We recently connected with Jacob Davydov and have shared our conversation below.

Jacob, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful, I believe it takes relentless consistency, belief in your vision even when others don’t see it yet, and the ability to adapt without losing your core values. Success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built day by day, choice by choice.

For me, that mindset developed through building multiple businesses from the ground up. I started cutting hair in high school and eventually opened Royalty Cutz Barbershop, which became the foundation for everything that followed. From there, I opened Royalty Cutz Barber School and founded RoyalBook, a barber booking platform designed to help barbers run their business like professionals and make their lives easier.

I’ve also been a licensed real estate agent for years, handling multi-million dollar listings and helping people secure major investments. On top of that, I created Royalty Mentorship to teach others how to build businesses, grow their brand, and succeed with the right mindset and strategy.

The truth is, this never felt like work to me. I’ve pulled all-nighters and put in countless hours because I love what I do. The passion, drive, and motivation make it easy. When you’re truly aligned with your purpose, the grind becomes something you enjoy.

Success is about doing the hard work consistently, even when no one is watching. It’s about staying focused, keeping your word, and building something real that impacts others. That’s what I’m here for, and that’s the energy I try to pass on to everyone I mentor.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jacob Davydov and I’m an entrepreneur, lifestyle coach, licensed real estate broker, and the founder of multiple businesses rooted in barbering, tech, and community empowerment. I got my start cutting hair in high school and quickly realized this wasn’t just a side hustle, it was the first brick in something much bigger.

In 2018 I opened Royalty Cutz Barbershop, which became the foundation of my brand. A year later I opened Royalty Cutz Barber School, where I now train future professionals with not only the technical skills of barbering, but also the business mindset they need to succeed. I’m a licensed barber instructor and I’ve built systems that help students see barbering as a real long-term career.

Over time I realized the barber industry was missing something, a booking platform made by someone who actually understands the lifestyle. That’s why I created RoyalBook, a platform built by barbers for barbers. Most apps in the space are built by tech companies with no real connection to the culture. RoyalBook speaks our language and solves the real problems barbers face daily. It helps them manage appointments, build their brand, and grow their business in a clean professional way.

In addition to my work in the barber world, I’m a licensed real estate broker in Seattle. I’ve represented multi-million dollar deals and helped both investors and families navigate major financial decisions. On top of that I run Royalty Mentorship, my coaching program designed to help barbers, creatives, and entrepreneurs develop their mindset, confidence, and execution. Every lesson I teach comes from real-life experience. Nothing is recycled or theoretical.

When I moved to Miami, I had a clear vision. I didn’t drop what I had built over the past decade. I stayed consistent with my vision and structured all of my businesses to run remotely. That way I could still grow while living in a place that aligned with my energy and values. Miami gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by my community and build with my life partner while staying active in the industries I love.

Interestingly, jewelry became a small part of my life after moving here. My cousins at Haimov Jewelers are very successful in the industry, and just from curiosity and my constant drive to grow, they started mentoring me. But to be completely transparent, I spend the least amount of time on jewelry. I really only make a sale every couple of months when someone in my network is already ready to buy. Jewelry is an industry that requires full-time commitment, and I simply cannot give that right now when I’m building an empire in the triangle of barbering, lifestyle, and tech.

What sets me apart is that everything I’ve built is from the ground up. No shortcuts, no handouts, just consistency, sacrifice, and a deep passion for helping others grow. I’ve lived every step I teach. I’ve built a life where I could cut hair from 12 to 6, make 600 to 1,000 dollars in a day, go to the gym, spend time with my family, and do it all over again. That rhythm gave me the freedom to invest in myself, buy a beautiful home in Miami, and continue living life on my terms.

I’m most proud of the impact I’ve had, from students at my school, to barbers using my app, to mentees in my program, to families buying homes. Everything I touch is about helping people rise up and build their own version of royalty.

At the end of the day, my message is simple. Royalty is not about luxury. It’s about how you carry yourself, how you move through life, and how you build something that lasts. That’s what my brand stands for and that’s what I live every day.

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a team and maintaining high morale starts with leading by example. I’ve learned that people don’t respond to titles, they respond to energy. If you show up with passion, consistency, and a real work ethic, your team will match that energy. They need to see that you’re not asking anything of them that you wouldn’t do yourself.

Another key is communication. Whether it’s at the barber school, on the RoyalBook team, or within any of my businesses, I make it a priority to be clear, direct, and honest. People respect honesty even when the message is tough, as long as it comes from a place of respect and growth.

I also believe in giving people room to grow. Micromanaging kills creativity. I try to empower my team to take ownership of their role, bring ideas to the table, and know that they matter to the bigger picture.

And most importantly, I always remind my team that we are building something with purpose. When people feel like they are part of something bigger than just a paycheck, the morale stays high. You are not just showing up to do a job, you are showing up to build legacy.

So my advice is simple, lead from the front, keep communication real, give people purpose, and never stop pouring into your team. When they grow, the whole business grows.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes, my side hustle absolutely turned into my full-time career, and it became the foundation for everything I’ve built.

I started cutting hair in high school. At the time, it was just a way to make some extra money and stay productive. I would cut friends, classmates, and people in the neighborhood out of my garage. But I took it seriously. I reinvested the money I made from garage cuts into enrolling in barber college in 2016 so I could get my license. Once I got licensed, I started working in a barbershop in 2017, and I used the capital I made during that one year to launch my own business.

In 2018 I opened Royalty Cutz Barbershop. That was the first major move. I was doing haircuts from 12 to 6, but the only reason I started that late was because my mornings were spent doing administrative work from my home office or building on my other businesses. I had structure and purpose in my days. I would make between 600 to 1,000 dollars in a day, hit the gym, spend time with family, and then do it again. That rhythm gave me freedom and momentum.

In 2019 I opened Royalty Cutz Barber School because I wanted to help others see barbering as a real career and give them a better education than what I had access to. I became a licensed barber instructor and started building real systems to help students succeed long-term.

Eventually, I saw a gap in the industry when it came to booking platforms. The tools available weren’t built by barbers, and I knew I could speak to barbers in a way tech companies couldn’t. That’s why I created RoyalBook, a booking platform built by barbers for barbers. It gave professionals the tools to control their time, income, and brand all in one place.

Key milestones for me were enrolling in barber school, opening my first shop, launching the barber school, becoming an instructor, building out RoyalBook, and setting everything up to run remotely when I moved to Miami. That move wasn’t about walking away from what I built, it was about expanding while staying consistent to the vision. Now I live with my life partner, operate in a community I connect with, and continue building every day.

It all started with a pair of clippers in a garage, and the mindset that I could turn it into something bigger if I stayed consistent, reinvested, and kept growing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jacobdavydov.com
• Other: RoyalBook is available for both barbers and clients on iOS and Android devices.If you are interested in learning more about Royalty Mentorship, please fill out our mentorship interest form here: https://forms.gle/EwKdLTVHgrMamjFPA.

Image Credits

I own all the photos.