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

Alright, Rheanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I’ve been in the industry for many many years. I spent a large chunk of my career working in corporate chains. I was in management for a very long time with a very popular chain. I learned so much about our industry and about people in general…but I also began to learn what wasn’t working in that particular situation. I started to see that the focus was only on numbers. The bottom line. Not on the people! Our industry is centered around people and making them look good and feel good about themselves. So when I finally opened my eyes to what was going wrong, I decided it was my mission to do it right! I decided that I’d build my own brand, that focused on people and not just money. So far it’s going pretty good I’d say!

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’ve been in the industry since 1999. I was self taught back then out of necessity. I was in a horrible marriage that was very abusive, and that’s putting it lightly. Fast forward to 2007. I found myself in a bit of a pickle. I was a drug addict, and I landed myself in the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. I knew that I had to do something big to fix my life, so that I would never end up in this situation ever again. I found out that we had a cosmetology program. I jumped through multiple hoops and all sorts of obstacles to get myself in that program, because I knew that was my ticket to freedom. My ticket to a better (drug free) life. I made parole in July of 2009. Only problem was i wasn’t finished with school yet. So I petitioned the parole board to let me stay and finish! Of course they thought I had lost my mind, but for the first time in years I was finally thinking clearly. They agreed to let me stay and finish. So I was paroled December 16th 2009. I got my start working for Sport Clips. I quickly moved into management positions. I loved working with people. I spent a long time working in management and for corporate salons…then something clicked and I realized there was a better way. I realized that so much of corporate salon life is wrapped up in the numbers and the almighty dollar….and not enough focus is on the relationships that we build with our clients everyday. So shortly after covid RockStar Barber was born. It started in my dining room as sort of a way to get to my clients who couldn’t come to the shop while I was working. Then after we got shut down for covid, it became my full time focus. I knew then that I was destined to be on my own. I took my little dining room barbershop and put it in a suite in Longmont. We were there for a year. Then I took two years off to teach. I loved teaching, but it just reminded me my calling has always been behind the chair. So I re-opened RockStar Barber here in Thornton December 18th 2023. We have been super successful in this location and we are still growing. 5 stars on Google and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the love and support of the community and my clients.

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

I’ve always had a small shop in my home. Back during covid, it really took off. The majority of my clients are law enforcement, military, and first responders. So when everything got shut down, I was bombarded with calls and texts from my guys in these industries that still had to work, and are held to very strict appearance standards. So I decided that in all honesty I needed to work and I wasn’t concerned with covid. Simply because I’m a firm believer in Jesus. If God saw fit to see me through 20 years of meth addiction, then I had no business being afraid of a cold. So RockStar Barber was born in my dining room and we did haircut after haircut, word of mouth spread and so did my clientele. When everything re-opened, I decided I needed to move to a suite. So we packed up everything and scraped together the deposit and first months rent…and we were off. RockStar Barber was on its way.

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

Shortly after our first year in Longmont, I was given an opportunity to become a full time educator at a local beauty school. I was so torn, between the business I had built and the strong pull of educating others. I decided to put RockStar on hold and go follow my passion for education and people. Honestly it was the most rewarding 2 years of my life. My students were my entire heart and soul, watching them find their passion and love for our industry made my heart so happy…but it also reminded me of my true passion of being behind the chair. God has a funny way of pointing you in the right direction after he’s given you the lesson from the previous situation. So I listened and decided RockStar Barber was going to make a comeback and be even better than before. I spent about 8 months at another local salon, rebuilding my clientele and then in December of 2023, RockStar re-opened in Thornton, Colorado. Its been absolutely fantastic since day one. Winning awards, and racking up wonderful reviews from our amazing RockStar Barber family!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.rockstarbarber.com
• Instagram: Rockstar.barber1980
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19YtJtPnSk/

Image Credits

Stephanie Marie- Onyx Fox Studios