean, if I call any my friends i went to barber school was like, oh yeah, 160 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:56,000 tomorrow I'm going to make this much money and I'm like, that's pretty nice for you to know that. 161 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:02,000 I'll let you know how much I make tomorrow. So that's just an idea. 162 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:07,000 You know, I know some salons get it, but I hear the old men come in here complaining that they used to have to make appointments. 163 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:14,000 I don't know. I have some people call me, I guess I cuts some doctors and some lawyers here and they but, you know, they live on a book. 164 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:21,000 Mm hmm and im like ill see you sometime tomorrow. But now, I mean, I just I do walk ins mostly. 165 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:27,000 What do you think barbering is gonna look like in the next five to 10 years? And then how is it going to change that for you here? 166 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:37,000 You know. I've heard I mean, in today's society, everything goes so fast, you know, used to hairstyles, stayed the same for 10 years. 167 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:42,000 You had the comb over in a comb over when we used had normal straightforward hair. 168 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:47,000 But now it's one thing to the next and the comb overs here, it's going to stay. 169 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:55,000 I don't ever see that really going away. But then Mullet's where thing for about six months and a few of the high schools around here, I think I've. 170 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:00,000 Yeah. I mean, so you never know. 171 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,000 You know, in the 90s, highlights were a thing. And Barber, you just live day to day. 172 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:10,000 You see everything. People just come in and find a picture and say, I want this. And I'm like, well, you don't have that kind of style of hair. 173 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,000 You don't have that texture of hair. Your hair's a lot thinner and just. 174 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:22,000 But I would do what I can. You work in a profession where you are expected to get it right 100 percent of the time. 175 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,000 Can you speak a little bit to how you diffuse bad situations? 176 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:32,000 First time I was in barber school, I had a kid and I don't think it was me as much as. 177 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:39,000 There was a language barrier, that one, his mom. Couldn't speak English. 178 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:45,000 And then he couldn't really tell me what he wanted for some reason. And I was still fairly new. 179 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:52,000 So I was like kind of cutting his hair, cutting away, and he just started crying. 180 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:58,000 Im like, what's going on? I don't understand, was doing a good job, so I kind of just go get my instructor 181 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:02,000 I'm one from my instructor. I think I walk down. We had another barber. 182 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:08,000 He hated Barber for 20 years. Get his instructor. I can't walk down there. And next thing I know, this kid gets up, takes it off. 183 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:13,000 He like runs. And so they want to stick out to me. 184 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:20,000 And then I was a. I think I just graduated Barbara school and I was cutting a. 185 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:27,000 Another guy's hair, and he showed me a picture. Of a comb over. 186 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:32,000 Said, I want this and this is the situation you're talking about. 187 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:38,000 So I give him exactly like that picture, I was like, man is he's like, that's not how I comb my hair. 188 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:44,000 And I'm like. What do you mean you showed me a picture of a comb over and you said, I want my hair like that. 189 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:50,000 And you didn't say you comb your hair straight back. And I mean, I tried it. I combed it straight back. 190 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:59,000 And I mean, this bright side, his head was sticking straight up like a porcupine because I cut it so short on that side for the comb over. 191 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:06,000 And I worked on his hair forever. And finally, he I guess just me keep trying to fix it and get it right. 192 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:15,000 He was fun. He's like, hey, it's fine. He actually did it gave me a tip. And so I'm very cautious on how much I take off of someone's hair. 193 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,000 They'll say, hey, I just want a haircut and a little trim. So how about how much you want? 194 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:23,000 I said, Oh, about that much. Or they'll say, you know, about a quarter inch or I don't know, just take a little bit off. 195 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:28,000 So ill just take a bit off. And then I can always go back and take more off. 196 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:36,000 But I can't put it back on. So I may work on someone's hair four or five times until they say, yeah, that's about right. 197 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,000 And I'm guilty of that. Well, I've made you do that. But I mean, you say you understand. 198 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,000 I'm I'm never one to just plow through and just take it all down. 199 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:50,000 Right. And I think those two have kind of led me to that because, I mean, some people have been always hard, 200 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,000 buddy, because I've been in the chair of some barber get mad because Ask him take a bit more. 201 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,000 So you're not going to hurt my feelings. You're the one having to leave here. 202 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,000 Walk what? You walk around with that hair. Live with what you have on your head. 203 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,000 You have to. I'm not going to see you for another two weeks unless I see you out. 204 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:14,000 I've got to ask. What is the most unusual haircut you've done? 205 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:18,000 And then tell me what your favorite haircut is to do currently? 206 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:24,000 It was probably the first time I ever did a mullet because I'd never done it in barber school. 207 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:31,000 And so it was really just going straight out of memory. I didn't look I mean, I didn't look a picture up or anything. 208 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:35,000 Honestly, my favorite one. Steven Freeman's haircut. 209 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:39,000 He thinks I'm joking, I tell him that because he asked me whats your favorit haircut. 210 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:46,000 And the reason he's my favorite is he always comes in at five o'clock or five thirty. 211 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:50,000 Shops closed. There's no rush. He wants a perfect haircut. 212 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:56,000 So it's so I kind of go back to where I was saying that's why I like face shape because there's so much attention to detail. 213 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:04,000 What other advice would you give yourself? Knowing what you know now, I wish I had a barber shop I could've worked in, but I didn't. 214 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:09,000 And I had to get out of the beauty salon because every time I cut some of the gentlemen's hair back, then when you get. 215 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:14,000 How do you where you going to shop? Because we can you know, we're tired of smelling the perms. 216 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:20,000 And I just I was really lucky that Miss Jackie didn't do acrylic nails. 217 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:25,000 Because that I don't know what is in that stuff, but it'll hang out for six hours. 218 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,000 Don't have such high expectations. When I first opened up, I thought I was going to get in here. 219 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,000 Rockhound, start making three, four thousand dollars a month. All right. 220 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:38,000 Off the bat, I had big dreams and then reality hit. 221 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:42,000 But it's I mean, it's constantly grow and it's getting better. 222 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:48,000 Well, Dylan, is there anything else that you want to share or any knowledge, anything that we've missed that you wanted to cover? 223 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,000 Never be afraid to look for alternative sources of income. 224 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Like for me, I had a. I don't really I don't sell hair products and stuff. 225 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:03,000 I do sell ammunition and stuff, though. I don't keep stock. 226 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,000 That really makes you a target. But I do. I get. 227 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:15,000 I work with two distinct different ammunition distribution companies and I have my sales tax I.D. and so what I do. 228 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:19,000 Is one of them. Doesn't have any shipping fees. 229 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:23,000 But the other one, though, send me emails, say, oh, we have this much. 230 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,000 And so that's if I'm like, OK, that's a price I can move. 231 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:33,000 I'll bring it in. I just automatically start calling people and I move it automatically and it just doesn't bring in a whole lot more. 232 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:39,000 But every month, you know, it may. Or every other month. Take care, my water, electricity, take care, my utilities, 233 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:44,000 because I was talking to my friends and you got to find something to help cover some of your bills make bit easier on you. 234 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:50,000 I found that one because I don't want a. I don't want to take any kind of sales that are going to take me away from here. 235 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:55,000 So I had some cause I want to look at real estate. Well, I got to leave the shop. Why don't you start doing this? 236 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:00,000 Because that I'm not here. So I found stuff that. 237 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:05,000 Doesn't make me go about and doesn't take a long time to do anything with. 238 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:12,000 So just. Especially for slower. Find something you can do where you're at. 239 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,000 That'll help supplement. Alright, Dylan. 240 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:20,000 Well, hey, I really appreciate you taking the time to sit down and talk with me. 241 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:25,000 It's been great being back in the shop. I need to get in the chair again soon. But thanks so much for being on the show. 242 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:35,000 Not a problem has been it's been an honor man. 243 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:44,000 For more information about this or any Create Bridges podcast or more about Create Bridges, Arkansas, visit uaex.edu\CreateBridges. 244 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:51,000 The Create Bridges Arkansas podcast is made possible by Walmart Grant to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 245 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:55,000 Cooperative Extension, Community, Professional and Economic Development Unit. 246 00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:09,505 And with the cooperation of Spring River Innovation Hub and White River Now Productions.