Shawn Fears is Obsessed With Barbering
“Maintaining never complaining” is the motto Shawn Fears lives by.
The 29-year-old Barber from Cleveland, Ohio is obsessed with barbering and creating the life he wants for himself and his family.
We sat down to in his shop to discuss his journey cutting hair and entrepreneurship in an exclusive interview.
It all began the Sunday before his first day of 10th grade, in desperate need of a haircut.
“I remember finding a set of clippers in my grandmas attic,” he said.
Fears cut his own hair that evening, low, even all over, void of a line up. After a few more attempts, he saved up to buy a combo pack set of clippers and liners, “I was in the game then.”
From there he began cutting his grandfather’s hair, who allowed him to experiment with different types of cuts. Soon, his friends let him give their hair a try.
Cutting hair evolved into a cool hobby but playing basketball was Fears primary focus. He was chasing the evasive hoop dream, but once he realized that dream would not become reality, he followed mom and sister to Georgia in 2012.
Without a clear plan or direction he decided to turn his hobby into a career, enrolling at ProWay barber school in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Fears worked his way to graduation, earning his barber’s license and an opportunity to have his own booth at Hair King Barber Shop in Grayson, GA.
Fears credits shop owner John Washington for molding him into a master barber, teaching him consistency amongst many other lessons.
“It was more than just a cut,” said Fears of Washington’s professional approach adding, “It’s good to just converse with the people; just keep talking and the people are going to come.”
With his booth stationed next to Washington’s, Fears honed his craft in cutting hair and relationship building with his clients.
Following a four year apprenticeship under Washington in the suburbs, Fears moved his business to Atlanta to challenge himself in a larger market, “I wanted to see if I could take that leap.”
Fears held onto a passage from the book Motivation Manifesto which read, “Create the life you want or somebody else is going to create it for you.”
He began his new journey in Midtown at a shop called Freedom Barber Co. Fears had no clients in the beginning, just a few leads of people he knew were in the city.
Doubt began to creep in after only cutting one client on a Friday, leaving him to question whether he should go back to Hair King in Grayson.
Fears had little money but a plan he was dedicated to seeing through.
To supplement income, he drove Uber & Lyft through the night. Determined to succeed, he moved his operation to a new shop called Plush Midtown. Once he was at Plush, Fears began to flourish and gain consistent clientele.
One of the reasons he saw success was because of his website. The professional layout and progressive booking methods with merchandise available for sale separated him from his counterparts.
His obsession with barbering was evident with his clients as well. Fears thirst for knowledge and desire to be the best barber has taken him all over the world for barbering classes and conventions in places like Melbourne, New York and Philadelphia.
“I never want to become dormant with barbering,” he said adding, “It’s always good to go grasp knowledge from people that you see.”
Fears offers haircuts, shampoo’s, color and advise. “Everything stays at the chair,” says Fears who abides by his codes of ethics saying, “You can come here with full confidence and let it out. Anything on your mind, let me know.”
He describes his clients as “my people,” noting that most see their barber more frequently than their doctor, dentist and even family.
Fears clients can now visit him at his own shop in Castleberry Hills, Atlanta. He says, “It feels good” to have his own space that he can build upon.
At 28 years old, Fears now sets the example for his younger sister and mother as a successful entrepreneur.
“You can really work for yourself and create the life you want,” he said, “You don’t want to let anyone put a cap on your life.”
Fears encourages fellow entrepreneurs to never give up but reminds them that, “Everything takes action, [you] got to put a little action behind that prayer.”
Outside of cutting hair, Fears enjoys photography, riding his bike and an occasional pickup basketball game.
“I just want my health, the money gone come,” said Fears, who is always maintaining, never complaining.
Discover Shawn Fears:
Website: ObsessedWithBarbering.com
Instagram: @ShawnFears
