We were lucky to catch up with Sylvester Brooks recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sylvester, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I knew I wanted to be a barber when I was 14 years old. At the time me and my best friend decided to get some clippers and try to cut each other’s hair, we thought it would be funny but after cutting my friends hair, and jacking his hair up, I quickly learned that I could enjoy doing this all the time if I learned how to cut hair correctly. So I decided to research and look up how -to videos on how to cut hair. And I would practice on myself from the videos I was watching to try different hairstyles. Good thing hats are around because it was a lot of trial and tribulations learning how to cut my own hair (bad haircut days) Lol.
As years past when I got to college, and playing on the basketball team. My teammates would asked me where am I getting my haircut? I would tell them I’m cutting my hair, and they would ask well can you cut mine too. And that’s how I got my first clients as a beginner barber.
If it wasn’t for my best friend, daring us to buy some clippers, videos on how to cut hair, and my teammates on my basketball team in college, I would have never became a barber and be where I am today.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a professional barber in Raleigh North Carolina. I am originally from Washington DC. I relocated to Raleigh in the summer of 2012. And in that time I’ve been able to earn the trust of a large clientele based on my professionalism, knowledge of barbering, ability to market myself via social media, skills of my craft.
I provide all hair grooming services to suit every clients needs. I pride myself on being readily available for my client and to provide the best service possible.
I recently got into content creating. I was able to pick up a lot of knowledge about the Videography world fast and it really has taken off for me. Filming such things as weddings, football games, beauty events, concerts, interviews, etc..
I believe what sets me apart from other barbers as well as content creators is my ability to relate to all aspects of life. I’m not a one track mind, and I’m able to adapt to all lifestyles, hairstyles, visions for video, etc..
I’m proud of the fact that I was able to take a leap of faith and risk by resigning from my guaranteed full-time job as a firefighter to become a full-time barber and Content creator and being able to make this new dream come true and to excel at it and provide for my family.
Coming to see me at Mr. Pompadour. Barber lounge is not only an experience like no other but you can trust in me as your barber to provide the service you are looking for and the quality haircut you desire.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
How I became a full-time barber and creator was not a easy decision to make. Prior to, I was a full-time first class firefighter for the City of Raleigh for almost 8 years. But my love and passion for barbering kept consuming me so I decided to enroll in Barber School at wake tech community college. Once in school I knew this career path was for me. Making the decision to leave the fire department was not easy. I prayed about it, talk to my family about it and made a decision to become a full-time barber.
Being a firefighter was definitely an experience. I will never forget. Being able to save people, fight fire, and be a outstanding servant in my community was nothing short or amazing.
By being able to be a pillar in the community, as a barber, having more time to spend with my family, earning the income to live comfortably is definitely a dream come true.
Being able to pivot from firefighting to barbering definitely had it’s rough spots but o was able to push through and excel.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Making this pivot from full-time firefighter to full-time barber couldn’t have came at a better time. Social media has made it very easy to market and promote yourself. If you’re starting a business, basically being free promotion and advertising. This is when I was able to excel as well in content creating and barbering by having a platform to showcase all of my Barber work, as well as my videography.
Every business has a social media page today. If you are starting a business, or a brand, or starting a new career, I would highly advise you to start a social media page and learn a little about promoting, via pictures, videos, and how to speak to reach a large audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cutsshavescocktails.com/
- Instagram: Slysfirecutz
- Facebook: Sly Brooks
Image Credits
Andrea Wright Sly Brooks