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

Alright, Neil thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The journey of Quintessential Grooming LLC, the Barbershop was a concept that came about in 2015. Having just completed Barber School, I wanted to immediately open my own shop. Sadly, at that time, I was living in Baltimore, but unsure of how long, I’d be there. My plan was to move back to Atlanta, eventually, where I had previously lived for 3 years. I looked into a few locations but never leased any of them. I started a private Barber suite called Quintessential Cuts in Parkville, MD where I stayed for 2 years. Once back in Atlanta, I was working at Profreshional Cuts Barbershop until the owner decided that he wanted to change his business model to a commission shop from a booth rent model. I knew then that I couldn’t stay there because I couldn’t see myself giving someone a percentage of every haircut that I did. I also knew that I didn’t want to keep going from shop to shop, but didn’t have the ability to open my own shop immediately. That was January of 2024. I began looking for locations and found one in a small plaza where there had previously been a barbershop. I contacted the leasing agent to get the numbers. I then submitted a proposal. The owner initially rejected my proposal in February of 2024. I found a second location that seemed ideal, but the owner wasn’t open to having a barbershop in that space. From March to June, I contacted 5 different properties for lease. They either never responded or weren’t open to having a barbershop in their space. Seeing the first space still vacant, I contacted the leasing agent again. This time he said that the owner wanted me to compile a list of everything that it would take to get a barbershop open in that space and include estimates for the cost of the build out. Within a week, I submitted everything and waited for a response. 3 more weeks passed and I contacted the leasing agent. He said that the owner was still undecided. I told the leasing agent that I needed an answer by Friday, (2 days later) so that I could pursue other options. The following day, the leasing called to inform me that the owner had accepted my proposal and would be drawing up a lease effective August 1, 2024, which was 2 weeks later. I requested the the HVAC system be checked and certified working before I signed the lease. That ended delaying the lease signing until September 1, 2024. My contractor said that the build out would take 30 days from the start date of September 10, 2024. That didn’t happen. Between his work stoppages and redoing things that were done incorrectly, the process lasted until December when I fired him and hire 2 new professionals to finish what he didn’t. I did the interior painting myself and officially opened for business on January 7, 2024, exactly 1 year to date after leaving Profreshional Cuts.

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?

I began cutting hair in 10th grade, by magical combination of circumstances. The mother of my best friend, at the time, owned a Barbershop/ Salon and his older brother was a Barber there. In addition to his brother cutting our hair, the shop was where we would go every night after playing outside all day, but just before going in for the night. I would watch Hartwell cut hair, and ask questions sporadically. One day while in the house, I came across my father’s clippers and decided to cut my hair. I did a simple bowl cut with a small part down the center. The next day, everyone liked it and my teammates on the basketball team asked me to cut their hair like that. That day after school, I cut everyone’s hair in time for our first game. The next time that I saw Hartwell, he asked me why I didn’t fade their hair instead of a bowl cut. I replied, “I don’t know how to fade.” That night, after his last cut, he said, “I’m going to teach you how to fade. I need a haircut and you’re gonna cut me.” That was all it took. I began fading my own hair between Hartwell’s cuts and cutting a few of my friends. I came up with a proposal for my parents to start Barber School after basketball season of my Junior year so that I’d be finished by the season’s start of my Senior year. That way, I could work in the shop with Hartwell after school. My parents say no citing that I might not go to college if I got a Barber’s license and started making money. Upon entering college, I became the dorms Barber. I had another mentor named Ashwin. On one visit home for the weekend, Ash, as we call him, bought me a set of professional clippers and trimmers after hearing how many heads I was cutting daily at college. Previously, I was using cheap clippers purchased from K-Mart. After college, I returned home to Baltimore and worked various jobs and at one point I was a school teacher. In between jobs or whenever I got tired of a job, I’d quit and call Ash. Ash is a known barber all over the city so he’d call around and get me in a shop. I’d cut hair until I secured my next job. During that time, I never attended Barber School or had a barber’s license. In 2011, I moved to Atlanta and made the decision to be a full-time Barber. The problem was, I had no license and no connections to get into a shop in Atlanta. After a year or so, I got into a shop and started an apprenticeship. Within a few months, my father got sick and passed away. At that point I decided to go to barber school so that I would never have trouble getting into a shop again. As a Barber and a shop owner, I want to bring the old traditions of the corner/ neighborhood shop back where the barbers and clients knew each other and were all apart of the same community. I want my shop to have that same atmosphere that made me comfortable spending hours on end there, even when I didn’t need a haircut. If you live in the Smyrna area, Quintessential Grooming is the Barbershop where you can come to get a great cut, have a great conversation and feel relaxed while here.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In looking for a space to lease, I was either turned down by owners or I never received a call back on my inquiry. In the process of looking for a location, I was told no to the idea of opening a barbershop by 3 different owners. I called at least 5 leasing companies on multiple occasions and never received a return call. The space that I’m currently leasing took 9 months of back and forth before the owner agreed to my proposal. Once construction began, there were several incidents where things were done incorrectly causing delays in opening. I am still working to get some of those issues resolved although I have already opened. It has taught me patience. It has also taught me to change the things that I can and let everything else work itself out.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In this day and age, social media is king. Everyone is tuned into it constantly. It is a very effective marketing tool, however; I still find that meeting people one on one and handing them a business card or flyer followed by a brief introduction and conversation has been the best way for me to grow clientele and attract new clients. Word of mouth from satisfied customers is also still an invaluable tool for growing new clients.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @quintessentialgrooming
• Facebook: www. facebook.com/quintessentialgrooming
• Youtube: Quintessential Grooming

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