Today we’d like to introduce you to Sly Huncho.
Hi Sly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My life story
Worked at Wendy’s and Was learning how to cut hair on the side from my sister who was my mentor. then I enlisted in the army reserves because I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life and because they would pay for college through a scholarship. The scholarship stipulation was I had to finish a 4 year college while maintaining atleast a 2.5gpa, be in rotc, still go to my monthly military obligations at my unit for drill and commission to become an officer in the army because I was on the enlisted side or else I would be subject to pay all the scholarship money back which added up to around 40-$50,000. The scholarship would take care of room and board for each semester but I still had to figure out how to pay for tuition and fees. I even tried walking on to the track team to earn a scholarship to pay for the other half.
I had PT at 6am in the morning for ROTC , then I would go to class at 8 , track practice after then cut hair in the bathroom dorms. The hair cuts were basically experiments because I didn’t know what I was doing fully I was still learning from my sister. Drill was once a month for 2-4 days each month. ROTC had classes in the afternoon 2 days a week as well
I was trying to figure out how to balance the army,school, and track and cutting hair.
I never did get a scholarship from track though so I quit.
My dad helped me pay for 1-3 semesters but he told me I should be making enough from cutting hair to pay for the rest. I felt like he was comparing what I should be making to what my sister was making and I felt like he was saying I was depending on him too much.
I didn’t have the clientele because I was still a beginner but I was determined to show him I could do it on my own. I had a point to prove.
the little money I made from cutting hair in the dorm bathrooms I would save and pay for the tuition and fees. I would always record my before and after videos of the haircuts and post them on Instagram and send my profile out to all my Snapchat contacts to get new college student clients.
then my sister got into an altercation and went jail and my favorite cousin got killed a couple months after that.
I felt lonely, was depressed and began drinking all the time, passing out. Not focused on school or cutting hair
My friends uncle found me through social media and offered me a chair at his shop but it was back in Kansas City which was an hour away from my college. I didn’t have a car at the time but my gf at the time did so she would let me use her car or she’d drop me off to the shop on weekends. Some days I’d go to class go to kc to cut then go back to my college
Eventually I saved up $9,000 and financed my first car which was a 2016 Malibu. I spent most of my money but atleast I had a car.
I was still traveling back to kc on weekends to cut. Around this time my hair videos started going viral, getting millions of views , but I wasn’t getting paid from social media. I was a broke influencer and still in the army. By this time I wasn’t feeling anything went related
The pandemic hit and so did everything else. I didn’t have a place to stay because school was out. So I would sleep in my car or on my friends couch. Really house hopping at night cutting hair during the day. Over my friends house we would just kick it , drink, party chill , literally do nothing.
Mentally it was embarrassing because I was basically homeless. I had more thousands of followers but not even $10,000 to my name. Plus I was still in the army and had to report every month. I would be dealing with people that I didn’t want to deal with and people that abused their authority. I couldn’t quit because I didn’t have the money to pay them back and I had already signed the contract.
One day I sat back and reevaluated myself and decided I was going to take barbering to the next level and get rich off social media. I had the following I just had to figure out how to make money from my platforms. I stopped drinking heavy and partying and focused up
I started grinding Everyday till I saved up enough to get an apartment. I was still sleeping in the car , barbershop and friends houses till I could.
By the time I was able to school started back up. My apartment was in kc but I had to still be at PT in the morning at 6am in st joe. so I would leave the house by 4:50 to make it to PT on time then go to class then drive back to kc cut hair from 4pm -10pm sometimes even 12am . My weekends schedule was 5am-10pm. I’d do this routine every week until I graduation time. This was my first year making 6figures. I graduated and commissioned into the army as a 2ndlieutenant
The next step I had to do was go to a 3-4month training for the military in South Carolina. That would me I had to put everything else on hold, barbering social media etc. Everything I built , all the momentum that I gained, clientele would be gone. All for something I didn’t really want to do.
So I had 2 choices leave everything behind and go through with the training or pay back all the money from the army and bet on myself and follow my dreams of becoming a rich celebrity barber/influencer.
Sure enough I chose to bet on myself and I wouldn’t change my decision any day of the week.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
August 2024 I moved to Atlanta from Kansas City Missouri without any family or friends. Just faith and belief that I will make it to the next level
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Sly Huncho is a social media expert, barber influencer, and entrepreneur specializing in helping service providers grow their businesses through digital branding and strategic content creation. With a background in military service and a journey marked by resilience and determination, he has become a leading figure in social media monetization. He is the creator of the Social Media Mastery Kit, winner of multiple industry awards, and a recognized global influencer.
Sly’s breakthrough came when he developed his signature comical voice-over style in barbering content. His videos gained traction globally, captivating audiences from Africa to Japan. The unique blend of humor, skill, and authenticity propelled him into social media stardom, proving that originality and consistency are key drivers of success in the digital space.
In 2024 alone, Sly amassed over 6 million followers organically across Instagram and TikTok. His content not only entertains but educates, positioning him as a thought leader in digital branding and business growth for service providers.
His rapid rise did not go unnoticed—he won Content Creator of the Year at the Connecticut Barber Expo, Best Barber at the Kansas City People’s Choice Awards, and was featured in Barber EVO Magazine. Additionally, he was recognized as the #2 Barber Influencer in the World.
Social Media Strategist
Social Media Coach
Influencer
Celebrity Barber
Mentor
How do you think about luck?
No luck, all hard work, trial and error and trusting god
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/sly.huncho
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/share/1AGwnJ5WBZ
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/@slyhuncho
- Other: http://tiktok.com/@getslyced
