Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Swanson.
Jacob, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Two things have been in my life since the age of sixteen; basketball and the barbershop. Since I was a sophomore in high school, my only goal was to play basketball for the rest of my life. I was drafted into the American Basketball Association(ABA) at the age of nineteen. Skip ahead four years, and I have accomplished everything I had set out to do. I’m finishing up my last season in the ABA and wondering where life is going to take me next. After the season-ending in March, I take the next two months off to myself, so that I can explore different job opportunities and find a new passion. However, the passion seemed to come to me while I was sitting in the barbershop getting my hair cut by my mentor, coach, and someone I have always turned to for advice, Lionel Bernard Johnson. I had explained to him the dilemma I was going through at the time and that I didn’t know where life was going to take me. Lionel or L for short was expressing to me the atmosphere of the barbershop, the culture behind it, the different sources of revenue and financial freedom I would have if I did decide to pursue this career. He also expressed how I would be able to create my own schedule and just the overall freedom you would have in this career field. The conversation sparked my intuition and I enrolled at the Gwinnett Barber institute(GBi) in June. The GBi is where I really fell in love with the craft and the people in the industry. I got in a barbershop as soon as I could so that I could begin my new passion. Fast forward to today, I work five days out of the week at Cleopatra Beauty and then the other two days I take house calls in Atlanta. I absolutely love being a barber and have actually found a deeper passion for the barbershop then what I previously had with basketball. I work every day to grow and become the best barber I can be. In two years, I see myself opening up my own barbershop in Atlanta, and becoming one of the dopest barbers in the city.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Becoming a barber has been a fairly smooth transition. I will tell you that they’re definitely some obstacles, but with the right mentors by your side, you will prevail. Learning how to cut and which techniques to perform on the different hair types and textures is definitely the biggest obstacle. This just comes with time and experience, and being in the barbershop every day. Another obstacle I faced was learning how to fade. This technique is difficult to learn, because they’re just so many different techniques you can use, and everybody fades differently. In the end, you just have to find out what works best with you so that you can perform at your best within a reasonable time frame.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Swan Kutz – what should we know?
What sets me apart from the rest of the barbers in the world is that I can cut any hair type and texture. I also perform services that you just won’t find in most barbershops. When you go out to a club, an event or just out for a good time, the first thing people will notice is your hair and your shoes. When you sit in my chair, I not only give you a fresh cut, I bring your shoes back to life with a professional shoe cleaning service. In addition, while you’re waiting to get your shoes cleaned, I have a professional foot massager the customer may rest his or her feet in. When you come to my shop, the customer receives a luxury foot massage, a fresh cut and a shoe cleaning service all in one. In the future, I want to expand into clothes and start styling my clients as well, creating a one-stop-shop. The customer will be able to come get a fresh cut, dope outfit and shoe cleaning at one store. Not to mention, the free foot massage that comes with the shoe cleaning service. I feel like I go the extra mile for my clientele and that’s why in the short time I have been in the barbershop, my business has already become very lucrative.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I first like to thank two people that helped me become the best athlete I could be on and off the court, Devon Baulkman and De’ante Hurst. Baulk, we trained together day in and day out, u told me we were going to make it and we did. We have played against the best in the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way. De’ante, you are a long teammate I have had and you not only had my back every single day on the court, you mentored me and helped me grow into the man I am today. My main two influences inside the world of barber have been Lionel Johnson and Joseph Allen. Lionel, you have always been a mentor of mine and like a second father figure and I appreciate everything you have done for me and thank you for getting me into the barber industry. Joe, you have been my barber since I first moved into the Buford area. You have always been supportive and one of the key reasons I stepped into the barber field and I can’t wait to work with you in the future.
Pricing:
- Even cut $15
- Fade $20
- Line up or beard service $10
- Kids cut $10
- Kids fade $15
- Shoe cleaning service $10
Contact Info:
- Website: book.thecut.co/Swankutz
- Phone: 6787644356
- Email: jacobdoingwork@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Swankutz
- Twitter: @Swankutz
Image Credit:
Kluse
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