Rising Stars: Meet Thaddeus Shaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thaddeus Shaw.

Hi Thaddeus, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I adopted cutting hair as a new hobby aside from sports, art, and video games as a pre-teen. I knew my father was a well-known barber and shop owner in my town so the interest naturally came from that. I started paying peers in my neighborhood to let me cut their hair using money as collateral. If you like what you saw when I was done, you could give me the money back and if you didn’t, you could keep it as you just got paid for my trial and error. I began to take barbering more seriously in undergrad. I saw it as an olive branch for networking and creating my own financial freedom in the midst of being a college student with little time for a job being that I was a scholarship athlete. Studying at an institution like Morehouse college helped me to develop my work and evolve my purpose from being just a barber to a life enthusiast as I majored in Kinesiology. A broad major not only focusing on the movement and functions of the body but the health, fitness and physiology of the body as well. I thought of myself as the ultimate representation of what an all-around young man should look and feel like as far as my image, hygiene, and health. Knowing that I wanted to be an advocate for these things and build upon those platforms; I needed to back them up with certification. Therefore, my last year of getting my diploma in Kinesiology at Morehouse; I began barber school that same year in order to fulfill requirements for a master barbering diploma the following year at Atlanta Technical College.

Being enrolled in two colleges at the same time for a year was challenging; especially having to pay out of pocket for one but it was worth it in the end. I knew that taking a year off in between could prolong me starting barber school and when you feel like you know your purpose, you are more eager to attack and conquer the things you need to in order to move in your purpose so why wait? It paid off in the end; before I could start my last semester of barber school an opportunity came for me to co-own a shop back home in South Carolina with my father who had been away for some years. Eager to work alongside my father and help him build clientele at the location; I began traveling from Atlanta to South Carolina every week until I finished barber school. I would participate in my barber courses throughout the week in Atlanta and travel to South Carolina to work in the shop on weekends. I did this for a year with plans to eventually return home to South Carolina after barber school and take over my father’s shop full time. This didn’t go as planned because me and my father couldn’t see eye to eye on how he was doing things and how I wanted to operate the shop in South Carolina as a young barber from the city of Atlanta. Instead, I went with the opportunity to work in a shop in Atlanta owned by a well-known barber that my instructor connected me with upon my completion of requirements at Atlanta tech. This ended up being the best decision I made because here, I was able to grow not only as a barber but as a grooming specialist that focused on more than just a haircut. The image and structure of this place aligned with the ideas and purpose I was moving into through undergrad. This was most important because I felt like I didn’t have to compromise or dim my light to conform to my surroundings and I could focus on further learning, developing, creating and ultimately reinventing myself to a life enthusiast.

In my first two months of being a barber at this location, I was promoted to management of operations, sales, and recruitment. I put together a structure and built a team of service providers to scale and grow a location that was making roughly 10k a month in its first seven months to an average of 30k in the last five months to gross nearly 100k by the end of 2020. With the business being a part of a new development in a well-known part of Atlanta, we were able to attract A list celebrities such as artist, chefs, producers, and actors to our location by hosting events, services and classes in the heart of the pandemic. This is how I became Mr. A List after the remodel and name change of the location to A List salon and suites. The business has now developed into the first black-owned fusion of salon suites and retail for high-end fragrances from houses such as Bond No.9, Maison Kurkdjian, and Creed. I have since passed down management to focus on my personal brand and business in a private suite inside of the location. Here, I’m able to continue providing services while making connections inside and outside of my industry to continue building upon my platform. Being an advocate for health, hygiene, and self-image; I am able to stay and say that I am True To Grooming.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been smooth at all but definitely worth it. My struggles in each stage of growth and evolution were similar. They all involved me being in environments where I was trying to do something different and it was frowned upon and not supported because it wasn’t seen or done before. The reward is to know that I trusted myself to stick to doing what I felt. No matter the result of my choices, I know I stayed true to myself and let he that was in me be greater than what was of the world outside of me.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I provide self-care services to men and women that help them feel better about themselves. Whether it improves their physical image, health, or mental; I provide the services and outlets that allow people to go out and be their best selves. I specialize in services such as haircuts, facials, massages, scalp treatments and beard services. I am most proud of the way that I’ve been able to evolve in the beauty and health industry to bridge the gap between image, health and hygiene through knowledge, services, and self example. What sets me apart from others is not only my artistic ability to bring out the best in people’s image but the expertise and knowledge I have to also educate them on important aspects outside of their image such as health, hygiene, and self-care that help to more positively promote their image.

How do you define success?
I define success as inner peace. As long as you are doing something that brings you peace as an individual that can help you or inspire the next person to go out and live life positively then you are successful.

Pricing:

• True Haircut $55.00 (Service Includes a full service haircut that is limited to head only.) (Shampoo and Condition if needed)
• True Scalp Treatment $40.00
• Brow Maintenance $25.00
• True Beard Treatment $55.00
• 24Karat Gold Facial $75.00

Contact Info:

• Email: thaddttg@gmail.com
• Website: https://shops.getsquire.com/book/true-to-grooming-lounge-atlanta/professional/ttgcut
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ttgcut?utm_medium=copy_link

Image Credits:
Shallow Focus Media