We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Teto Wilson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Teto, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

Every morning before my feet hit the floor, I thank God for another day on Earth and pray to be a blessing for those he puts in my path. The legacy that I believe that I’ll leave will be one of service and love of family and community. My commitment to community is evidenced through my work in education and healthcare.

I think people will say a few different things about me after I’m gone. They’ll say things like, Teto Wilson was a true giver, he went over and above to help people, he was a true champion of the community and he loved his family.

What I hope to be remembered by is my true passion, which is to serve. Service covers so many lanes and I’ve driven in so many of them, so being remembered as a true Servant of the people would be great.

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

When I was a young boy, I was very particular about keeping my haircut, meaning I needed to get freshened up weekly. I was part of a group of 4 friends in which one of them, Darryl was our barber. We didn’t have any money to pay for our cuts, but I guess since we were all friends, Darryl didn’t care, until he started caring. At some point he became less available, so I started cutting my own hair and then my brother’s and his friends , I got really good at cutting hair. As I grew up, I realized that I wanted to be a barber and some day own my own barbershop and the building in which it was housed. A few years after graduating high school, I moved away from my hometown of IL to Boston MA where I went to barber school.

I honed my skills as a barber in school and out as I started working in barbershops. After almost seven years in Boston 94-2000, I moved to Minneapolis MN. I started working in a barbershop in Brooklyn Center MN, only to build my customer base, knowing that my goal was to open my own shop. After seven years, I opened my own barbershop in Minneapolis MN and never looked back. I actually accomplished my goal of owning my own barbershop. It took 13 more years of working, building my customer base, connecting with more barbers and perfecting my business until I accomplished my other goal of owning the building where my shop was housed. In August of 2021 I actually purchased the the building at 2126 West Broadway Ave Minneapolis MN. My barbershop is named Wilson’s Image.

We sell a variety of products for our customers and the community at large. Products like, Beard Oil, Hair and Scalp Oil, All Natural Shae Body Butter, Shae Butter Facial Soap, Massage Oil, Beard Kits that include a brush, comb and scissors. We also sell embroidered hats, hoodies, sweatshirts, jogging suits, cross body bags, tactical bags and other accessories.

I think what sets me apart from other barbershops is more of my community involvement/work. I connect with many different key stakeholders to offer our customers far more than a haircut. I started Wilson’s Image College Scholarship which is a education fund that provides scholarships to scholars in their first and second years of college. The shop doubled as a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for one year providing all 3 of the available vaccines for people in Minneapolis and surrounding cities. Also, we created a community health event called Live Your Healthy Lyfe, where major healthcare systems, financial institutions, housing programs and so much more all get together in the streets of Minneapolis to serve the residents for the day. They equip them with education, services, preventive information, tools to make more informed decisions etc. There’s so much more to highlight, but these are some of the things Wilson’s Image does that set us apart from other barbershops.

I’m most proud of the trust that I’ve been able to garner from my customers and community. I didn’t grow up in Minnesota, but I moved here, worked hard, built relationships and put my servant heart into action. It’s largely been paying off, but I still have a lot of unfinished work ahead of me

The main things that I want potential customers to know about me is that, I care about the small details, I want to put a smile on your face, I don’t make excuses when I’m wrong- I’ll do what’s in my power to make it right, I put in the hours that others won’t, and I want to be your barber so that you and your family can take advantage of everything Wilson’s Image has in store.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

How I funded my business was good old fashioned grinding it out for years and saving as I go.

I was able to purchase all of the barbershop furniture- chairs, stations, mats, sinks, etc and equipment- clippers, combs, scissors, powders, razors, aftershave, etc by putting away 10-15 % of my earnings in the working/planning years before I started my business. This took a lot of discipline and budgeting because I knew I didn’t want to get a bank loan or borrow from family and friends. I encourage everyone that’s planning to start a business to save as much as you can on your own and only go into debt or borrow from family and friends as your last alternative. That gives you a definite sense of pride in ownership and keeps people and their demands off of your back.
Also, I will say that things are a bit different nowadays though then they were when I got started, meaning I do see and hear about “start up” business grants and forgivable loans that could be advantageous for starting/funding a business. Those planning on starting a business should do their research about those opportunities.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media can be a tricky tool to use for business, be wise about how you use it because it can really help you when used the right way or ruin you if used inappropriately.

I can say that social media has been really helpful for my business because of 3 things I do/did.

1. Post often-almost daily about your business. Talk about your services in detail, if you’re having specials or sales, this keeps your business in people’s minds constantly.

2. When I do a hair color, I post pics of my work, sometimes with my client, this reaffirms that this quality work was done by me and actually makes people desire to be in that pic with you on social media. We all have a sense of belonging.

3. Always tag as many people as you can on your post and ask people to share it. This builds a large audience and again keeps people engaged in what you’re doing and can build a social media movement.

Contact Info:

• Website: wilsons-image.com & wicscholarship.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teto.wilson.9
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teto-wilson-8117b552

Image Credits
Teto Wilson