We were lucky to catch up with Marco recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marco , thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I started cutting my own hair at 16, so honestly I think the timing couldn’t have been better. I was in my second year of school at O’dea High School and I was on the basketball team. I realized early on that going to the NBA wasn’t in my cards so I needed to find a way to be useful and known by my community. A lot of my teammates had several offers or opportunities to play after high school while I was on the bench. If I hadn’t made that realization that life was going to get real here shortly, who knows where I would be today. I went from cutting my classmates, teachers, coaches and friends, to traveling the world and meeting people who have shaped my life to what it is now. I couldn’t have dreamed of this. I never knew it could even go this far… I never had the intentions of being a barber in the beginning. My point is, that I hear everyone talk about doing something they love but never just go do it. I am the person who needs to be thrown in the fire and learn by doing, not by watching and taking notes. Eventually you are going to have to pick up the clippers and put some hair on the ground either way. So I just went all in. I trusted God’s timing and never looked back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into cutting hair during the summer of my second year in high school. I was 16, with no money, no plan and no idea what I wanted to do. I played basketball all my life but I was on the bench and never got in the game meanwhile my teammates had full ride scholarships and went on to play in college or even the NBA. I realized I needed to be someone known in my community to be useful and successful but had no idea what that would be. Always had a thing for hair but didn’t even know it. My mother raised me always cutting my hair, I never went to the barbershop. She did great but once I got to middle school my best friend would come to school with the freshest cuts. I got tired of trying to touch my own hair up at home with my moms clippers and decided to go with him to the barbershop one day. After my first cut at the barbershop, I fell in love with it. Now I’ve been cutting hair for almost 10 years. Never did I think I would become a barber but my passion found me and I never questioned it. One thing that sets me apart from others is that I genuinely build relationships through business. Im most proud in my ability not only to serve my clients but also connect and grow with them. I was once a client myself and value the experience of a haircut, so I love to provide that to others. At the end of the day, barbering has gave me purpose to better myself and the people around me.

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

There was a day when I first joined my first barbershop, and not a single client walked in. Nobody responded to my texts or posts on social media. I sat in the shop for 8 hours and didn’t cut a single piece of hair off. That sparked a flame in my heart to never let that happen again. Now I get booked after making a few instagram posts. That day stayed with me forever and reminds me how far I’ve come & why I can never give up.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I always posted what I wanted. I saw the trends and what was going viral but I felt it wasn’t aligned with me. Post what you enjoy and always stay true to your purpose and mission. It is easy to copy and paste the trends but what happens when that trend is old and you don’t know why your posting content. Build a personal brand not a product. People need to know who they are working with. They also need to trust and like you once they know who you are.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmarconarciso/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trimm-barber-studio-seattle?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HBPPBuDtFiyyhA9s6