We recently connected with Kevin Nguyen and have shared our conversation below.

Kevin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My father is first generation barber and he taught me most of what I know today. I wouldn’t necessarily speed up the learning process because I had to take my time and understand the details within the journey.
The skill to remain teachable.
An obstacle that stood in my way was being around people with different mindsets.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Kevin Nguyen and I am Second generation barber. I come from a family of hairstylist and barbers. My dad being first generation. My father was and still is a huge inspiration to me. He is the reason why I became a barber. Through perseverance I have enhanced my craft to the next level of just doing regular haircuts. I am also a barber instructor @californiabarberbeautycollege. So my main passion is education. I work with clipper a pretty prestigious clipper company and I help disseminate education for them across the globe.
I am one of the owners of ESSNTL BARBER Barbershop. So as you can see my days are pretty filled. I do my best to be consistent at what I do but also understanding there is always room for growth. I do all of this not only for my self but for the ones at home supporting me, my wife and kids.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My journey becoming a barber wasn’t the smoothest. I wasn’t always the best barber in a shop. Other barbers use to talk down on me criticizing my haircuts. They use to remind me that I was one of the weakest link in the barbershop. That never broke me, instead it made me a better version of myself. I took that negativity and turned it into positivity. I started to expand my knowledge on being more versatile with different hair textures. I started competing in barber battles and taking home multiple trophies. I began to network with people in my industry and that helped me expand my celebrity clientele (ex. Frankie J, DJ Scheme, Bronny and Bryce James.). I became the lead educator for Wahl Professional the number one clipper company in the world. So for anyone that is beginning or in the midst of building your craft, remember that self assessment plays a big role to becoming the best version of yourself.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Be Consistent! Social media can be a dangerous thing at times but as well as an inspiring thing. Use social media to your advantage to grow your brand, business, and ideas. This is a platform where you can network and market with others. I once read a line in a book that said “Your net worth is your network”. Just remember that social media is meant for inspiration not duplication. Be yourself and be creative because that’s what separates you from others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/yakuzabarber/?hl=en
• Instagram: Yakuzabarber
• Youtube: Yakuzabarber

Image Credits
@xiphotography @vandalvisions