We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Etornam Djentuh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Etornam , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The story behind my brand “The Foreiign Way,” took place during barber school in 2020. The meaning behind it is, “Battling through the hate, beating the odds, going against the grain of your adversities to be &/ or create a unique or foreign version of YOUrself that you would’ve never imagined while being DIFFERENT & being FEARLESS. (The extra “i” is intentional to show more of the “different & uniqueness” to the whole saying). This idea of my brand came due to people along my path that didn’t support me and also didn’t believe in the vision I had set for myself. It motivated me to put the haters and the naysayers behind me and focus towards MY goals and MY aspirations because I knew for myself that I would make it happen. Just because they didn’t see my visions doesn’t mean I don’t see my vision for myself.

I knew my brand would standout and work when I had some of my clients telling me that it motivated them to trust themselves as well and also not to worry about the opinions of others to achieve their goals and business plans as well. That made me happy because it made me realize I had a voice and were able to give the motivation to people in the same position as me in different situations to go after the things they want as well in life.

Not only was I solving a problem, but I was mainly giving people the extra push of hope and encouragement that I didn’t receive at the time, to go after their personal goals. Sometimes all people need in life is some words of support and love that can help them take the next steps in life. I like to use my example of my upcoming as a barber to show others in the same position as me that if I can do it, then you can do it as well The Foreiign Way .

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 Etornam Djentuh, but I usually go by E for short. I’m 23 years old and a licensed barber in the Raleigh area who’s been cutting for 5 years and counting. I got into the business of barbering during the COVID pandemic. At the time I didn’t know what my calling in life was until I decided to focus more on the things that I liked to do in my free time. During the time, watching haircut transformation videos was something that was interesting to me. That’s when I decided to mimic those videos and pickup the skillset to see how far it can take me. From the time I picked up the clippers and started cutting hair, it made me realize that the craft was for me if I keep perfecting my skillset and stay a student to the game at all times.

My task is accomplishing and providing quality haircuts to satisfy and bring out the confidence to my clients to allow them to embrace their everyday hairstyles. I believe what sets me apart in the industry is my ability to connect with anyone that sits in my chair, my ability to pay attention to detail and the full 100% passion I have towards my craft. When I talk to people about my business they usually can tell right from the start how much I enjoy what I do just by how much I offer and provide to my clients.

What I’m most proud of from when I started to where I’m at now is the ability to keep the energy going. From when I first started cutting hair till now, it’s been a strong five years. There were times that I felt like quitting and putting everything behind me due to people in my life being discouraging and not supportive. That only made me furious to the point that I couldn’t quit because it’ll be a sign of defeat. I know that I want to achieve my goals and perfect my craft, so why should I let people talk down and make me stop doing what makes me happy?

The main things I want potential clients, followers, and fans to know about me is that everything they’ll see is my true authenticity. There’s nothing fake or false advertising on the social media side. When you sit in my chair for a service or see my profile, it’s me being the best version of me the whole step of the way !

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

When it comes to new clients, there’s been multiple sources to all help with that. Social media has helped me tremendously when it comes to gaining clientele, because I’m able to post my content and haircut videos to the public. Doing this helps potential clients see a barber that’s constantly posting videos and pictures of haircuts that attract what they’d like as well in different areas of the city. Passing out business cards as well has been beneficial. I’ve had people tell me all the time that “they’ve been looking for a new barber,” or that “they just moved to the city and need to find a good barber”as well. So being able to have a conversation with someone new face to face who’s new to the area or has been looking for a new barber is really perfect timing, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I believe my FAVORITE marketing story was when I started passing out business cards almost everywhere I went just so I can gain clientele. At the time I really didn’t want to pass out business cards, because it felt weird and it was new to me to randomly walk to someone and just give them a business card to let them know I cut hair. I saw an older gentleman in the store and was skeptical if I should give him a business card or just let it be. Deep down inside, something told me to go ahead and do it. I listened to my intuition and decided to pass out that card to inform him that I’m a barber and would love to be able to cut his hair if he needs a barber in the area. His response right away was that, “let me know when you’re available and he’ll book with me as soon as possible.” He went to mention that he had to fire his previous barber because he was always late and never on time with his appointments. Passing the business card to him that day was a sign for him to find someone else. After cutting his hair the next day, he told me he’s NEVER had a barber that was able to connect with him on a personal level. What he meant by that was my personal conversation with him throughout that 35-40 min haircut felt like he already knew me and I already knew him. His next words that would always stick with me was “you’ll be great. You’re a pure soul and great at what you do. Don’t ever settle for anything and always achieve greatness.”The haircut service wasn’t just a service at that point, it was more of a connection at the end of the day that stuck to both of us.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://book.thecut.co/foreiignE
• Instagram: @Foreiign_e
• Other: TikTok: @Foreiign_e