Hey everyone, Daniel Contreras (@dlucs_) here founder of The New Era Of Barbering. And today I wanted to kind of go over why some, why most barbers really won't get the success that they actually want to. And this isn't just going to be like, oh, you're going to work order or or just telling you to grind it out in that sense. But more so, because like, you know, most of that is aimed towards beginners, right? People who kind of do need a little bit more motivation and more push and S in my opinion I think that's a lot easier to do than what I'm talking about. What I would kind of want to focus this podcast on is more of those individuals who look, you know, you can do the work, right? Maybe you have gotten results or your business is pretty decent right now, right? Maybe it's in the five to 10 K range or maybe four to 10 K range, whatever that may be, it's consistent.You do, you know, you've been able to get clients, improve skillset, but incomes like this, thisDifferent sense of complacency and different sense of like, the business really doesn't grow anymore. It, it kind of just like becomes this redundant cycle. And that that's where you kind of lose the motivation to build something up. That's, that's probably a deadlier cycle than, than just starting up. Maybe I'll take that back. I think both are equally as hard, right? Because just to put respect on, on it is hard and difficult to get things started, but, you know, once you do get it started, the,The, theFire almost runs out. Once you reached like a comfortable goal, basically once you get out of like that scarcity mode, once you get out of that That survivalMode, right. Get to a livable means where it's like, cool, I'm making a little bit more money. I'm able to live. I'm not stressed out. And sometimes you lose that fire in you. Right. and I see this a lot of times with barbers in the program, we we're able to get them up in pricing, or they're able to have an uptick in business, see some growth yet. You know, they can't sustain that. Long-Term right. Somebody like tough who has gone from 35 to 110 months, look, that's not going to be like every single person. Right. Cause like, I, I think what he has done is been a Testament to, you know, him avoiding this pitfall which is, you know, once you get a, a uptick or you get some success, you get closer to like the overall goal, you don't let off the gas pedal.Right. And in terms it is, it is a more of a mental battle that, that you have to play with yourself more than a physical one, right. Because physically you can do the work. You can wake up every day, cut hair. It sucks. Trust me. It's not something you would want to do, but if you got to do it, it, I'll continue doing it. Right. and you know, the reason why most barbers they'll fall into this pitfall and they'll listen to other barbers advice from other barbers who are also stuck in this pitfall, right? Like, I'll hear on calls with people who want to, you know, be able to join elevate and mentorship to get out of this situation, you know, kind of ask them, how did you get here? Right. Like how do, how do we get at this place? So I know properly how to like, get you out of this. And it's always going to stem around, like, they've listened to like the older barbers that were out in the shop or in their city, or they went to a show and just talked to barbers who had been in the industry for awhile. And it's just the same redundant game that's being passed around. Right? Like in terms of, you know, build it up to this much, be happy or You know, it's, it's not really, like,I don't want to say it's limiting because that, that is kind of disrespectful to like anybody, but it is almost, I'm trying to find the right words. At least it is very unmotivating once you reach that, because it is, it is fairly easy. Once you kind of just get up off your, you, you actually do some work, you improve your skillset to be able to do like again, to maybe four to five to 10 K a month just cutting hair, very simple to do usually the F to, to get yourself out of that, because I do know that I have people who listen to this podcast who have very different areas of their business. Some are just starting out, some are at that beginning level of like making one to two K a month and are struggling and others aren't at that, at that level.Right. And that's who I focus on with working inside the program because, you know, to be quite honest, to get up to four to five K five, 10 K, like I said before, it just takes a little bit more work. You don't need me to chew you out to do that. However, to get from like that the five to 10 K in double and triple the income, we do have to do a lot of different things, at least in what I've seen. And, and who I've worked with, who is just like, you know, barbers I've worked with inside this program physically and structurally, they can't do anything else to, to do that, like that type of growth in their business and what we implement and have them at least now, now do inside their business is, you know, and put some systems and processes that will actually yield that high returns so that they don't have to kill themselves, add more services or cut more heads or cut fast, or do any of this other BS.And it makes it very simple and it's, it's almost very freeing and it gives the Barbara a lot of control. Now there is, I guess there's multiple sides to this cause honestly, I'll be very transparent. This is probably my third or fourth time recording this podcast today because I just didn't, I really listened to the previous ones. I just didn't like the direction that we're going in. And just refine things as well as like, again too, I've been out of, I almost forgot how to, how to like creatively come up with ideas for a podcast, or at least he listens, hear something and then be like, okay, this would be a great topic to talk on, on, onto a podcast. And then actually go off that it is actually a very difficult thing to do. And I kind of forgot about that, how to do that since I haven't been recording as often. But you know, with,With getting to that business, like we said before, most, most borrowers will fall into that pitfall and just complacent and cause it's comfortable, right? It's, it's comfortable. It's initially somewhere where you wanted to be at, but you also wanted to be farther along now, you know, with Barbara's in the program. We've actually, we've actually had talks about this too, because a lot of barbers in the program you know, will fall at some point in time, even if it's for like a week or two, right. It might not be that long. We deal. Some Barbara's will stay in this for years that are outside of the program. And the industry that I've talked to they've been in the cycle for years, but you know, it, it, it happens when you've had success and you just don't have that, that drive or that at that that's kinda like the best thing I could, I could, I could explain it as it's really the drive or, you know, like you kind of get in this mental rut of likeMan, you, you just, you just,You know what to do, but you know, it's, it's kinda hard and it's, it's kind of like, because it's a little bit harder, it's a little I don't want to say disarming, but it is a little it kind of turns you off from like working or it turns you off from like, ah, you know, if I just stay here, it'll be good and everything will be okay. And you know, we always have to go back to having a goal is great, right? I think everybody, of course, if you haven't already, and I think most barbers who are beginning cutting hair, hell I've even encountered some barbers who are at the five to 10 K mark, you have to have a goal, right. That's, that's larger than what you're doing right now. Even if you're at the five to 10 K per month, understand you can get it up to like 15, 20, 30 K a month. We're currently working with the barber, trying to get them up to at least 40 K a month in income consistently. I'm not going to say that that's possible as of yet, because honestly haven't been able to do it yet. So until then, we're just going to stick it to 30 K, but I have full confidence that at some point in time, we will get to that point. Now that can't be the only thing that you have, right. That can't be the onlyFocal point, because atSome point in time, let's say, let's say you're somebody who is making 5k and you want to, your goal is to make 20 K a month. Great, phenomenal goal. I think it's everybody has the who's making 5k has the potential fully within themselves To get to that point,If they do the right things to their business. Now what a lot of people up is that that is all they will have is just that goal. Right? and along the lines of when you are building a business, I mean, you're, you're, you're consciously and you're making the choice every single day to wake up, to get your kicked. Right. And eventually, even though that goal looks nice and sexy and amazing at first, it will Dole out and you will start to second, guess it. And he will say, ah, man, that I would do want that, but it's not too bad here. Right. Cause you just came from like a struggle place. And sometimes that, you know, that gap right from like, let's say you, like, you made this goal when you're making $1,000 right. A month. You, you want to make man one day I can make 20 K. I don't know if anybody has ever had that, especially in the barber industry. Cause most people that do say they make about a thousand a month only have ideally like they want to make 4k. It's very small-minded right. Which isn't bad, but like we should definitely broaden out. What's what's totally possible for, for a lot of individuals. So cool. You get your start a thousand, you get up off your.You, you take a little more responsibility in terms of making sure you are the business owner and not just, you have the employee mindset, you know, you show up to work, you improve your skillset. You know, have recurring clients build up more clientele. However you choose to do that. And you get it up to like five 5k month, four or five K month. Great. You still have the initial goal of 20 K, but that took a ton of work. And now, now, you know, this is where the mind games start coming into play because mentally you'll be like, oh man, you know what? That was like, I had to make a 4k jump. That was a lot of work. Now I still have like another $15,000 to go mentally. You start thinking like, that's like three times more of the work I have to do.And you start psyching yourself out. And you're like, ah, you know, what am I not? It might not be as bad to stay here. Or like, maybe I can't do that. Maybe I'm just gonna, I'll just settle here. That's what a lot of people like tend to turn towards when they get to that level. Because you know, it's, it really isn't that bad as before. But in a sense you can't think that way. W w and what, I always try to tell barbers when, when this does come up, let's say on Q and A's, or I'm working with the barber and they're able to get up themselves up and they find themselves in this mental rut, it typically surrounds it like, okay, cool. What did you do? Right. Cause of course, I mean, I I'm, I'm not, I'm nobody perfect. So I, I came across this plenty of times, still, like, you know, even like getting back into podcasting, I think I still had this, like I had to, I had to exploit this principle.And, and it's simply you know, not only do I have something as a goal, like that's pulling me towards, like, I'm being pulled towards something. I'm also like, you know, pushing, I have something pushing at my back right. Is like I don't want to be here anymore. And not to say, I'm not grateful for everything, you know, in terms of like my life and everything like that, or like situation, or just being able to breathe every day. Like, I'm very grateful, but I, I do, it's like this weird dichotomy where I'm grateful, but I highly dislike the fact that I'm still here. Right. I think that's probably the best way I could put it. And that's very possible to do. Right. You could still be. Cause I think people, sometimes they, they, they, they feel like either you, you know, grateful being grateful.You know, it's just a lot of people. I think they take it as like, oh man, you know what? I just got to be happy that I'm like making the 5k a month or, or whatever that may be. Right. You can absolutely be grateful for living. Right. Grateful for the things that you have and dislike making 5k a month. Absolutely. Right there. It's not like an absolute rule. Like either you're grateful or you, you dislike it and you're ungrateful about things like you didn't have these, like, you know, this manipulations of these ideas. And that really forces me then if I have an a it's really authentic, right? Like not like just, I say I dislike it, but like I genuinely dislike staying in a space for too long or staying at, you know, let's say it's income wise or business, you know, how how's, how my business is being run and everything of this sort of, if I have a high dislike for that, I have something pushing me.Cause now I have a reason why I can't stay here. Most people just, they don't have that reason of like, I can't stay here. I really dislike it here. I really disliked the fact that, you know, the person who I am is, is just staying stagnant and staying in the space, whatever it may be. Right. You ha you have to have that otherwise like some, like if, when you do have, like, let's say whatever goal you do have, there, there will become a point where it's not, it doesn't hurt as bad to be where you're at in terms of like, let's say you were at one K you would get at 5k. It's not, it doesn't hurt as bad life. Doesn't suck as bad as you were at $1,000 per month, as you are at 5k per month, but it's still not the goal of 20 K. Right. And that doubt starts to creep in that, like, you know, it's almost like that. Devil's like, Hey,All right, stay here. You're fine.And that's why I think it's a lot easier to, for somebody to go from like 1000 up to like five to 10 K cause you have that drive. You have that reason as to why you need to get yourself out of that situation to make those jumps to 15, 20, 30 K a month. I mean, that's, that's one thing for sure. Right? You can't, you can't get complacent. That's, that's part of the mental side about, about this at least podcast topic. The other side of it would, I would definitely say is, is having transparency of the business and like, you know, properly looking at the correct inputs. And what I mean by this is like a lot of barbers, their input to see their output or the result, like the input that they, the information input that they look at to I guess dictate the output result of if they're successful or not is the number in the bank account.Right. Which, or maybe it's just the number they make per month. And sometimes that can be very misleading, right? You could, you could be baking 5k a month and you could have a hellacious life, right. You could like really hate waking up and like really almost have a dislike for, for what you've built. And it's almost feels like a jail because it does at some point, like if you build the business improperly you know, it doesn't feel like it doesn't feel like a business. It feels like an actual job that you're like, you sold your soul to. And you're like, what the did I just do? And I want to three X, this, first of all, it doesn't, it doesn't work that way. Right. Just because, I mean like probably the way most barbers run their business, if they are making 5k, they want to make 15.You know, they have to do three times the work. That's not the case of what we do. Right. What we do, especially with elevate dementia and, and the new inside of the new era Barbara and the program that I run helping barbers get up to that two, three times income per month. You know, w we don't want to like, just do more work to create more income. That's very linear thinking. That's like flat line thinking. That's like, it's, it's, it's, it's really, it's almost what the perception of what building businesses versus the reality. The reality is that's going to break in, or it either two things will happen. The business will break or your mental, like Just, justOverall mental will break. Like you'll probably be in a crazy house or something. Right. Cause you'll just be really stressed out. And that's not what we want to do. Instead. We want to set up systems and processes that will scale with the business. So, you know, even if we add more on or we scaled the business up higher in and we want, and we see the income rising, our workload doesn't rise. In fact, it, it might stay the same, if not, probably for most barbers, what happens when they join the program, we're able to already get them making more without doing as much work, because most barbers and so much BS on that they really don't need. And we just simplify the business and simplicity wins longterm. And I think a lot of barbers have this really confused and it's, it's really sad to see a lot of talented people like being misled by a lot of wrong information.But you know, you, you, you kind of have to, yes, you have to have this, this understanding that, you know, what, not everything that you've been told in terms of what businesses, especially as a barber is probably a hundred percent true. It's probably not a hundred percent true. I don't know if I word that correctly. So we want to be, I want to make sure, I at least got that point across. It's probably not a hundred percent true. Most things that are here with on Barbara's on-calls who are doing the five to 10 K per month. Again, like I said, we go through in terms of like how they get here, what were the problems? What do they take? What, what, what, what's a thinking on this. And most times it's, it's always comes back down to their thinking is completely off. Like they have a perception, again, they have a perception about what businesses, but they'reSo separatedFrom the reality of things. And I think a lot of the Barbara industry is like that. The perception is you can't charge however much a hundred, 200 for a haircut. The reality is we have barbers in the program that do that every day and still continue to climb and raise prices and are still working at making getting up to three to 400 bucks a haircut. That's the reality of it. Right? the perception is like, could, because most people just, you know, most barbers, especially like older barbers just can't, they can't wrap their heads around it because they just never did it. They never knew how to run their business. They just knew how to show up and work and cut hair and then go home and do it again the next day, which again is fine, unless you don't want that type of like they have again, it's kind of why I, I, myself started questioning a lot of things because I just didn't agree with it.I'm like this doesn't not make sense. I don't want to have like, this guy's life. I don't want to be this, this years old, this many years old and still making the same amount that I am right now. And just, cause it just seems like they settled. And I think there are a lot of barbers out there that honestly feel the same way. I honestly didn't know how many barbers did feel the same way. I, I, I tell 'em Barbara in the program. I was very, actually not scared, but I was definitely like hesitant to like, you know, start putting out information of new era barbering or the elevate dementia program. Because I just didn't know how people would react to it. And that's just the reality. I D I really didn't know because you know, this, this it's, it's just like this industry, the industry as a whole has just been like turned on its side and heading in the wrong direction for so long that people just, I mean, they, they take it as truth, almost like they're almost blind to it which teaches own or her own of what, who, who they want to follow, what they want to follow and how they want their life to be like for me, I just, I, it just, it just never sat with me.Well, just, you know, of settling making the same amount per month and just, I went from one to five K and that's all I'm supposed to do and have a good life and like, be grateful for it. Right. cause like everybody was be grateful. Not everybody has the opportunity. I'm like, well, I want it more, you know? So again, the physical part and mentally these, these things can really you. If, if you don't have again, if you have the goal great, but you also have to have that really high distaste for, you know, wherever you're at and really pushing you of like, look, cause you're going to fall off. You're going to have days where you just don't feel like working as hard. It's a lot of responsibility and guess what it is kind of scary. Putting yourself out there building a business that is different from everybody else, whether it be, you know, charging 40, 50, a hundred, $200 a haircut, it is scary.It is, there is some uncertainty in there. But you know, if you have the right system process that will help you scale and you have that high distaste for where you're at. I mean, it's, it's to remind you of like, when you do get in those mental spaces, like, look, you can't say here, dude, like I know it sucks, but you got to get through it or you just gotta be able to I mean, it really just comes down to a logical choice that point in time. Well, you don't have to do it, but if you don't do it, like, you know, you know what you're going to be at, which is right here and you don't like it. So you're kind of just, you know, like what, what's worse, the pain of staying right here and like the dislike of saying right here or the dislike and in discomfort of like actually building the business and like moving forward.Right. And I think these things, sometimes they need to be brought to the awareness of an individual. That's why I think, whether it be you know, a coach, a mentor, or doing a program like elevated mentorship or anything else, like I'm sure there are other things in the industry that are, that are good. I don't know of those honestly, cause I just I haven't ever looked outside of there if I would, I would recommend it. But I would always recommend like, like go and find people that will at least help you broaden this awareness and also worldview that that's in tune with reality. That's like really one of my major focuses with a lot of barbers in the program is just like, look, if we can get your thinking right. If we can get you clear if we can actually make rational decisions you know, you're healthy, you're sharp mentally. You're not doing drugs. You're not, you know, you're not drinking and you know, the controls of the business, right? Obviously with the tracking, understanding how and when to read in terms of going up on pricing, by how much understanding your financial status and, and, you know, understanding what the market museum and bringing in and refining that and improving that. I mean, that's a very unfair advantage yetStill, you know, you could still comeUp against the pitfalls of look, you could know everything that you need to do yet. If you don't have that distaste or distaste, I don't know if I pronounced that correctly, that distaste for where you're at, or at least that unease. And like you, you just, you need something pushing you forward as well as like a directional point of where you are moving towards. Both are very, very important. And I know for myself too early on, I only thought I needed like a goal. I think I used to do that all the time. Like probably like in high school or coming out of high school, like let's say like lifting weights or trying to get in shape. I always had a goal, but I didn't mind eating cake. I didn't mind eating all this stuff. I didn't mind, you know, not sleeping or not being as healthy.Like I was comfortable doing that. So after a while, you know, that that drive, you know, and the pain of like the soreness and like getting up and training hard, it really got it, got it got really, really hard to do. And almost unbearable. And, you know, I just gave up until like, you know, now I kind of learned my lesson out of set up these things too and sure that can get like more longterm success. And I think these same principles they're universal. I really try to look at principles everywhere in life. And typically there'll be true in business. Typically there'll be true in relationships personal life, you know, you could see a lot of trends and things when you just can't focus on one thing. So again, that's you, somebody who is stuck, maybe you have built a business up to five to 10 K a month.You have aspirations of making more, look, just have a real sit down, talk with yourself. Are you actually comfortable? And it is something that's hard to come to grips with, right. Actually looking at yourself and saying, look, dude, kind of, you kind of let yourself up right here, but you know, what are you going to do now? Because you always have to at least admit yourself, alright, I up comfortable. And then you have to come up with a game plan of like, what are you going to do about it? Right. Sure. You're comfortable. Well, let's come up with a, a distaste or a dislike for where you're at. Right. And this also plays into like values, I think as well too. What you value in life? I think a lot of people value, comfort. A lot of people value peace of mind, which I don't think you should value like stressed or uncertainty, but you know, you should value.I think people have the wrong idea. A lot of individual at least have a wrong idea of what peace of mind they're going after a lot of individuals want like that peace of mind to not to worry about anything. Versus like just the peace of mind that you're on the right path and, and growing and like I'm proving things like there's, there's somewhat of a difference with that, right? Like you, you don't want the peace of mind where you're just kind of relax and you have no reason to like get up and move. I think a lot of people sometimes get lazy with that thinking again, too. I think I said on the last podcast, like, you know, some people like to go off on vacations where they get to relax. I like to go to two places where they energize me and like, I also just really don't like going on vacations because I don't, I don't enjoy taking that time off so to speak. I like, I like to travel. I don't like, I don't like the idea of vacation though. So, you know, with that I don't know, think I had anything else I wanted to say again too. This is, this is a much better recording. Last four will, will. No one will ever hear those other four, three or four recordings prior to this. They were justAtrocious. SoYeah, I mean, I plan on doing maybe a little bit more podcasting just in three next couple of weeks. I can't, I can't make a, of course promised to that, but look, if you at least found some value of this, first of all, please make sure to subscribe to the podcast as well as make sure you leave a rating. And if you do leave rating make sure you leave your Instagram in that review or rating, I guess. That way I'd love to check out your work again, if you also spound value of this make sure you go ahead and share it with one person that you found that you feel who was a barber that will find value out of this as well too. Maybe they're slacking a little bit, maybe they're falling off and they need a little kick in the button, kind of reenergize and refocus on what they need to be doing.And if you were sent this, just know the person who did send this to you, look, they actually care about your success. They're not on you at all. Maybe say thank you and Hey, pass it on as well, too, as well as like, look, if you are somebody who is in that position of making five to 10 K a month, want to go up to double or triple your income, you want the systems and processes and help actually to get there with what we are able to do inside of elevator membership inside of the new era barbering by all means, I'll go ahead and I'll add a link down below this podcast. If you're on apple music or Spotify there'll be a link if you're on listening to this on the new air barbering website, there should be a button that says join the program.All you have to do is just set up a, you can send an application then you can book a call with myself and we can have a chat. Right? We can just talk about like, what's going on in your business, you know, is it I guess in a position to grow, like where are you at? Where do you want to go? And really just make sure, you know, you're a good fit for the program. Because I, you know, I want to make sure this is a good decision for those coming in and actually makes sense for those. So again, too, if you have interest in joining the program, you can book called me by clicking the link down below, it should be something called either book, a call or join the Elevated Mentorship program from The New Era Of Barbering. And other than that, I will talk to you guys next time.
Daniel Contreras is spearheading the industry with his New Era model that helps overworked and undervalued barbers to work less and make more. His students are some of the fastest-growing barbers in the industry and he has helped them gain market dominance in their respected areas of business and online. If you're interested in getting out of the old traditional model of barbering and start your New Era journey, click the "FREE Demo Breakdown" button above to request a strategy session.