Kenny Duncan: How He Became the 76ers Barber, Built Trust & Legacy

If I never came to a trade show to be a part of it in a capacity, I would have never met you. If I never met you, trust would and if I would never met you, we would have never had a chance to build. And when trust was built between us, now trust transfer would have never existed. Mhm. You are a part of the reason why I'm in my ninth year as being the official barber for the 76ers. Welcome to the Barberstar podcast brought to you by Supria, hosted by the Marcus Harvey. This is where game gets passed, not gatekeep. Supreme is the freshest the world's ever been. A virtual barber shop and professional network for barbers, stylists, and grooming pros who want more than just likes.

They want legacy. Whether you're just getting started or you're ready to cut celebrities, executives, and athletes, we built this community for you. What up? What up? What's up, everybody? It's your man, Marcus Harvey, the golden personality of barbering, as they would call me.

And today we have an amazing guest on uh Barber Star cuz you know barber is every star needs a barber but every barber ain't no star and today we have just that a star goat educator of the decade and it's over 20 years 76ers barber eagles barber anything Philly he's cutting it up that's what we talking about solid gold everything you might know Barner brothers here we Yo, it's my man Kenny Duncan and you already know he's here. Kenny Lamont Jackson Duncan. Y'all didn't know that was his middle name, did you? Everybody give it up for him. Yes. Yes. The goat. The goat. The goat. We all We all We all We all believe that you are that.

Um, when you hear people talking, I know your ears must itch a lot because I know in the barber industry, your name is probably brought up every 5 seconds by a barber in the country or in the world. Hands down. I already know that. So, thank you, man, for pulling up. Thank you, man, for coming through to Barberstar Podcast. Uh, you're my OG. So, this is a this is a very special one. Very special one. I thoroughly appreciate that, bro. But one thing I want to clear up is that um it's I'm not measured by my own personal resume because I spent most of my careers being an educator. So I'm proud to say that individuals who have tapped into classes or events or uh insight from me are killing.

So the dopest part for me isn't my own personal resume. It's how I've affected others to build their resume. And you and several others. Uh, I can't take credit for all of the success. I can only say that my thumbrint has been imprinted and I can say that I feel like an uncle to a lot of people because, you know, everybody has an uncle that they talk to during a family reunion that schools them to give them some insight and they already were doing some good things already without uncle cuz not the dad. Yeah. but won't give you that wisdom, that insight that might be in life changing or formative that cause you to run even harder, run with more effort and efficiency.

And uh that's how I feel uh within this barber industry. I'm glad to say that not just my resume, but several people that I've been connected to um are freaking amazing, bro. Man, that's that's that's wild because um I you definitely have had an imprint on my career specifically. Um, I remember uh before I even became uh the Marcus Harvey to anybody, I would be watching on Facebook, Instagram, uh MySpace and just like really just watch how you were cutting, you know, buying DVDs from you. Like just just seeing the the actual uh and DVDs. See, you young you young barbers don't know nothing about buying no damn DVD. Y'all some cl y'all some clowns.

First off, I'm getting tired of you young bar. I'm just playing. No, let me not say that cuz I'm an OG. I love you young barbers, but y'all need to come on and get the real real real juice because one thing that we had to do back in the day when I was a young lad in the barber game was we would have to purchase these DVDs. We had to come meet these barbers. We had to come uh see what they're doing. It wasn't like a I can watch you from a distance and just kind of like steal your game. It was like nah, I need to see how you did that how you did that fade, how you did that lineup, how what how you're approaching it.

I can't just look at it from a distance like okay gloves light uh spring okay uh moose doagg I I I I had to see how why what why were why were you putting the do-rag on there why were you doing this why were you doing that so um for someone who is you know been a mentor to many you have been a mentor to me so I just want to applaud you and thank you man for just you know what you have done for the industry all right now that we done did all that man let's get to it let's get to Man, first question. First question, Kenny Duncan. All right, so how did you get bit by the Clippers? And when we say bit by the Clippers, that is our that is how we say at the Barber Star.

Like, how did you get into it? " So it was gradual. The first actually time that I picked up a pair of tools to cut myself, cuz that's where it started. Yeah. Was uh I went to the barber shop for some for picture day. My mom sent me to the barber shop with $20. Haircut cost 10. I came back with eight because he charged extra $2 for my mustache. Oh, you had you were hair grade school. In grade school, I was I was hairy. So he charged me two extra hours for my mustache. You know, everything was out of cart during that time. When I came home with with $8, my mom, she got mad.

Called the barber shop, double checked it, make sure I wasn't lying cuz she thought I spent it on some candy or something. And then uh she brought me she brought me a pair of battery operated trimmers. Now here's the thing. Here's a funny story. My hairline was always crooked. Fresh haircut made my hairline crooked and I hated it. So now that I had a pair of trimmers soon as I would get cut, I would reline my front line and then keep it fresh in between. So I would started doing my own shape ups. That right there is what got me the early practice.

And then when other people started asking me who cut my hair, you know, a couple years later when I was in high school, that's when I was like, you know what, I did. No, you didn't. First time free, next one cost. Yeah. And then go never look back. Never look back. What? So, how old were you when you did your first cut? I was in ninth grade when I did my first full haircut. Best friend of mine named Quill, he was a barber and he would actually let me practice cutting his hair down. At this point, I had several years of practice of shaping myself up.

So, he was actually the first person outside of myself that I put the clippers on and got a chance to to to get that that first one out the way. Were you nice your first time cutting like cutting cutting? Oh, no. Let me tell you something. I pushed many of hair lines back. I got I got some close friends that was mad at me, question our friendship, all that cuz I'm giving out Round Boys when I'm supposed to be. So now, hey, so so now they they they charging you for they for their receding hairline now like you just said about your first bar. Yeah, it was it was definitely some crazy times because I didn't know I didn't understand skin prep. I didn't understand clean canvas, best canvas.

I didn't understand proper techniques, how to hold the tools. It was so many things that I just did not understand. When whenever you go throughout life trying something without proper training, there's going to be a large amount of mistakes you end up making. You know what I mean? Cuz everybody tell you, "Hey, listen, jump off the cliff and build a plane as you go. No, man. You'll crash every time, bro. Bro, you missing a wheel. You missing the wheel. You landing with miss missing the wheel. All, like I said, I messed up some friendships over there. Word word. That's wild. So, all through high school, you killing it. Probably ninth grade, you know, your first one.

When did you start getting nice nice though? Uh, honestly speaking, um, by the time I got to 11th grade, it was I had enough reps in because I started I started cutting my own hair back in seventh grade. Okay. So, by the time I got to 11th grade, I had multiple years of experience of cutting myself and then started expanding to others. And it quickly caught wildfire by going around school cuz I was popular. " That call to action hooked people. So, I quickly gained clientele and I I knew that it was something that was going to be a part of me when um when I moved the the mouse pad over on my computer desk and started making room for my clippers.

And when I turned my room into the barber shop, that's when I knew. And when my grandma started saying, "Yo, who are all these people? " You already know you got you got to pay some bills, baby. Uhuh. You can't just come up in here running up all shoes dirty and all that. all that that electricity bill went up real quick and and she started making you pay booth rent. So the funniest thing is this is where she really started to hit me with yo you need to do something. So in my heyday of starting jobs was it like if you didn't have time what year was this? This was in 90 97 98. Okay.

And I need to start saying these these years because the young barbers got to know how stuff progressed too cuz this is like a history uh a history class too. You know what I'm saying? So if you want the true history class, a large amount of the ways that barbers are using enhancements now started in Philadelphia. It started with a barber named Lightfoot. Lightoot was Lightoot was cutting majority of the Eagles and Gerald Levert during this season and he was the one that started using Beijing or began against manufacturers directions letting it sit in sit under the dryer giving that super dark hairline for people who was heating and making sure it filling in the beards.

So he was doing that on Jerome Brown from the Eagles and Gerald Lever at early 90s. You follow me? Yeah. Yeah. When I come into the game as a young pup, this is what I'm looking up to. So when everybody coming up to when they starting now, they looking at the the air compressors for they can spray on their hands. That wasn't existing. Yep. We were actually we were doing brush and we were doing began and we were leaving it in and sitting under the dryer against manufactur directions and get that super dark look cuz that was the trend. So I quickly became nice with using the color.

So before I even learned how to properly fade, I can do a fire dye job and I had this at home hooded dryer on my computer desk. I'm I'm in the crib baking dudes, bro. Getting cats, right? They itching under that mug. They itching under that mug. Swag and itching. Yeah, that's that's that's what was taking place. So, next thing you know, when I had started getting involved with How much were you charging real quick for that? How much were you charging for that dye doing back then? Back in 98, I was charging 25 cuz you got to understand, I was charging first time free, next time cost, $4 shape up, $7 haircuts. Okay. Okay. And and what was the market at that time?

What was the market for like regular cuts for like professionals at that time? So, professional barbers, the better barbers are charging $22 for haircuts. Okay. And um you know, a lot of barber shops charging 10. So, with me not being licensed in the crib, I was charging seven for the haircut. But it's also during the season that AI's now AI and Kobe got the mini fro and AI getting a bunch of shape ups. So, this was during the season that everybody wants to be like AI. Everybody want to be like Kobe. So they set the trends for how hair looks. So we weren't doing full haircuts, but we still call it a haircut.

Cuz every time we break the clippers out to trim and fade the temples and the neck, that's a cut. That's a haircut. So 7 hours to get that curly fro. You want that done? You want it done right? Yeah, that's what we doing. Who was cutting AI back then? I'm not even sure AI was even getting a lot of lineups cuz he had he had braids all the way to the line and um it I mean he probably did have a barber but uh it wasn't pronounced and uh super super prominent. It wasn't something that was the biggest thing.

People cared more about who was AI's braider cuz he said the trends were every time he got something done all the breers in in the barber shop was here and the next day, hey, you see what AI had last night? That's what I need. Yeah. Okay. So you start killing it with the die. You start killing it and um you start getting nice and you start getting a name to yourself. Y um let's fast forward to around maybe 99. So what was you at 99? What was what was 99 looking like for you at that point? 99 is when I when I graduated high school and I had already had a year under my belt with working in uh Classic Barber Shop.

My cousin owned a barber shop and the the manager of the shop name is Wayne Cowser which I did apprentichip program with him uh so I can end up becoming licensed and then from there um we develop a great relationship and he's my business partner for main attraction unisex salon today. I was the first barber that got a license through what he now has is the main attraction barber academy. It's not a school, but it's an academy that helps barbers become licensed through the apprenticeship program. And um he's done hundreds of some of your most popular barbers and and they're licensed through one. Name a few name a few. Name a few. Drop drop some names real quick.

All I'm going to say is um a lot a decent amount of Philly's greatest. I'm not going to say the names. Everybody don't want us to know the the year in which they got licensed. No, for 45 years, man. You got lic. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, and even myself like it's like I said, I started off without a license cutting in the house. I wasn't the barber. I was what we call the clipper cutter because you know that's a that's a good that's a good point because you are known as pro you are known as the top educator in our industry um for pretty much just anything.

How does someone go from not being licensed to just doing an academy to kind of being known for the actual breakdown of how to really do some haircuts, fades, and different things of that nature? How did that come about? Um, over years and times of having many different mentors, um, I I've known that I I didn't know everything. I I've known that I wanted to get better and the most credible way to do so is find the best person doing it and then learn from them. So, it started off with one of the barbers in my shop. Uh, his name is Fox. This was the first dude I ever seen fade without an adjustable blade clipper.

He faded with detachables and he faded the quickest and the nicest out of my shop. All right. Well, that was at Classic Barberhop. So, when I watched how he would maneuver his tools, it let me know that you never had to focus on just using the adjustable arm to get that transition. There was other ways you can manipulate the tools to get it. Early on, I learned that from him. And then several people that I've learned from over the years. There was a barber that used to get my haircut by named Pops. Pops took an hour and a half on every haircut, but his haircuts would be perfect. And he was one of the top earners per haircut in in the neighborhood because he was just known as the nicest.

Now I now know that he disrespected his value per minute, but how long he took on the haircuts, but he still was one of the nicest. So when I wanted to become better on my outlines, he was one of the ones that I studied along with my friend Quill, another barber named uh friend as well as barber named Kyle Sharpton. U these guys set the tone for me early on on what to aim for. So that crew of barbers, you know, quickly became known as some of the best in the city because we were detail oriented. And then we studied everything that was in solid gold. So every sharp cut that was in solid gold, we aimed to be there.

The utopia of the barber career at that time was if your work made it to solid gold, you you were him. If you're loving this episode and want to go from listener to community member, check out our first chair membership. It's the easiest way to join the combo inside Suprea. You'll get community access, feedback from top tier barbers. So, if you're ready to be surrounded and supported, hit that link and take your seat in the first chair.

So for so for you young folks, Solid Gold was a thing called a magazine where they have a hard copies on both sides and then they have paper in between it and you can open and then just like how you scroll, you know how you guys scroll, this is how you actually w would find out haircuts. So, I I'm glad that you brought Solid Gold up because like we said, Solid Gold was literally getting reposted uh the equivalent of getting reposted by the the top barber barber uh posting spot ever. Absolutely. So, great analogy. How did How did you even really get into Solid Gold?

Because I mean you're you're coming up you know Philly's making a name for itself because you know back in the day you know right right around like you said '9697 haircuts started becoming like really prominent and like I mean they were always in hip-hop history we've always had them but in 9 it feels like in '96 it was just like a revolution of like everybody trying to get the sharpest the nicest and I mean I'm in Atlanta and we used to hear like yo you need to get that fitty lineup you know I'm like man I'm a I'm a Hawks and Falcons fan you know what I'm saying? " So, like at that time, y'all are at the top of the barber chain and you know, things are going great.

How does like Solid Gold reach out to you? Like, how do you get that call? Like, how do you feel when that happens? Well, so it's two ways to get in Solid Gold. Either you earn your way by being one of the best or you pay for an advertisement. So, early on, we actually submitted and paid for advertising to be in it. " So it was funded by people paying for advertisements, but then there's also people who who were handpicked to be featured because of the quality of their work.

So once I got in the door, I think it was like three times the shop that I was involved with paid for advertisements and then I was I was also a model for my friend Quill where Quill, Kyle, and several others were a part of a shop called Cameo that were allowed for us to be a part. So I was in in there as a barber and in there as a model and I mean back then I had the wigs going. Oh, you had the wigs spinning. You you was GG 360 out here, huh, man? That's that's exactly what it was. That's That's exactly I hear that I hear that spinning spinning to bald. Ain't that something? Dang. The hair gods is not faithful.

Funny thing is I actually cut my hair bald before I even wor for I was follically challenged. Seriously, you you wasted years. You wasted years. I definitely did because my challenge was, you know, I was so dedicated to barbering that I I work excessive hours. And when I started getting into hair shows, what I did was I I didn't like anybody else cutting my hair besides me cuz I started when I was in the seventh grade. So, I know it best. But I would take longer to cut my own hair than I would cut others. So, I'm working super late now. I'm getting tired. Now, I got to get on the flight early in the morning. I say, "You know what? Screw it. " And that's when you took it personal.

That's when Jordan took it personal. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, here's a here's an interesting dynamic that happened, though. Uh, I became popular quicker when I cut my hair off and when I just had to goatee because I was con I was I was perceived to be Dominican more than Africanamean. So multiple cultures of people gravitated towards me because of how I I blended in with both groups. The African My boy came in here like peoples. You you was peoples. You was over here. You about to kill me. I hear you. I hear you, bro. That's exactly what took place. Um, as I as I continued to evolve, I became somebody who was welcomed into multiple communities as a result of that one.

And it was it was definitely interesting. After I after I planted my feet and became even more comfortable with who I am, I said, "You know what? Grow it back. " I feel that. I feel that. I feel that. Okay. So, you solid gold now after three times. you know, your your your barber shop that you were connected with, they got they're in there, then they start calling you and things started like really going going crazy. Is that around the time that Andis and you started partnering or how does that how did that come about? No, so it's some time in between that. So this so gold made me aware that there's another way to make money outside of the the barber shop. And what was that?

What was what was that? Cuz I know you know back then you're just thinking about just haircuts. you just thinking about just dropping it. So like what were the things that kind of opened up as a result of that? So the next thing for me was creating barber posters. I was frustrated with the posters that existed and I started taking my own pictures of my haircuts because my clients weren't asking for the pictures that's on these posters because our shape ups was totally different than the posters that was done. Most of these posters were created in Chicago.

I Adams posters, Isidor Adams, uh, God rich soul, he was somebody who was the director education for Wall and he was the one responsible for creating a lot of the posters that was selling across the world. So, it hit me when when the first barberhop movie came out and me and my partner went to go see it. The same posters that was in our barber shop was actually in the movie. I know the movie was shot in Chicago and now I get introduced to a group of barbers called Major League Barbers. M they're going to all the trade shows. I had no clue that this even existed. They're going to all the trade shows and I have a desire to create a poster and go around to barber shop selling my poster.

So me and my partner, we did that. So this was our way of making some additional revenue outside of just cutting hair. And we did a poster with his haircuts on the top and my haircuts on the bottom. And we called it Philly Styles. So that exposes to now going from barber shop to barber shop. Next thing you know, we pick up a couple products. And then also, there was a barber supply called Topps Beauty Supply. Uh Tops Beauty and Barber Supply. The parent company for that one is called Suie Cobs/Vincent. So, I'm working I'm buying stuff from this supplier.

when I first started my barber career and now that I created a product that I wanted to sell, they have a a mail order distribution network where they mail out this catalog to barber supply stores across the world selling different products. My first time getting into distribution was allowing for our magazine, I mean our poster to become a part of the Vincent Beauty Barber magazine that other stores were buying from across the world. So once we got our magazine, I mean our poster into that book, that's when I started to understand distribution networks, redistribution, wholesaling, I didn't understand that world.

And I was told some uncomfortable truths on that time, which was you got to work hard to make people want your product. And if not, it's nothing but a sheet of paper. It may be your blood, sweat, and tears, but it means nothing to me and to anybody else until you create the desire for other people to want it. That's when I learned marketing. How did you how did you create that? How did you figure out the how to create that? Well, let me say it again. How did you figure out how to create that desire? Um, once you realized that that was a key to the game. So, this is when I started to become somebody who asked a lot of questions.

So, Wes and uh and Nori and Naji from Major League Barber were the ones that I was closest to because we're building relationships through them going around different barber shops. They come to my barber shop and they keep dropping hints about Ronner Brother show, right? So they, hey, we got we set up a booth at the Bronner Brother show. This something that you want to do. And I'm like, I never even heard about the Bronner Brothers show, but cool, let's let's let's do it.

So we end up going to the show, setting up a booth, selling products, and this just so happens to be a year when Major League Barber don't go with them being from Philadelphia and they were selling educational videos and all that. Then we come to the show just selling barber posters and some t-shirts. " I'm like, "No, what exactly do they do here?

what's what's the and then they start telling me hey they teach classes they sell DVDs this and the third and then I also see other people working with different brands standing on stage cutting hair and I'm like I want to try my hand at it so that was in 2004 so 2005 we come back to the show still set up a booth but also to enter into the barber competitions so when I enter into the competition I said just like when I'm a just like my thoughts of boxing if you want to be the best you got to beat the best so I entered into the competition to see where I rank amongst my peers to see if I'm the best because some of my clients in Philadelphia was telling me I'm the best barber in the world.

But they're not credible at saying that because they only had three barbers throughout their whole life. Yes. Yes. Yes. They've only they've only known you and two other guys. Yeah. Yes. So, I'm the best out of your options is what you're really telling me. In order for me to really see where I measure up, I got to go to an international competition that has the world's best and the most confident competing for a prize. So, it meant more for me to do this competition than the money and the trophy that they that they award. It was really a measurement of where I'm at amongst the global scene.

And I said to myself, wherever I place, I'm just going to put this on my resume and actually apply to different brands that that potentially want me to represent them in some sort of way. " Word. Yeah. So that was in February of 2005. And fast forward a year later, I didn't get the boot. Fast forward 5, 10, 15, 20 years later, still here. 20 years, still here. And got your own clipper now. And got your own clipper with That's wild, man. You know, talking about that now, I don't want to run past that point. What do you think is the importance of barbers entering barber competitions now? Because, you know, we don't think now it's just like some people like, oh, it's rigged.

Oh, this that, and you know, it's not worth my time. You know how people just try to give a reason of why they don't want to put themselves out there. Give us a reason why it is important for up and cominging barbers, even barbers who feel like they haven't touched the top of their their potential when it comes to, you know, the world seeing them. Tell us why you think it's important for barbers to still enter into these barber competitions. Cool. That's is reason number one. Most of the barbers I know don't have a large enough following to be seen by the people they want to be seen by.

So when you go to an event and put out your best, win, lose or draw, you'll be seen by decision makers that you wouldn't be able to consistently reach and impress with your drive, determination, and skill set. Number two, to be in an environment where people are overly dedicated to their craft is contagious. And when you leave environments like that, when you feel energized to go back better than you were before you left the shop, because most of the top barbers who compete are typically the best barbers in their shop. And if you're the biggest plant in that pot, it's going to be hard for you to grow beyond that because there isn't enough room for your roots to grow.

So when you get transplanted into a bigger pot, when you become, you know, the small plant in the big pot, you have much more room to grow. And when you get connected with other people, it's opportunity for you to do way more than what you could do just because of you just only being known as the best in your shop or the best in your city. And number three, the proof of that one is majority of not not majority, every single high-profile experience I've been connected to has been by way of a dope barber stylist that I've met at a trade show. Yeah. Yes. Hands hands down. So hands down. Watch this. If I never came to a trade show to be a part of it in a capacity, I would have never met you.

If I never met you, trust would and if I would have never met you, we would have never had a chance to build. And when trust was built between us, now trust transferred would have never existed. You are a part of the reason why I'm in my ninth year as being the official barber for the 76ers because you referred you had trust in me and you transferred over to Jalil Oakford. Yep. And I was going to tell you about and I was going to ask you about that. So, as we as you just saying, like barbers always remember this, like you are only going to meet us at a spot that has information continuously growing.

" I can check your workout all the time, but there's nothing like me shaking your hand, dapping you up, hearing your, you know, feeling and hearing your energy, you know, so that there can be trust built and things can happen. I want to even bring up the story about how me and you met. So, this is a prime example of how uh hair shows have built the community that we live in, the network that we have right now. Even with even with Suprea, this is how the Suprea really kind of started off. When I first started cutting hair, um you know, I was I was doing my thing.

I was always watching, you know, people like yourself and like you said, when you are in the barber shop, you only can just see who's in the barber shop. You know, I messed around. I went to a Barner Brothers show cuz I do live in Atlanta. Went to a Barner Brothers show and just saw like it was just like a smorgishborg. I want to use that term, the smorgishborg of amazing barbers, all races, all, you know, all genders, just going there to just get information on how to be better for their clients, better at their craft. And I would just go there just like like just like everybody else. My eyes wide open. Oh my gosh, there's Kenny back there. There's there's Tom McGill right there.

There's Curtis there's Curtis Smith, right? Oh my gosh. And all these bar There's Pacinos right there. There's J man. You know what I'm saying? So I'm seeing all these other barbers. There's Bobby's World. Bobby's World. Oh my god. I be seeing Bobby's World all the time, right? Look at all these little Oompa Loopa kids he got over here. Bobby's World. Shouts out to Bobby. You know what I'm saying? Uh we are going to have Bobby on here too. But it was just amazing just to see um one day I come into I come to the I come to the Barner Brothers show and this is I forgot what year it was, but you know I'm start I think it's like maybe 2010 20 Yeah. 10 2010 something of that nature.

" I said, "Bro, listen. I don't think you understand Kenny when it's like watching," it's like if you're a hooper and you've had Jordan on your wall, you've had Dominique on your wall, you've had Magic Johnson on your wall, and you you go to a tournament one day and they call you out like, "Yo, I see you, young bro. And I sat in your chair. Not only did I get to meet you for the first time, but in my meeting of you of the first time, I actually got to get a Kenny Duncan haircut. Bro, I'm talking about you couldn't tell me nothing. Serious about growth? Then don't just stop at listening. Step into our appointment only tour.

We can't wait to see you share your wins, promote, or find gigs, and even get featured in our exclusive member spotlight. This is where barbers get seen and grow together. Book it. com, and let's do this thing. [Music] So, so, so, so, so bringing that up, man, just tell us about like um like you said, me meeting you, you meeting me. We we exchanged um so much information before. I mean, I remember another time where I actually flew to I think it was DC. Me and my wife flew to DC. You and Tom McGill were doing an actual class. This is when I had a I had a nice little companion pad. So, I was always trying to get my good old learning.

I s I was like, man, I got I I just want to make sure that I get my game right and I I want to I want to let you fill in the next part. I asked a question and this is how Kenny responded to the question. So, go ahead, tell them what the question I had. So, I remember you talking about you working with Nas who you always call him son. Yeah. And uh you said first off, I'm big. He don't like the AC on. I got to keep the fan on. I was double skinned. I I wasn't big. I was double skinned. I I I was I wasn't big bolded. I I got two layers of big bolded is one thing. I was double skinned. Go ahead. " Yes. And we broke it down to give you a system.

And I honestly believe that if that opportunity never took place, you wouldn't have found I believe you wouldn't have found the insight that I've given you to be as valuable because that helped you lock down uh and build confidence in this relationship. your your mental capacity has been freed up from the technical skill so that you can have way more time to focus on your personality that adds to the experience to make sure that you have had an incredible impact on Nas beyond just the haircut is the haircut experience that I believe that you've uh used to win him over um for a long period of time. Mhm.

You know, you you are not somebody who is just a barber who's convenient to a a celebrity or star that was in your area. When the flights and the hotel started getting booked, that's when you know that there's a separation between just somebody being convenient to somebody being prioritized. Yep. And you know what? That's why that's amazing that you said that because um at the time you gave me that confidence. I started really getting into locking in Son at that time.

Um, I had been on two tours with him, but like that time was like when I just was like I locked in, which in turn got me connected with Chris Weber, which in turn got me connected with Grant Hill, which in turn got me connected with Grant Hill doing the uh NCAA Final Four, which got me to cut Jalil Oak for the whole uh their whole national championship run. I met his friends. Uh, shouts out to Chris Dax. You know, my boy Chris know what he is. You know, Chris Tax know what he is. Richell, man. You a rich You have some cop. But you rich. You rich Chris. Give me some money. No. No. Okay.

But Chris man would put me on put me on to um Bro, he put up a post almost all the time doing something incredible. And I'm like lying cartel money. That boy got cartel money. I said this man over here naros ass face. But no, man. him and Adam, man, I met them randomly at New Or in New Orleans randomly at All-Star weekend the year before Jalil got there. And this was so crazy. Me and them hit it off. I I saw them at the bar. This is like when I was really in my like bag of like passing out cards and stuff. I was like, "Hey guys, I'm in I just I went to a bar.

" No, it was my second All-Star cut cuz we had one in uh Houston and the next one I was like, "Yeah, this is my one of my first All-Star games, man. " And they c they took me to their room. They had, bro, they had 150 pairs of shoes because this is how they got they they they movement. They got they had 150 pairs of shoes. They were sell, you know, getting them for the All-Star weekend and then selling them joints, flipping them joints. Mind you, uh this is like when when the the shoe game is going crazy. " So I see them on the on the road next year. I'm cutting Grant. " He connects me with Jal. I start cutting Jalil. Me and Jalil's dad and uncle. You know, oh my god.

Shouts out to my guys, man. Shouts out to my brother. " So, uh, that that was a crime that we were having throughout the whole, uh, final four and the championship in Indianapolis. But then he got drafted by Philadelphia. The first person I call y'all, this is during the This is during the draft. Jal gets drafted. I said, it didn't rain twice. It rang one and a half times. That man, Kitty Duncan said, "What's up? What's up, sir? " I said, "Hey, man. I got Jalil. He's going to he's going to really need somebody. He's going to blas blah. and you can fill in the rest, man. So, tell tell us about how that grew into years and years and years and years of Philadelphia basketball.

Well, uh Jill was he's a great person. Um I think that's that's how it started. So, we were able to the the gift of cutting hair and the relationship I had with you gave me the opportunity, but just him being a great person with decent character allowed for us to have great conversation. So beyond just the haircut, our experience in our conversations were always were always great. And even to this day, we keep we keep uh keep in touch with one another. So that's the proof that there was more than just me being his barber. Yes. Because of that just that great type of personality that he had. So that was what helped me get my foot in the door with the Sixers.

Um, simultaneously, um, my nonprofit would do different charity events and I also get became aware of some of the people that worked in in the sales department that wanted to focus on promoting the Sixers while they were bad. So, it led to an opportunity for Jil Okaf for book bags to be distributed during one of the largest back to school free haircut events we doing in Philly. So the synergy started to build from barbering and opportunities for me to help help with their PR for the team to help people become more aware about this team that wasn't winning as many games. That's that's the truth of it.

So becoming an asset in more more than one way helped me, you know, keep my foot in the door and continue to grow with value in that one. And it starts with that trust transferred from you to Jalil. Yeah. So you go from Jalil to actually the process coming through and uh our our boy our boy uh Joel, you know what I'm saying? MB. So I mean I know you I've seen you cut getting him fresh. Uh tell me more about that and how that actually came about cuz that's a that's even an origin story in itself too. Yeah.

So, I have some wins and losses in between that in between Jalil and uh Joel and the wins are this um being involved with the barber industry um a part of an event called Exotics Hair Battle Tour. We're touring multiple different cities doing barber competitions. I get a chance to meet and hand a trophy to a guy named Nick Castamanos. This is the show we did in Miami. And we did we built a relationship, connected. Yep.

And then some a situation took place where um he's working with clutch sports earns his way to be LeBron James Barber and he moves around the world traveling with him and one of the uh clutch sports athletes Ben Simmons gets drafted by the Sixers and Nick is like hey he needs a barber. So the same thing you did by transferring the trust from you to Jalil, Nick transfer trust from him to Ben Simmons. So now I get involved with the Sixers even deeper. Now Ben didn't want to tell anybody I was his barber. He wanted to gatekeep. So when one another gentleman came to the city, his name is Justin Anderson.

Justin Anderson is the primary reason why it ignited to multiple players versus just a couple because he asked Ben who is Barber was. He said he's not telling him. So I got introduced to a good friend of mine, Super Bowl champion Rodney Mloud. And at the time he had a barber named Mel the Barber from the DMV. Good old Mel. My boy. Good old Mel. Yeah. I get a chance to cut his hair once for the front cover of a magazine. " I said, "Mel somebody I'm cool with. Do me a favor. Don't call me unless Mel can't do it. You guys got a rapport. That's your friend. You got a relationship. I'm not here to interrupt that. I'm here to support what he has going on.

My plate is full already, so I'm not looking to steal somebody's client, but I'll be an asset to you whenever he can't make it. " Cuz I was only cutting him because Mel couldn't make it for this photo shoot. Yep. That was it. Integrity. Integrity. Integrity. Integrity. Justin went to school with Rodney. They went to They went to Virginia together. Yep. So, number one number one in your pro programs and number one in your hearts, Justin. So he goes just he goes I mean he goes Ron yo who's your barber? He says well I got mail from the crib but it's this other dude here in solid bro like he a good dude and he just so happens to be Ben Simmons barber.

He goes oh word he he with the he with the wee bay. Watch this. So you and the gay kid I'm going to tell everybody about Kenny. So now he they everybody playing poker. He's inviting me to every poker game where everybody there. Yeah. Dudes is getting cut during the games. Yeah. Now, the loss that I had, and I'mma ask you a question. What would you do in this situation? The barber who was working with Joelle at the time was a client of mine. Every Thursday morning, he's a client. Now, at this point in time, I have three 76ers. Justin, I have Ben, and my experience with Jalil. Justin has this, yo, I'm introducing to everybody thing. I want to shoot you to Markeel. introduce to everybody.

And he invites me to Joel's house during a poker game. At this point in time, the original barber has never been to Jalil's house. Never been to the Joel's house. He's only Joelle would come to the barber shop cuz this is before he even became the guy that we know today cuz he wasn't playing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That whole year. So, I now get involved with coming to his house the year he starts playing. I'm in this man's house 3 in the morning doing haircuts and then Justin says, "Yo, Joe, you should let Kenny shape you up. " What would you do? Oh, I'm cutting it. I I ain't going to front. I I'm going to cut.

And And the reason why I say that is because as a barber, we all know the game. I mean, it's not it's it's like Hey, he choosing. He choosing. You know what I'm saying? It's not nobody's beef. So, here's what I do. I I cut his hair because I can't I'm making money in your house. If you say yes, you want me to do something, I have to say yes. I'm going Yeah. Yeah. Of course, I got you. So, I I sl I slice him up, but I'm transparent with him. I say, "Listen, I just want you to know I know your barber. He's good friend of mine. I'm about to cut him in a few hours. " Yeah. So, I'm being fully transparent. Let it be known like, "Hey, listen.

" I'm cutting them 3:30 in the morning with the light super dim and they playing cards. He don't stop playing cards. He really don't even care. He's only saying yes cuz Justin is paying for it. Yeah, this was not any good job by me at all. I wouldn't take a picture. I wouldn't show anybody because it was not a great one. Yeah, it was just a I got you in I got you a little clean. So next day I got to tell my homie what happened. Yo, bro, listen. I got invited to the crib. This stand and yada yada. All he heard was I got invited to Joe's crib and mentally he stopped listening to everything else because in that conversation I said yo I cut everybody. He didn't hear any of that.

He only heard you was at the crib. Pretty much he got fired. No, no, he didn't hear that. He heard you was at the crib and it was like I never been there but you've been there and that's No, that's what No, no, but I'm saying what he heard is oh I just got fired and that's and that's what No, I'm telling you. I'm telling you when when a guy if he stopped like that Okay, go ahead. Go ahead. Let me let me finish the story. So he got mad just cuz I was there, right? So come on my keep in mind. He's a every week client. Next week before it takes place, I get a phone call. Oh, let me also offer this one.

Joel's uh manager, it's a female, has a husband named John and well manager at the time has a husband named John who lost all his money that night. " His wife goes, "And keep in mind, John has straight hair. His his his wife goes, "No, don't do it. Don't do it. Your last five haircuts was bad. Your last five haircuts was bad. Don't let him do it. " What? Dang. So the cape that I was using at the time was a Layright cape. Cuz at the time I was a part of a group called the Band of Barbers with Llay. He says, "What's the worst that can happen? Like I've already lost it all so this is nothing happen. " So he let me cut his hair. I put the cape on that says lay.

cut his hair the way he asked for. Then I open up the Lelay pomade. " He says, "I love it. " I said, "Do me a favor. " Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. " He looked at he seen my picture. I said, "Do me a favor. " He says, "Hold up. " I said, "I'm an educator. I travel the world. Teach the barbers how to cut hair. and you just so happen to have somebody cutting your hair that actually knows how to cut straight and curly hair. Right. So now the next week, this is where we're doing the draft and we're doing the the Sixers is up to pick the top three balls for who's going to get number one pick or whatever. All right, Joel goes he's going for this particular draft night. This was the very next week.

So I get the call to come by the manager now to come to Joel's house again. Not because they wanted me to cut Joe, but because the manager wanted me to cut our husband before they go and then also to do a quick cleanup on Joe before this this event. Mhm. So that takes place on like a Monday or Tuesday night or whatever it is. And then here comes Thursday again. " So he goes viral. Oh yeah, I remember that. I remember that. Yeah, I remember that. This this is that that cut was my second that was my second time cutting Joel this time.

So he goes viral then the barber comes in he goes yo man listen I seen Joel went viral everybody talking to me and they asking me did I do his cut and I'm like bro I told you last week that I had cut everybody that I had cut everybody. He was like man I hate Terry Hoppers man I hate terror. He started going off. I personally believe that was a that was the last time I cut him too. Oh we know. I told you he heard it. He felt it, man. We We already know. But here's what I told him, bro. If growing your brand, building connections, and access to knowledge is a priority, then our fully booked tier is for you.

Get access to exclusive podcast shoutouts, inperson, and virtual events, discounted tickets to master classes and workshops, and extended office hours with the founders and top industry mentors. It's everything you need to sharpen your business, not just your craft. com and let's lock in. I said, "Bro, understand this with the sixes right now. My number one client is Ben Simmons. I don't have time to prioritize everybody cuz when two people ask for haircut at the same time, Ben is Ben's getting first priority at this point in time because Ben connected me to a lot of commercials that paid a lot. So, I couldn't say no to that, right?

It was Clutch Sport that put me in the game and had me doing a lot of commercials because at the time Ben was the poster boy. He was supposed to be the next LeBron and all that. Yeah. So he on BT on every commercial you could think of. He was on there. So at the time Joel doesn't really care. He's not the one calling me. It's the manager really wants the husband's haircut. Yep. That's how they slide you in there. So I tell him, "Bro, don't worry. I'm only the backup. You are the primary. Don't be mad because I'm telling you now, I can't handle everything. I'm only one person. This is our conversation. I believe he sent a message to Joelle because things got different after that. Wow. Right.

Two weeks later, I get a call from somebody from Adidas cuz he was with Adidas at the time. They said, "Hey, um, we heard that you're Joel's Barber and he has a commercial coming up. " Yep. You know what it was? It was one of It was one of them, "Hey man, what's going on? " And you know what's funny? I I'm glad that that this is happening because these are like real teachable moments for us as barbers. You know, a lot of times um if you've already noticed throughout the conversation, we talked about uh your superpower that keeps you on.

A lot of times it is barbering and as far as cutting, but it's the experience and the energy that you give these clients that allow them to either keep you or be like I ain't I ain't feeling buddy's vibe. And what I've realized with you, like you said, with my my superpower being comedy and, you know, jovial and, you know, just a a gratitude type of spirit. Yours has always been um an accommodating spirit like how can I help you? How can I do this? What do you need? And I can make sure that it happens. What can we do to make you more comfortable in life? How can we do that? And and that's what I've realized with this conversation, guys.

If your barber, if your client is moving around, only only thing you need to do is just congratulate them cuz it always spins right back around. And if you put yourself out the race, you put yourself out the race. No other barber can take your client away from you. No other barber can do all that other stuff. So, make sure that your spirit's always right in those in those situations, man. So, that's what it comes down to. Hey man, you know, I know we got some time. You know, we're kind of clicking down, but I do have three strong questions that I I'm going to ask you. All right. And they're going to be business questions. So, I'm putting a little pause right here because it's what it is.

All right. So, Kenny, man, now you're telling us that we we've heard you talk about the Ben Simmons and um getting involved with clutch. A lot of times, us as barbers really don't get to know what kind of bag it is. And I'm and I've of course I've been known to share what kind of bag I've made off of certain things. when you start making this um this Adidas this other type of money like tell me what those how those kind of go, how do you go about procuring and and setting your rate and all these other other things when it comes to these major corporations, these Nikes, these Adidas, you know, sprites, all these type of things. So, how do how do you go about that?

Well, the seeds got planted by my wife being a manager for a large a large amount of gospel artists. So I would I would learn the contractual side of the business from how they were approached as a as a unit how they approached the different sponsors for different events that we didn't put on. And one of the things that was consistently done is asking what the talents I mean what the uh the sponsor's budget would be. That's number one. Number two um I sat at the feet of my mentors. Curtis Smith is one and I added value to him by being an asset to his traveling tour.

In exchange, I just want an insight on how to not just be the convenient barber, um, but the barber that's chosen based off convenience and location, but a barber that's chosen based off of skill set and offerings that separated me. " He says, "If you learn male makeup, you won't just be hired for a touchandgo as a barber. you'll be hired to do the touch and focus on being there for the rest of the shoot for last looks because it's your responsibility to make sure that the hair and makeup uh is pristine and camera ready.

So once I listened to the advice of Curtis to be able to learn those additional things that will help separate me um when talent or when when corporations would reach out or when uh directors of uh photography or directors of creative directors for different uh commercials would reach out and ask these questions, I would have to let them know, hey, here's the list of things that are part of my offerings versus just me being a barber so that I can actually earn addition money outside of just being paid to be the barber.

And once I started asking questions about what are some of the day rates say they will offer for these for these shoots, that's when I learned that at the time we're talking about I'm in the barber shop charging $40 a haircut. And then I find out that there's different brands that have different budgets, but it's no longer the thought of we're paying for a service. We're paying for your time. So when I started learning paying for your time, I started off with what I thought was high at the time and starting off at $800 cuz that's what I that's what I was just aiming for. And then next thing you know, my mentors are like, "No, bro. We got paid 3,000 for this.

" Hey, it's other things that you should provide to the table, bring to the table outside of just doing a haircut. So most recently, uh I worked on uh a commercial with one of my mentors, Pierce Austin. And uh shouts out to Pierce. Let me tell you the conversation. The OG the OG Pierce. Let me tell you the conversation though. Um he's asking for y'all don't know that's uh Wilm Barbara for several years. And um he he was the first person that told me told me that for movies you don't do haircuts, you create characters. So without him, I wouldn't have had the insight and set etiquette to be Michael B. Jordan's Barber for the first and second creed and um some other projects as well.

But we worked on a a Bad Boys 4 commercial and he called me. " He goes, "You know, um my my net is 14 days. " And when he said the number, just put it like this. When I first started aiming for $800, I was quickly humbled then by my mentors telling me I shot too low. Then when I shot for $2,000, I was humbled again by my mentors telling me that that was too low. So at this particular point, the last project I had did prior to this conversation, um, I had built 4,500 and I wasn't even there all day. And when what he told me that he got for the same amount of time was multiple not one, not two, not three, but multiple times what I build. And I'm like, Sensei, show me the way. Show gun.

Come on, man. Show me the way. And um all I can all I can continue to learn from him is that there has to be additional ways that you create value. hand. I learned that Will Smith has a different hairline for every project he works on because he's a character in different in different pieces. He's not getting a haircut. There's a character being created and he's a part of that creation of that character. And the IP that goes along with his idea for what that character looks like has additional value. And I'm like, why did I never think of that? Yeah, that that's the thing, man.

cuz I I I've always thought about that when you when you think about these commercials, these uh ad campaigns, these movies, you know, your work is being seen not just one time, you know, for that one time you cut their hair, but that that lives forever. Like I did a I did a cut on Grant for the Sprite commercial with um him and and um Anthony Edwards, right? And that's still that was still going on in the playoffs this year. That was like two years ago.

So it's like seeing these things kind of like you're seeing you say you see why you know certain people charge what they charge you know and and why it's important for you to be like yeah I'm standing on my I'm standing on my square it is what it is on this price. So without naming any the separation factor from it um that I learned from Pierce was that it's not just the haircut that has added value to what he's a what he's bringing to the table is that he's creating a different look for these individuals and because he's responsible for crafting it there's an additional value to what he's doing.

So once I understood that I had to learn instead of defeating my mentors to learn how to create characters. So, and the second uh Creed I was responsible for creating stuck doubles for the live baby and I had to create wig wigs and hair pieces for that and also for the first season of Bair I was responsible for creating some of the wigs and and the uh for some of the stunt doubles that was doubling in for some of the actors. And um as a specialist it's a different value that you have that separates you from just being somebody who only just cuts hair. And uh that's something that continues to be a part of of the game as you continue to learn and grow, add value.

Um like I I haven't mastered everything that I'm a part of just yet, but uh just to be able to see it and know it and experience it, um it's it's something to continue to aim for. Now I'm in a space now where I have a lot on my plate and I'm learning to dive into the things that have uh that respects my value the most. So, if there's any encouragement I have for the younger barbers that are listening is dive into what helps you have you be the most valuable, create a structure and a system that allows you to respect your time more than anybody else. And if you don't structure a way for you to respect your own time, it's going to be hard for others to respect your time at the same value.

And here's an example what I mean. A large amount of us have booking systems that have the value of our time associated with the value of a service because the systems are asking us how much time is being required to perform said service. We randomly pick prices for a haircut and we randomly pick prices for a shape up and randomly pick prices for you know haircut and beard, haircut and color whatever it may be. And if we look at everything for from the from the perspective of the value of each of your minutes a large amount of times, there's certain services that value at a higher price per minute, probably at $2 a minute or $150 a minute.

And then you have other services that may value you at 75 cents a minute. Those things don't make sense. So when other people question how much you charge and what your value of your time is, if you don't have that together, it makes it hard to even scale it because you're still allowing people to request and lock up your time at a lower value per minute just because of its industry standard. And that's the stuff I don't agree with. Man, that's that's that's a bar right there. You know, you got to know what you're really what you're really offering um and what your value add.

as you said, um, with you being with Andis for over I'm going to stay actually still in the in the basketball world and then we'll get to and if you don't mind if you have a couple more minutes. Um, but yeah. Okay. So, with us with you still being like the Let's talk about the era when you actually get connected to one of your most uh consistent clients now, Jimmy Butler, man. you know, uh, Jimmy Buckets, man, the most eccentric, uh, lightning rod in the NBA personality pool. How did you guys link up? So, we got a chance to connect when we were in Philadelphia. At this point in time, I'm officially the sixes barber.

Barber chair stays in the practice facility and it's my chair that's being used at the facility. And when he comes in, he's like, "Hey, I got a barber already. " But, uh, he get a chance to do a show with Kevin Garnett called Area 21. His barber couldn't make it. The the the crew, the the some of the staff members said, "Well, we got a barber on on staff. He's here right now. " He was like, "Man, I'm cool. " But then he looked in the mirror and realized that he needed a cut. And then he approached me, said, "Yo, the last barber that cut messed up my hairline. I had to knock him out. I punched him right in the face. No hello, no hi. This is hilarious. This is the first words. Yeah.

And most and 99% of the times in my interactions, I I would never use arrogant phrases or or statements. But in this moment, I felt the need to. Yeah. Because I felt slightly disrespected because you're assuming that I'm going to give you this same experience and you're already prepared to fight. From the beginning, I'm like, you don't know who I am. So my my statement to him was, "Hey, bro. Honestly speaking, I'm probably your barber's favorite barber, so we ain't got to worry about that. Come on, man. " But it was it was it was just interesting because when I once I got a chance to learn who Jimmy is, he's somebody who uh he talks a lot of trash to people that he cares about.

And when people stand their ground and have confidence and fight back, those are the people he respects the most. So at that moment, I earned his respect. instead of me fighting, I stood to fight in that verbal attack and it's it it humbled him and made him respect me. So at that particular point, I never I never got a chance to see who that barber was in Philly because of that. The barber he was using, he didn't start using again until after after he left Philly. But then shortly after that, pandemic happened, things shut down, this and the third. um during during the pandemic, he's had some challenges with the barber he was using.

" Picked up from there and haven't haven't looked back since. Did you do the uh did you do the bubble as well? So, I was invited to be a part of the bubble, but the challenge that I had was the unknown amount of time they would be there. The the the lack of family being able to be invited, and then the value of my time wasn't going to be compensated for what they was willing to offer because I wouldn't be able to maintain my barber shop. I wouldn't be able to still work with Andis. And then I still had that separation from my family.

I didn't find it to be something that was worthwhile just to keep the relationships I have because if I never had the relationships and the connections, I would have seen the opportunity as more valuable because it introduced me to have had those connections. But because I already had them, I was like, it doesn't make any sense for me to to disrupt what I had and lose time with family u for a short amount of time. They said, "Hey, if your team not going to the playoffs, you'll probably be there a month. If team goes to the playoffs, you can be there two months. If they go further in the deep the playoffs, you might be three months.

And I started looking at it from a potential for a three month standpoint. Being stuck, no coming in and out, just there. If you know you're meant for more, the network is calling. This is where trust is transferred. Join the network where series barbers position themselves for next level success. Opportunities to cut celebrities, executives, and athletes. Get exclusive mentorship and join private conversations with founders and industry legends. The difference is who you surround yourself with. com. Cuz you know that happened to me when I did uh FCF. I did uh SCF during the pandemic and it was fan control football. It was uh shot on Twitch.

It was the um football league where people can actually vote on the different plays. And the reason why I did take that opportunity because it was a it was it was one just a month. It was like 30 No, it was like 36 days. 36 to 40 days or something of that nature. But the best thing that happened was I was able to get two opportunities. So, not only was I cutting hair and getting paid for that, but I had two other additional shows. One called Deep Fade and then talking about practice where I talked to like Deep Fay was I was cutting hair and I was interviewing all the all the um football players just, you know, getting to know them.

And then talking about practice was where I would do like a it was like me talk it was like I was a John Gruden. It was a John Gruden show. So I was over there talking to all the all the um coaches and just asking them to break down the game and it was just dope, man. It was a fire fire situation. So I definitely want to know what you say because in that situation I was having to be I was having to get tested every other day. Could not leave the hotel. Could not have visitors. And so I just felt like I was in boy I was like dog I'm I've been locked up. Let me go bro. I felt like a kind of that bug. I like Yeah. I can't break no rules cuz I can't go to no jail. That that's not me.

I could have told him some considered it for 30 days. Yeah. 30 days is different. 30 days is different than 90. Yeah. 3 months is I don't care how how much of a magical place we are on Disney World. I can't do it. I cannot do it. But um so you know you guys you guys still hit it off after the after the pandemic, after the uh bubble and it just starts turning into an actual thing, man. So like tell me more about like how that experience has been with Jimmy as far as you know how how you how how he's impacted the way you looked at life as well.

So uh I think I think I had a opportunity to plant seeds uh into where his value is cuz the very first shoot that I did with him was a shoot that there was no compensation for and I walked into it not knowing. So by this point, I've had several experiences working for magazines, commercials, etc. " They was like I was like, "Well, listen, I don't I don't care how long it takes because I understand there may not be a budget today. I'll wait to be compensated, but I never agree to come to New York and not be compensate. Yeah. For credit. Yeah. So, I I'll be patient, but I still need the email for who I'm going to be sending the the uh invoice to.

" So, for years, JB has been in a situation where he's focused on keeping the main thing the main thing. He wasn't worried about being a household name. He wasn't worried about being a part of a bunch of different things. So I planted a seed like, "Bro, listen. Everybody has budgets. We're in the studio. They didn't get the studio for free. There's bunch of camera equipment. This stuff this a there was a bunch of stuff that actually is here that people are paying a lot of money for because they have sponsors paying them for their magazine that's helping produce everything they're doing.

" So as his team developed and focused more on um leaning into what he wanted to do, which is become somebody who used his likeness uh more, he jumped out there with several different brands. So at this point in his career, he's capturing so much content because it adds so much value to who he is and how much valuable a fire he can provide to the brands that he's invested into and the brands that he's partnered with so that he can be an asset to them when it comes to marketing. and he's doing a phenomenal job with that one.

Um, the only thing I believe is that when we first met was I was able to plant some seeds on how to how to have a different perspective of it and um I was I was pushing back on what the first experience was and from there things things have been nothing but up. That's dope, man. It's great to know when you're able to have an impact on your clients, especially now that you're like a OG. You're OG to them. Uh, I know that's a a different place for a lot of people because I know for us, we've cut a lot of our peers in a sense. " So, that's amazing within itself.

I mean, for all the barbers, you have you have something that um barbers have dreamed and wished of, which is your own clipper with Andis, man. And um I just want to I just really want to get into that because one you have been with and for what 20 years now since you said '05. Yep. So 20 years congratulations on your anniversary your 20 year anniversary. Um that's probably that has to be historic because I don't know any other any other brand ambassador.

uh especially nowadays where you know things turn over so fast and you know one day it's a new person in marketing another day they're trying to worry about their budget here and how they can cut corners there and how have you figured to have survived through all of these times and these transitions? Uh one of my mentors Jory Luster from Escirl said you have to embrace change or die. They can't fight about trying to keep things the same. You got to focus on additional ways you can continue to learn, grow, and add value.

So instead of me staying the same and just fighting for the same things, I've sat at defeat of many different mentors that help continue to add value to me so that I continue to stay valuable and relevant. That's the simple way. Now when it comes to the different changes, um I believe that the servant's heart of wanting to figure out how can I help and whenever companies have pain points, I've adjusted in different ways outside of just being a great educator has been decorated. My perspective is that that that isn't good enough.

there has to be some other way in which I can provide value whether it be marketing, branding, store merchandising, assisting, running shows, um scouting additional talent, various different things that are needed at the time that somebody else that might be shortsighted on. If I present myself as an asset to help assist in those ways, then I continue to add value beyond just me being uh somebody who's I bypassed the whole ambassador program because of starting through Ivan Zoot jumping me into being an educator.

So I jumped that stage, went straight to being an educator, but I served in many other capacities being a store merchandiser, evolving to become a lead educator, and now the official title I hold is North American artistic team lead, which I become responsible for helping create some of the content that I've used for Amazon, for some of the billboards, some of the the marketing materials that's used to help promote the brand in different ways. Um, as well as still doing education, whether it be in person or virtual. Dang. Hey y'all, that's why you're the goat, man. I don't even know why I need to We don't even need to argue, man.

So, now that you now that you're the director of North American stuff, that's the whole That's Canada and and and Mexico, right? That Canada and Mexico. Okay. Big continent. I see. Big big things. Big continent, right? tell tell us how the process of getting your own clipper started and how that like worked out and what made you choose the clipper that you chose. So, funny thing is I I never it never started with a desire. Um, you ever let somebody else's uh experience of somebody else's negative experience affect your viewpoint? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Um the previous but the previous director um what one of the previous directors and still mentor of mine Ivan Zuk he shared with me he says um Andis would never put somebody's name on a clipper outside of theirs and that's because Andis is their last name is a family run business. It's no slight to us but they just would never do it because if they would have it would have done been done for me. That's what he shared with me. So, I've never throughout the years desired to have my own name, but I've all and I' I've seen this from the beginning. One of my mentors, Gerald Larry, um he was an educator for Wall for a long period of time and he was the the barber for Boyce Men for several years.

He's been killing it in Philly and he was the inventor along with his wife of Black Ice Spray. Mhm. Right. Wow. Big money. Yeah. So, he was the first person that schooled me on how to be an educator. And from the beginning, back when I first started, he had a trimmer with his face and name on the packaging. Not on the clipper. I mean, not on the trimmer, but just on the packaging. Him, um, Christina, they had the package. They had the packaging. Those two had the packaging, but G Whiz had the same tool, but he had his version with his name on it. Gotcha. So, I came in the game seeing a barber with his name on the tool. That that was the first time I ever seen it over I mean 20 years ago.

I even had let me know then, hey, when are you going to have yours? Nah, that it's never going to happen. So, for 20 years, I've never had the thought that it was going to take place because that was just a different style and that had a different style of doing things and it wasn't going to be that. So, I'm in the office doing some of the official things we do with the engineers, going over some different things. And I just mentioned, hey, next year is going to be my, you know, my 20th year. And they were like, hm, let's let's let's celebrate it with something different. Now, what happened was we have a animal groomer named U Gabriel. Mhm.

Super popular for what transformations he does with animals. He'll take a a lab a labradoodle and make him look like Tiger because he's he's a color specialist. and they awarded him opportunity for have a collaboration clipper with Andis. Now his just had uh artwork on it. So it's still an Andis tool with his selected picked artwork and they did very well with it. And then um we had another educator part of the team that came up with an idea for a clipper but they did um that was done third party. It wasn't done directly with the company. " Mhm. So technically I'm the second within the Andis company to have it.

Um but um when the grooming artist selected his artwork, he only selected something that was his his print that he chose. I chose to instead of focusing on my accomplishments, I wanted to focus on nuggets of wisdom that I believe that barbers have been benefiting from over the years, but I didn't want to be done in a in like a a cheesy way. " So, I gave him the blueprint. " He worked his magic and he came up with this. Come on now. When I say the man got his own clipper and his cousin did the design. Come on, man. " Fire.

You figure out how you want it to look, but as long as that there's four nuggets of wisdom that's hidden within the artwork that there's a booklet inside of the clipper when they get it that explains a little bit more. But my goal was for anybody who holds the tools to be reminded of things that they can do that can allow them to be the most successful. I'm proud to say that this something that I believe is not just a clipper, but it's a work of art. It's a clipper with a cause and it has some unique features that is different from any other clipper on the market. And I'm going to break down what the technical things are.

Now, I chose to have the Andis taper blade on here because there's no clipper on the market that comes with the taper blade and a 28 to cutter. Mhm. The Andis Master comes with a 22 to cutter. Now, people don't understand, the more teeth on a cutter, the easier it is to create a higher precision haircut. We've seen a 28 to cutter with the surgical blade, aka the fade blade, but not with the taper blade. So, this is the only clipper that Andis produces that has the 28 to cutter with a taper blade that fits all the double mags. It's the same style motor that you find in the Andis Master and a lighter tool that has a quiet profile. So, it's a solid assassin. So, great tool the way it works.

Clipper for a cause and a reminder of the greatness that lies within you, man. Glory be to God, man. Y Hey, man. Y'all don't see what's happening, man. Barbers are changing the world and in a very thoughtful way. Um, Kenny, man, I truly appreciate you, brother, for giving me any time of your day. Uh, it's very valuable. As we already just heard, it's not a dollar a minute. So, I know I'm calcul. But, as you just said, nuggets, man, if you don't mind, we like to end the show with a a nice thing I like to call a two-piece nugget. You know what I'm saying? uh to finish it off the order, man.

Can you give us two nuggets that you would want to give one to upand cominging barbers and then two to barbers who are established but feel like they still stuck in a little rut. So either way you want to go. Uh number one, your your your network will determine your net worth and coming out to events serves more value than you have an opportunity to showcase your work.

you have an opportunity to actually build relationships with some of the thought leaders in the industry that will honestly benefit from knowing you because the only way that you can get tapped into know somebody truly is by being an interactive person in in life real life versus just virtually just think about this some barbers that may ask hey check out my work or I want to be seen how can I get on etc um that's the equivalent of a client coming into a potential client coming into your barber shop while you don't have somebody in your chair, but you do have somebody waiting and they say, "Hey, do me a favor. Spend time right now to go over my entire resume.

Listen to the entire body of work I had. " But everything isn't about the dollar amount. It's about the value of relationships. So my perspective is when you come and offer somebody to assist them, come into the barber shop and say, "Hey, do you need me to sweep the floor for you? " M got you. So when you come into an event looking to be an asset to the people that you want to connect with or do the things that you're doing so that you can actually connect and become much stronger together. The last thing I will share is that comparison is a thief of joy. M we're looking to compare ourselves to other people based off of what they've done and how far they've gone or how far they've exceeded.

But we don't know the journey. We don't know the story. We don't know the different things they've gone through or the different challenges that they've been through or things they fought to get to where they are. And where God has for you is for you. And when you compare yourself to somebody else, you disrespect the value that you have. I'm somebody who flies a lot and I have this thing called Clear. Clear uses my thumbrints to give me access to the seat. that's prescribed for me, that's designed or reserved for me. If you copy my thumbrints, you're going to fight for a seat that I'm already in. That doesn't cause you to be the most valuable version of you.

When you tap into fulfilling the the blueprint that God has had for you, you become the most valuable version of you. By you tapping into being you being unique and you being the most valuable version of you versus a copy, carbon copy of somebody else. Your seat might be in first class. Mine's might just have a little bit extra leg room. So when you look to be a version of me, you look to be uncomfortable. But when you look to be a best version of you, you might have more leg room. Amen. Listen guy, drop the mic. Listen, ladies and gentlemen, I love y'all. Thank y'all so very much. Kenny Duncan, you have blessed the people tremendously. And subscribe now to the pod barber podcast. Amazing.

We just got done speaking with the great Kenny Duncan. Get your own thumbrint, guys, because you might have a better seat than we might even have. And that's how we want to end it. Thank you so very much. So, we dropping on Mondays when y'all off. So, just know when you off, if you get an opportunity to watch this, watch this in your shop here. Here how the goats do it. You know what I'm saying? Like, we all, like you just said, all of us have our different way of getting to what we need to get to. Um, I'm a I'm a young boy from Morristown, Tennessee, Gwynette County, uh, Georgia. He from Philly, and we we met each other at a barber show and became friends forever.

So, find find your tribe, man. Love you guys. Kenny Duncan, love you, man. Thank you so very much, brother. Respect, brother. Uh, they know where to find you. Tell them where to find you real quick. org. Yes. Come on. Be great on Come on. On purpose, y'all. Hey y'all, this is the barber star. Every star needs a barber, but every barber ain't no star. Be a star, y'all. Love y'all. Peace out.