Rising Stars: Meet Chance Shannon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chance Shannon.

Hi Chance, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Born in Augusta, GA. Haircuts as a teenager were an every weekend thing, being they were only about $10 at the time. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to receive a scholarship to a high school in New York. Accepting that opportunity caused me to leave home at an extremely early age. New York was a complete culture shock coming from the Deep South. One thing I didn’t expect was how expensive the hair cuts were.

They were double the price of the haircuts I loved to get every weekend. Immediately I knew I, well mainly my mom, couldn’t afford it. So I saved up a few “western union” dollars my mom sent me every other week and bought a pair of clippers. I started to cut my own hair every weekend and the results were horrible LOL! But little by little the cuts got better. After a few good cuts, classmates and teammates started to ask who was cutting my hair. I hesitated to tell them I did at first because I thought maybe they were thinking the cut was wack! Finally, after a few more people asked, I told them I did. Before you knew it, I was cutting the whole school.

Still, being a Barber never crossed my mind at the time. I went on to Iowa for college and again, CULTURE SHOCK! I spent a year out there before I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I moved back to New York and transferred to a college in the Bronx. I still continued cutting my friends’ hair as well as my own on the side. After college, I moved around quite a bit. Florida, Colorado then decided to come back home to GA. That’s when my life took a turn, and it wasn’t a good one.

I was young, broke and dumb. I started to get caught up in trying to make quick money and the consequences came even quicker. I started to make horrible decisions that caused me to spend a lot of time away from my family, and a lot of time in and out of the system. Once I chose to change my lifestyle and the choices I was making, is when I realized how deep of a hole I had dug myself in. Once I had a criminal record, I was labeled a statistic. Opportunities were slim to none, even with a college background. I worked odd jobs here and there for a few years, still cutting people for extra money. Still, being a Barber never crossed my mind. It was around that time I started to date my wife. We dated once when we were kids and linked back up later in life.

She came into my life at a time when I really needed her. I needed some good in my life. She helped me get my life in order by making me believe I was better. We struggled with that in the beginning. I would always result back to my ways. But she held me accountable. It was around that same time I accepted God into my life. Still trying to figure out what to do professionally, my wife convinced me into being a Barber. I wasn’t sold at first.

She would ask me to go to shops and see if I could talk to an owner about being a Barber. I would tell her I was going and never go. I never saw myself as being a Barber. I didn’t think being a Barber could support a family; little did I know. One day my wife called the owner of a barbershop and told him about me. Instead of telling me to call him, she got him to call me. She knew I wouldn’t call.

Next thing I knew, I was in the shop. Was blessed and fortunate enough to be in a shop with some real experienced and business minded brothers. They taught me the importance of branding and marketing when I first came into the game. These guys weren’t regular barbers because no one was really doing that at the time. Surrounding myself around people like that, working hard, having a supportive partner in my wife, and putting God first, got my life on track and took my career to another level. I became better as a Barber, I grew a celebrity clientele, cutting on the movie set, as well as gained a presence in the community. My family means the world to me. My career has allowed me to be the father and husband I’ve always wanted to be. A true blessing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it wasn’t a smooth road at all. Especially in the beginning. Someone putting their appearance in your hands takes a lot of trust. That came with a lot of time and patience. You don’t make any money while waiting might I add.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an artist first and foremost. I’m a pillar in the community. I make people feel good about themselves. Rather it be a wedding, a funeral, birthday, job interview or just a night on the town I’m there for my people. I take pride in that. I do this all on highly professional level and with a killer work ethic day in and day out. I feel like that sets me apart from others.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you aren’t taking honest risks, you don’t grow. It’s as simple as that. You do the same thing you get the same results. I’ve taken plenty of risk in my career, in life period. Each risk lead to a greater risk. I took a risk in myself by leaving a traditional barbershop and starting my own business in a solo suite setting. With Covid came more issues about people gathering in shops. So I had to be innovative. With being innovative risk will always present itself. Needless to say my career, my brand, product line all took off from taking that risk. Every outcome won’t be the same, but how do you know if you never take that chance?

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: FamousHandsLLC.com
• Instagram: _famoushands
• Facebook: Chance Shannon
• Twitter: FamousHands