20/02/2025
My Story - Turning a Second Chance into Success
As soon as I got my barber’s license, I went straight back to work. I had left mid-shift to get licensed, but because I did an apprenticeship instead of traditional school, I was already fully booked. By the time I got back, I knocked out six more haircuts and made $300 that same day.
The best part? I was officially licensed—which meant I no longer had to cut hair under an instructor.
But let’s rewind for a second—back to my charges.
I had to go to court six times because of how I was pulled over. It was a complicated situation, and I knew I had to fight for my future. So I did something different—I got 15 character letters from 15 different people vouching for me. Even my dad wrote a letter to the judge.
When she read them, she cried.
She told me she didn’t believe I deserved to be in trouble, but she still had to follow the law. So she dropped all my felony charges, gave me court probation, and hit me with only a DUI for w**d.
No fine. No prison time.
If she hadn’t been kind, I could have been looking at 20 to 30 years in jail. That moment changed everything for me. I promised her, myself, and everyone around me that I would make something of myself and become a great barber.
With my license in hand, I was finally free to be my own person. I started bonding even more with the barbers at the shop and became part of the culture.
But I wanted more. Even though I had built my clientele in Taylorsville, I begged Joe to let me move to the South Salt Lake shop. I didn’t care that it meant starting over—I knew I needed to level up.
