We were lucky to catch up with Cristobal Zarazua recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cristobal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client?
As a student barber, it was rare to have a client request you for their haircut. I had a guy start coming in every week to get cut by me, I had no clue who he was but I always took care of him! One day I asked him where he used to get his haircut, to my surprise his other barber was my mentor and arguably the BEST barber in Columbus. Confusingly I asked him “What are you doing getting cut by me? I’m in barber school!” He said to me “You make time for me when even you’re busy and take care of me everytime. I get a good haircut and a dope conversation, the experience and knowing you’re going to get better is cool too” It made me feel extremely proud of myself but it also made me realize that there’s a reason our clients come to us out of the hundreds of other barbers in the city. It’s because of your personality, someone can always cut better than you, have cheaper prices than you, but the connection you build with your clients makes them want to spend their time and money with you. Be yourself, build a connection, get to know your clients and they will take care of you. Being the best isn’t always necessary, nobody can do you better than you.
Cristobal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started cutting hair after working multiple dead end jobs post graduation and it was the best choice I’ve ever made. I went into barbering with absolutely zero experience and it has since changed my life. Along with being a barber I also create content on Instagram and Tiktok! I make video’s showcasing Freestyle Hair Designs, Haircut Transformations, and Vlogs. It started out as a way to build my portfolio but now it’s become a tool to build connections, gain clients and help people step out of their comfort zone.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Early on in my career I spent $200 on Marvy Marv’s Online Social Media Course. It was a course designed to help you change your mindset on social media and how to use it as a tool for your business rather than a meaningless advertisement. I was introduced into a new way of creating, editing and marketing. To this day I still use it and it’s paid itself back ten fold.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
One day in Barber School i saw an ad on YouTube for a UFC Event in Columbus. Me being a life long fan I quickly checked the ticket prices but realized they were more expensive than I thought. I couldn’t afford to go but I didn’t want to miss my opportunity to meet some of the best fighters in the world. I went to the event page, found every guy fighting on that card and got to work on finding their social media’s and management. I DM’d over 12 fighters and Kai Kara France, the legend himself responded to me! He invited me over to his hotel and i ran into a few UFC Veterans and commentators before cutting his hair before his fight. I also got to cut the Legend Mark “The Hammer” Coleman and Austin Hubbard who’s currently whooping Conor McGregor’s team on TUF. To this day I can’t believe that I connected with these icons off of a simple Instagram message.
Contact Info:
- Website: booksy.com/crisfadezz
- Instagram: @CrisFadezz
- Other: Tiktok: Crisfadezz
Image Credits
Ben Cole Imaging Instagram@BenCokeImaging