We were lucky to catch up with Leon Hines recently and have shared our conversation below.
Leon, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
I started the Impel Forward Podcast and the whole Impel Forward movement after naming my barbershop ,Impel Barber Studio. Impel simply means to take action; to drive,force, or urge someone to do something. Its about inspiring others to seize the opportunity to grasp their dreams, by taking chances and moving forward after any setbacks.
In 2015, I created a YouTube channel but never did anything with it. After years of watching other YouTube channels and hearing people talk about when they started theirs, I decided to take action and continue what I set out to do 10 years ago. I knew it would be successful if I could get people on the show to share their stories. So far it has been great.
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.
Years ago, I served 7 and a half years in prison. I came home in 1999 at the age of 23. I already knew I was going to be a barber one day. Four years later, I finished barber school and began my career at the age of 27. I built my clientele for five years by working in someone else’s shop, before I left to open my own. In 2008, I started my own barbershop. It has been a 22 year career all together. In 2015 ,I created a YouTube channel, but I didn’t do anything with it. After years of watching other YouTube channels,I decided to take action and continue what I started. I wanted to give it a name with meaning. So I called it the Impel Forward Podcast. Impel simply means to take action; to drive,force or urge someone to do something.
This Podcast is meant to inspire others, to seize the opportunity to grasp their dreams and to move forward no matter their setbacks. I try to do that with having guest on to share their stories.
I also share my story to inspire others to not give up or quit. For someone like me, a high-school drop out, with no GED and formerly incarcerated, to succeed, anyone can if they put their mind to it. What I love about what I do is, showcasing others and their business to make others aware of them. Although I started the Impel movement, it’s not about me. It’s more about push others.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Yes. I wish I knew about business funding early on in my barber career. When I opened my barbershop shop back in 2008 I used my own money along with the help of my wife. And some used equipment from other people I knew. It wasnt until years later, 2015 to be exact when I started learning about business funding. First I started learning about stocks. That took me down the rabbit hole of learning alot about business,finances, and more. With the podcast, I wish I knew more about video,editing. But it’s about taking action and starting. Sometimes we won’t have it all planned out. And because of that we won’t ever start.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What helped build my reputation is, word of mouth and social media. I’m also a people person. I love talking and interacting with people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Impelforwardmerch.com
- Instagram: Impel_Forward_Podcast
- Facebook: Leon Hines
- Linkedin: Impel Forward Podcast/Leon Hines
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@impelforwardpodcast?si=YsOAR5Pen3Ftm1ih
