Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jobany Patino. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jobany, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

In my industry as a barber, i feel like the most frowned upon thing. Is a barber leaving early after he/she already made enough money for the day.

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?

Hi everyone my name is Jobany Patino A.K.A Lolo. Im a barber in snellville, Ga and ive been 4 and a half years into the industry. I typically service mens hair doing exactly what you would think a barber does, and thats give clean fades/ cuts.

Before becoming a barber, i thought that the industry was just cutting, conversation, and you see them again next time. Little did i know that conversation was the key thing that made my clients remain with me. As i only service mens hair. The reality that mens mental health was ignored heavily dawned on me as i saw how my friends and clients were open enough to have a conversation about what they’re going through. And they did it with confidence because they say us barber give the best advice. So i try my best to give them encouragement to the best of my ability. Aside from doing this to make an honest living, one of the things that i feel sets me apart from other barbers is the fact that i really care about my clients, and i always hope to see them win and succeed. Some have told me they’ve been suicidal, depressed, anxious, nervous or unsure about future decisions etc. i strongly believe that God has allowed me to be in this industry to be a light and a big brother to these kings. God is ALWAYS the reason for the love that they give me, and the love i hope to give back through the words he puts in my mouth, and the cuts i give out to them.

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

It all started back in 2019 when i used to work at Discount tire. I was tired of the long hours and little pay and so out of impulse i joined barber school. I was so desperate to do something with myself that i did it without preparation and ended up having to drop out of school for not having enough money saved. I told my old Barber about it and he offered me the chance to learn how to cut. He had a conversation with my mentor Lorenzo Lorenst, and from there my journey began. At first i thought that i wouldnt have anyone to practice on, but my coworkers at Discount tire were all willing to be my clients. The support was unbelievable, and soon as i posted on social media that i wanted to become a barber, my old friends and high school friends gave me more unexpected support as well allowing me to pick up my business in no time as well as honing my skills.

How did you build your audience on social media?

At first I attempted to build my audience by just posting my work, but i felt like i needed something more. So eventually what i started doing was making memes about situations I encountered in the shop, or memes about my availability. I felt like i had to stand out in a way no other barbers would even think of doing. I had to show my clientele and future clients that i had personality and a sense of humor so they can be comfortable around me. Im also a very big gym rat so i became friends with alot of people there, and little by little they started following me and asking me for haircuts.      

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Lolocuts97

Image Credits
Picture credits to Marko Cortez, Kush Patel, and Saif Ali