The British Blacktrepreneur Podcast
Welcome to 'The British Blacktrepreneur' My name is Jason Lazarus
This podcast aims to promote black businesses, in the UK, educate entrepreneurs on all things business, and inspire you on your entrepreneurial journey. Growing up, business was just foreign to me, I knew nothing about it, I was taught that being a consumer and working a job was the only way to really succeed in life. My West African would preach ‘Education, Education, Education’ which I hated at the time but have grown to appreciate how invaluable knowledge is. My goal is to curate conversations with Black Entrepreneurs in the UK to find what their ‘WHY’ is. Furthermore, I’m on a mission to get black entrepreneurs podcasting! I’ll be dropping in my expertise about podcasting whilst bringing on inspiring guests to keep you going on your entrepreneurial journey.
The British Blacktrepreneur Podcast
The Secret Sauce Behind Slider Cuts' Celebrity Clientele (Ft. Mark Maciver)
Imagine transforming your passion into a thriving business while working with celebrities like Stormzy, J Cole, and Anthony Joshua. Our guest, Mark McIver, aka Slider Cuts, did just that as a barber in Hackney, East London. Listen as Mark shares his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a renowned barber, highlighting the impact of professionalism, dedication, and seizing opportunities.
We also uncover the power of social media marketing and how it played a crucial role in Mark's success. With a strong focus on delivering valuable content and engaging with his audience, Mark emphasizes the importance of being diligent in all aspects of your work. You'll hear fascinating stories of how unexpected connections and maintaining a consistent work ethic opened doors to international projects and collaborations with famous clients.
Finally, delve into the art of effective leadership and fostering a positive work environment in your business. Mark shares insights on cultivating a sense of community and family within his team, along with the importance of consistent branding in establishing a strong industry presence. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply seeking inspiration, Mark's compelling story and invaluable advice are sure to spark motivation and creativity within you.
Welcome to the British.
Speaker 1:Black entrepreneur. This podcast exists to promote black businesses in the UK, to educate black entrepreneurs on all things business and to inspire you on your entrepreneurial journey.
Speaker 2:Here is your host, Jason Lazarus.
Speaker 1:Okay, we are back with another episode of the British Black entrepreneur a podcast able to promote, educate and inspire. I hope the inspiration has been there. I really hope you've been enjoying listening to these last four episodes I have done. It's been really great bringing out content for you. I hope you enjoyed the conversations. It'll be great to hear from you. So you can at me on Instagram, at the British Black entrepreneur. If you have a business that you would like to promote, you'd like to talk about, then just hit me up with a DM. You can also email me at the British Black entrepreneur at gmailcom and you'll be able to find me there. Now, a few things actually I want to say Before we introduce today's guest and before we get started.
Speaker 1:I was talking to one of my friends the other day and he was like Jay Jay, you know, you've got more personality than you're showing. You seem nervous, you seem withdrawn, like you're not yourself, and I was like yeah, that's kind of true, because usually I'm quite. I like to think I'm funny and I do lots of like. You know different weird things. Not like weird, weird, just kind of like you know funny voices and trumpet. People laugh, you know, and all this. I've kind of categorized myself as a bit of a comedian, a little bit. You wouldn't know that, you know, by listening to me in the first few, because it's kind of getting started, you don't know what to do and blah, blah, blah. But I think you know being yourself is good And that's, you know, important. So, yeah, you are out there, be yourself and whatever you are doing, i'm going to try and be the model of that As I do these shows.
Speaker 1:All right, here we go. So who have we got today? So we have Mark McIver, aka Slider Cut. So now Mike McIver is a barber. He currently owns a shop in Hackney, which is in East London. We had a great conversation talking about a wide variety of different things How we got started off in barbering. We talked about branding, which is really really, really good. We talked about work, ethic, season opportunity.
Speaker 1:Mark has had the opportunity of, you know, trimming. I don't mean giving a haircut, that's what I say, and I say trimming. You know, famous people, celebrities, people that are quite well known, people like Stormzy, disney R School, anthony Joshua, to name a few. He's now got a shop. I think he's got about nine or 10 barbers in his shop at the moment, i'm actually a customer at the shop, so I've seen first hand how well Mark has been building his business, growing it. What he's built is fantastic, phenomenal, really really had a great time.
Speaker 1:I mean, I could have spoken to Mark for hours. We just had a great time talking about all the different things to do with his business And it was just great to kind of get inside his head as to how he thinks And he's always got a lot to say And he gives a lot of opinions. He gives great advice on Instagram. You know there's a lot of people giving things on Instagram like advice, but this is it's actually actionable, it's actually useful. You can use this stuff in your business. You can use this stuff. There's a great point I like you to hear when he talks about how he established, how he tried to find a great location for a shop and some of the steps he went through Really meticulous, step by step. So, yeah, i don't want to ramble on too long, i want you to hear this. So here he is. It is Mark McIver, aka Slider Cuts. Mark McIver, welcome to the British Black Trippinner. How are you today?
Speaker 2:I'm good, thank you. Thank you very much for having me on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, great having you on. Can't wait to get stuck into this conversation. One of the things that I really like about what you do is some of the vlogs that you put out on Instagram. Very encouraging for people, also quite funny. Where did the inspiration for coming online come from?
Speaker 2:That one online era. I think that's where it is. You get inspired by the culture that you're in and you're around. For me, it's like everyone was online. Things were shifting that way from YouTube. People weren't out there on content. I felt like I had something to say, So I was like okay, do you know what? I want to put some stuff online as well. That's where it kind of came from.
Speaker 1:Barbering, obviously, is quite an acquired skill. How did you learn it, how did you become an accomplished barber, and when did you kind of start this journey of cutting hair?
Speaker 2:I started cutting hair when I was about 13, 14 years old. That's when I picked up the papers for the first time. Just because we couldn't afford to go to the barber shop, so my mum or my older brothers would cut my hair. And then, when I got kind of tired of their haircuts and I'm on a good hair cut, should I say I was like, let me just pick up the papers and try it myself. And that's when I first picked it up And we still didn't have no money to go to the barber shop, even though I messed my hair up. So I continued cutting my hair And I just started getting better. Then I started cutting people like my little cousin, my little brother, people around my area, and they just slowly, just built up until I was like 18 when I got an official apprenticeship or internship or something along those lines in a barber shop And then I started working there and then from there, you know, just went on.
Speaker 2:I was in college at the same time when I started actually in a barber shop And when I finished college I realized I didn't want to go to university to study drama anymore. So I said, you know, let me carry on working. And when I decided what I want to do I'll go back to uni. So even during that time I did other things. Like you know, i did access to uni for social work, i did a personal training course on qualified PT, i've got to do a business course, i've got to even do a photography course. So during the time I was like looking at other things still. But I came to a point when I was like 23, 24, actually I think barbering is the thing you know. So into my career, when I decided that barbering was the thing I was going to, actually I was going to be my career.
Speaker 1:What was the point where you thought, like, okay, barbering is the thing that I want to do, because you mentioned quite a few different career paths there and all very different ones, quite divergent. So barbering what was the thing? that kind of the light bulb went off. This is what I'm really kind of want to do.
Speaker 2:I think when I did the social work course and when I did the personal training course, i don't know what happened It was just there wasn't even a light bulb. It was almost like I'm doing it and I'm looking at all these other courses, i just started realizing actually I enjoyed barbering the whole time, but I just didn't want to be like I hadn't explored other careers, you know, and that's what it was. More So I was exploring other careers to know that we could it. If there's anything else I wanted to actually do And I don't know about 23, 24, i just like, actually I think barbering is the thing I actually just want to do. Now I'm looking at all these other careers, i just think barbering is actually what I want to do.
Speaker 2:I don't know, wasn't it like a light bulb, was more sort of like a process to get me to that place? But fortunately, what I say just for people to know, which is always important to know, is that even though I was working from 18 to 23, 24, not really fully knowing if barboring was the thing I was going to do for life, i still treated barboring while I was in it as the thing I was going to do for life. So I took it very seriously, which meant that even when I decided that barboring was my thing at 23, 24, i didn't have to switch up any of my characteristics because I was already doing the things I was supposed to be doing. I didn't have to be like, okay, let me start taking it serious. Because, no, even though I wasn't sure about my career, i was still taking it serious as if it was my career for life. And that was what helped my career, because I built up a lot of a massive good foundation.
Speaker 1:And I just want to put a little bit about your book Shaping Up Culture. What was the inspiration behind producing that piece of literature?
Speaker 2:That came from just the community.
Speaker 2:I'm coming from seeing issues within the community, where I'm coming from seeing things which I just felt that people were doing incorrectly or not understanding how to do things and constantly talking about it in the barbershop. Because we know the barbershop is like a, especially for black people, is like the hub of the community And that's where you debate, where you discuss things, you know, where you let out your trauma, all those different things there, right? So where I'll speak to people at the time, i'll see things I was just doing wrong. There was this moment I'll say there, actually, there's this actual moment actually, where there was one day we were talking about businesses and talking about supporting small businesses And I went into this rant in the barbershop like talking about we're always talking about supporting businesses. We're always talking about we should, you know, the smaller businesses and all these different things, right, and I got really annoyed because, like, people are always saying these things, right. I was like how many of yous go and shop in big businesses because it's cheaper than the lady who's selling, let's say, cocoa butter in the market And you complain that she sells it for one pound more But don't realize that she has to sell it for one pound more because she's buying a lot less. And this is what the rant was about And this was exactly what I was saying.
Speaker 2:I was saying she buys a lot less, so she can't get it. She's not buying a thousand to 10,000, she's buying 50. So she buys it for more, so she has to sell it for more. But then you complain, saying you're not paying more for it. You're going to the bigger business to get it for cheaper. But then you're sitting here talking about support and talking about what everybody else should be doing, but the little things you can be doing, you're not doing. And it's always pointing the fingers at the leaders the prime minister, you know, or even the community leaders, the pastors, the youth leaders, whoever it is right, you know, always pointing fingers at everybody else. But the little things we can do, we don't do. And I remember having this rant and that was basically what it was about. It went on for longer than that, right.
Speaker 2:And when I finished talking, everybody was just silent in the barbershop just looking at me, and they all started saying things like oh yeah, side of the cuts, you know, side of the president, side of the prime minister, you should just like running jokes, right. But I realized at that moment that everybody was so attentive to everything I was actually saying as well, as I was doing this youth group in church, where the youth were always saying to me that they thought that I should do talks online because the way I put out information they thought was really relatable, you know. So, with all these little things happening, i said you know what? actually, yeah, i have got opinion on a lot of things. So, you know what, let me start doing blogs on YouTube, you know, and I came up with the name shaping up culture, because it's all to do with shaping up the culture, you know, and it's obviously double meaning shaping up me. Being a barber, i shape up people, you know. Now, through the barber, i'm trying to shape up the community. So, you know, came up with shaping up culture and I started doing these blogs online and blogs as well.
Speaker 2:And after I've done probably about 12, you know, episodes per se, i realized I've got a piece of work here. This could, this could actually be a book. So I, you know, i took it to a friend of mine or someone I know who used to go to my church. He didn't take it to. I saw it at our wedding and I said I've got this idea, i've got these blogs and I'm thinking about turning it into a book. What do you think about it? Because I know that she was working at a publishing company. I wasn't even pitching it to her. I was like what do you think of it? What's your opinion? Because it sounds interesting that the next day she came to me and she pitched it to her publishing company and showed them all the videos and all the blogs and suddenly they're like we want to sign this book. And I was like right, i hadn't even properly been put out there yet and suddenly now I've really got a deal. And that's how shapecom became about.
Speaker 1:Obviously, it kind of ties into you being an educator and enlighten enough for people and some of the key points about being the heart of the community, I suppose, enabled you to have those kinds of conversations and ultimately led you to have your book. I want to transition now into kind of social media marketing. That's something that you promote quite heavily and you give some instructions to people on Instagram about how they should, for example, publish their bios. That's kind of why you kind of is. I know it ties into your shaping up culture book. What was the cause of you doing that for people?
Speaker 2:You know what I always say, that I've got a big mouth, like I can't keep the information to myself. I think that's what it is, because people throughout the years have always said to me you should sell this information. Why are you giving this out for free? Aren't you scared that if you tell people this, you're going to have more competitors? And I'm like, maybe, but I just can't keep things to myself. So I'm really kind of like always trying to push people in a sense, and I guess it frustrates me when I look at people which are maybe have potential, but they're not fulfilling their potential. So that's the reason why I put information.
Speaker 2:And also a big thing about it as well is that there's so much information out there that you have to pay for. The information is out there, but there's so much information you have to pay for, right, but where I'm coming from, when I was a kid, as example, i wasn't one of those kids. I didn't have the money. So I always think about my younger self who didn't have the money, who would have liked to have this information or that information, but couldn't afford to go to that lecture or that seminar. So when I think about my younger self and people from my community which are like me, who don't have that money but would want that information. I'm always thinking about how do I get that information to them? So social media is a free way. It costs you nothing to sign up, except for your internet bill. So when they're already on there as well, i'm like well, i'll give out this information for them so that they can actually learn, and it doesn't cost anything.
Speaker 2:Obviously, I'm still a business. I still do things you have to pay for. There are things outside of that you have to pay for. I give out a lot of free information. So someone like myself when I was younger, i guess if I had that information around me, i would have optimized that. I would have taken that on, And if I didn't, then I'd have no one to blame. I could never say, well, nobody wants to help me, because it's like well, you've got platform like that that all it costs you is a follow. Follow that person. that person's giving lots of information. Go onto YouTube, follow that person, that person give you a lot of information. I go on YouTube and I follow different accounts that help me with different things, from whether it's business to social media, to marketing and just things like that. it's free, so to somewhat freely come, freely give.
Speaker 1:Now that you've had opportunities to travel abroad, to work with different brands and to do some hair in different countries, how did you kind of get those opportunities to go out there?
Speaker 2:Hard work. To be honest, it sounds like a cliche, but the way I got these opportunities came from just working hard and working diligently and working professionally something and and and and. So working hard, diligently and professionally, and I'm saying, and again, okay, yeah. But so people ask me that a lot like how did you get this job? How did you get a job? It's literally just doing what I'm supposed to do, like I've got a chapter in the book which is which says you're always in an interview. That's the chapter, the name of the chapter You're always in an interview.
Speaker 2:If you behave throughout life like you're always in an interview, then you will get the best out of yourself, which will mean that you will grab more opportunities, even when you don't know these opportunities, because you're always doing the right thing. If you act in a way where you're only trying to do the right thing when you think the right person is around, you're going to miss opportunities because you're not going to realize that yourself, jason, is the right person, but I might not see that, so I might act. The fool acts in a very silly way or act in an unprofessional manner around you because I don't think you're the anyone that can offer me anything, or I can be on the street arguing and fighting or spitting on people because I don't think that anybody around there is anything that can benefit me or whatever it is right And not realize that actually Jason could be offering me a great opportunity. Or that person on the street at the bus stop when I was arguing and fighting actually was the boss or the interview I was going into tomorrow. So they've already interviewed me with all the interactions without even knowing it. And that's why I was always like you're always in an interview, and especially when you don't realize nobody's watching, that's when you're actually being properly interviewed, when you're acting in your normal manner. So for me, long way of saying it, a lot of these opportunities have come because people have been watching me when I didn't know they were watching me And like, for example, i do these fashion shows. That came because somebody recommended me who was following me on Instagram and liking the work I was putting out there, liking my approach to work, my attitude. So one day they needed some afro hair barbers and this lady recommended me. I didn't know she was, i don't know her, i know her now. I mean, i didn't know her, i didn't know she was following me. I don't know who she was. Even when I got a job, I didn't know where it came from. I found out later that's where it came from, but that's because she was interviewing me when I didn't know I was being interviewed. And because I was doing the right thing, i passed that interview stage And then we had these other opportunities that come up.
Speaker 2:It comes from that just working, and why I say this thing? where? from young, from young in a sense, or from years back, the description of Bible, which is the Colossians 323, which is just saying work on to man in a sense like you're working on to God. So work in your everyday life like you're working on to God and don't acknowledge almost like your human bosses and stuff like that. Almost put God in that position instead And it just made me always think that if I'm working like God to my boss and let's take God out of it, actually, if your boss was next to you when you were working all the time, your boss would most likely get the best out of you because you got to be on your best behavior, because your boss is right there.
Speaker 2:When your boss is in there, you slack a little bit.
Speaker 2:Cool, take a break.
Speaker 2:Right now.
Speaker 2:I'm on boss, not here.
Speaker 2:Oh, slow down on your work.
Speaker 2:You slack a little bit because your boss is in there. When your boss is there, you're on your best behavior. And I was like, well, if you replaced your physical human boss with God and realizing that God is always there and you're working on to God, that means you always get the best out of you And that links into always being in an interview and doing the right thing and always being the right person, just working on yourself, period. And that's how a lot of these opportunities have just actually come, because I've just kind of like, covered all areas to be a better person and to work correctly in all senses, and then I just suddenly, like this person called me for this opportunity, that person called me for that Can you come to America? Can you come to France? Oh, we've got this shoot, we've got this advert. And obviously another thing as well is just to make it not to act like I'm just working. It's also as well. I've been working in a certain way, but also I put myself out there.
Speaker 2:I'm on all social media platforms, i'm putting regular content out there, so there's marketing aspect to it as well. I put out content all the time. I have a niche in a sense. I started showing the barbershop in a way that people couldn't see it Like. I have a lot of people who are not interested in barbering but follow my page because they get to see the inside of a barbershop And this might be like a woman, let's say, a white middle-class woman, who is not married to a black person. They don't have, or their child doesn't get, let's say, like fades or stuff like that. So they've got no reason to be in the shop. Right, they will watch my page because it gives them an insight into a world which they never can see, because I'm showing them the banter, the laughter, the haircuts and all the type of things there. So there is an aspect of marketing that has gone into also people being drawn to watching my page and then seeing me and then being like okay, we think you'd be good for this opportunity.
Speaker 1:That's brilliant, And it kind of segues into kind of what I want to ask you next. I know that you've trimmed. You know celebrities, people that are quite well-known Stormzy, Dizzy, Rascal, et cetera Did you get those opportunities similarly by being diligent, or was there another way in which you managed to acquire that kind of clientele?
Speaker 2:I would say diligence. obviously, diligence it's diligence and just working Because, yeah, mostly opportunities have actually come from people seeing my work, you know, and they've come from different places, but it's come from people respecting my work ethic and respecting the work and the quality of work I've been out there. So we just do a couple of examples. Let's say, someone like Stormzy. Stormzy came essentially actually where the heart of it all started is. there's a lady in my church who worked for this company and she recommended me to be on. what was this thing? It was just not random acts, it was this thing. I've done this YouTube show I've done, right, where I was teaching someone how to cut hair And she recommended me for that job. Now, through that job, when I did that job, i was talking to someone who was Stormzy's friend and along the show of it, she recommended me to Stormzy and I said yo, let's check out this bubble. But that also came from because she saw my page. She started looking at my haircuts. you know, when we're on the shoot, then the shoot, right. She started looking at my haircuts. Oh good, you good haircuts. It's a nap. Yeah, yeah, she's message Stormzy, yeah, stormzy, i think this barber actually be good for you, right? So my work was there one because I had a portfolio of work for her to look at. But at the heart of it, the opportunity came from this lady who recommended me because she thought she likes what she sees of me, what I'm doing online and my consistency, and sees that I'm good at my job. She recommended me for that job. Then, on top of that, i had my portfolio when this other girl I was teaching her how to cut hair on this YouTube show And then she recommended me to Stormzy. So it's kind of like what that has come from isn't like something in particular I've done. It's just back to diligence, my work they get recommended for the job in the first place, my quality and my portfolio that I have a portfolio of work so that when I was on the shoot, stormzy's friend could look at my work and be like, oh, this is good work and recommend me.
Speaker 2:We look at someone like, let's just say, j Cole. for example, when I cut J Cole that just came from again, my sister-in-law recommended me, gave a gift to someone. one of our friends said come get a haircut, she'll cover the haircut, or that. right, i cut this guy's hair. I don't know, he isn't anyone, just a guy cut. He came to me about six months later. literally, i cut his hair again. that was it I can't. a while later he randomly rings me and says, yeah, i'm with J Cole right now and he's a haircut and can't get through to Barbara in normally cuts him in London. Can you cut his hair today? I said, yeah, cool, no problem, i won't cut his hair. But that came from this random guy who I know nothing about, back to always being in interview and always just being the right person and always just giving out a proper service to everybody. So suddenly this guy calls me because he's suddenly with J Cole, which is like what are you doing with J Cole? So now I cut his hair. And then another thing there's loads of stories, but there's another quick one Liv Brun, james, right, that came from.
Speaker 2:I cut this guy 12 years ago, long time ago actually, in a barber shop. This guy came to the bar shop, sat down. he's a nobody. I had the busiest queue as well. I remember the Wednesday I had the busiest queue and I had all these appointments and all these people waiting And all these other barbers which were working were being like they kept on taking breaks in between haircuts, just being slow, and I was just getting to everyone. So I got to this guy who was last in the shop, right When Rizky, i shouldn't have got him, i should not have cut his hair, someone else should have cut his hair But I got to him, i cut his hair. he was out A year later he came back and now he was waiting for me because he liked the haircut.
Speaker 2:he got from me last time And he was tore, dark skin, with an American accent. So I said to him I remembered him. I thought, oh, you know, what are you doing in London? I can hear your accent. He's like oh, yeah, my family live here. I used to live in London. I moved to America 10 years ago when I got a scholarship because I played in the NBA. I thought, oh, you're playing in the NBA. He goes. yeah, who do you play for? He goes, i play for Houston Rockets. I said, oh, okay, cool, but now he's like every year he comes back to see his family because this is where he's originally from. So every year he came back. he came to me. now, now that came from someone who I had no clue who he was And it's not even two. a year later I found out who he was. I just cut his hair and gave him a good service and gave him a proper haircut, because he's in my chair.
Speaker 2:The Olympics happened, he plays in the NBA. They know he's from London. He's named Pops Mensa. They're like you know, recommend us a good barber in London. He said, yeah, come to my barber. And that's how. the longer short of it, lebron James. when the day came, there was a few of us, because there's so many people cut, they hide a few barbers. LeBron James came into the room and was like who's Pops Mensa's barber? He goes who's Pops's barber? I was like, yeah, i am, i call you my barber And that's how I cut his hair. So there's loads of stories where it all comes from. actually back to working correctly and not trying to be the right person when the right person is around, but just trying to be the right person, period, doing good work, putting that quality work, being consistent, doing all of these things. There's no quick shortcut to being like suddenly just do this and you'll get there. No, it's just years And it doesn't even have to be years. It's just consistently putting out good work and being that right person.
Speaker 1:Now you've established your business now in Hackney. You've got your own shop now and lots of barbers that you work with in that shop Now. previously I know you worked in a shop in Islington with other barbers. Now you've established your own Slider Cuts business. What were the steps in you acquiring this new shop in Hackney? How did that happen for you?
Speaker 2:The steps, find the right location. With the first step It was long. That took me two years to find the right location. I was on Zoopla, i was on Right Move All the Time. How I eventually found this place was when I realized I couldn't find the right location because basically the steps are.
Speaker 2:For me was almost writing down all the things you want on the location and for my premises. So you might say I want a shop that can hold eight chairs or 10 chairs or 16 chairs, so that's one thing you're looking for. You might say I want parking. This is one of the things that I wanted Parking outside the shop where you could do pay and display and park. One of the things I'm looking for. Transport links How close is it to train stations or train station and bus links? Another important thing the location I also had to be where I had to look at my demographic of people that I would generally be serving, which I knew was kind of the Afro Hair Barbershop. Although we cut Asian hair, we cut European hair. I know predominantly it's the Afro Hair Barbershop where I'm opening up, so it's kind of like are there customers in that area? So I had to find all of these things right To find kind of like.
Speaker 2:First of all, actually, i skipped a step. The first step was actually finding where would they're going to be in said Black people, because I knew my demographic of people I was generally serving. So it's kind of like, okay, where are those areas? Cool. So I found a location like that I said, okay, shortage is a good location where it's surrounded by Black areas, where you're thinking about Dallston, hoxton, hometurn, hattie, central, partially Islington. And I realized that there wasn't any Black barbershops in that area. So I was like, okay, cool, first of all, that would be a good location to go to because it needs a barbershop. Then it was kind of like okay, i need to find a space that has parking outside, that is near the train station, it's not far from the buses. That was the second step. So you go on a Zoopla right, move, all that kind of stuff there looking for places, can't find places.
Speaker 2:So what I eventually did was I went to the location that I thought were good and started knocking on doors. I started saying, okay, this sounds random, but would you be willing to sell your place or anything like that, or are you thinking about it? And I just started looking at locations like and. When I came to this shop here where I'm at right now, which we're in right now, i knocked on the door and said, yeah, good location. It's got parking right outside, the train station's just over there, bus stop over there, all of those things there, right. I knocked on the door and said, look, this sounds random, i know, but would you be willing to sell, Are you thinking about it? And the guy said do you know what? We're actually thinking about doing that right now, because we have two shops on this road and we're looking to combine them into one. And then, long show of it started a process with them And that's how I eventually acquired this shop. That was the kind of logistics about getting a shop.
Speaker 2:After doing that, then you have to do building work.
Speaker 2:You know I'm finding the right builder. I didn't find the right builder. It took me about three builders to find the right builder, two or three builders to find the right builders. I lost lots of money doing that, which I've learned lessons now which I tell people, and this is the reason why I tell so much online because I have done you could say failed or done things the wrong way so many times that when I found out the right way, i'm like I don't want other people to go the wrong way, to go the right way first. So it's kind of like, since now I've learned and I've paid the cost. Now let me put that information and say, okay, you guys don't do the same mistakes. You know that's it. Make so much mistakes. I don't want you to make the same mistakes. So that's what I went through.
Speaker 2:You know, find the right spot. Then you know, find the right builders. And even while I opened up the shop it's good to work with still going on. And then also another important thing is like marketing and promotion of your shop. Now, for me that was the kind of easy side of things because I've been marketing for so long And for so long people assumed that Slider Cuts was a barbershop. Already because of the amount of content I put out there, because of the brand collaborations which I already had, it was almost like my brand was bigger than the business itself. When I was Mark McKay of a Slider Cuts cutting in DNLs, the brand of Slider Cuts was bigger than where the business was.
Speaker 2:People assumed it was a lot bigger, but it was like no, i was just a person cutting hair in a shop, but they thought no, slider Cuts must be this big thing, because you've done that Facebook campaign and you've done that Nike campaign and you've done that thing and you've done that and you've got these followers and you've got this much content. You must be something as a business bigger than that. So that for me, when I opened up the shop, i was catching up, so I was never fearful of the promotion. But if somebody else was opening up a business, it's like you need to really be pushing your promotion and need to focus on those areas. I was only focusing on those areas before I even had a shop, so I was, as I said, i caught up when I opened up the shop to be like, okay, now the brand and the business are now aligned in the same place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i must admit, i did actually think that I remember speaking to my friend thinking, oh, slider Cuts was like a business or a shop. I didn't know it was you. So, yeah, that's actually true. Now, one of the things I'm a beneficiary of coming to your shop as a customer, and it's been really good to see how you got lots of different barbers working and how kind of the camaraderie and how you guys get along. It's really good to kind of be an observer of quite comical at times as well. Have you been able to sort of galvanize these guys together and create such a great rapport amongst them over the past? well, i think it's two years now.
Speaker 2:Two and a half years now. Yeah, leading by example, like being the person you want your shop to be very important. Be who you wanna be, be who you wanna see, be the person you wanna get with. Be the person you want to be. Be that person who you want your clients to be and reflect what you want right. So, for me, as leading by example and being open.
Speaker 2:So, first of all, leading by example and finding the right personalities should I say So? when people I would interview people to come and work in the shop, it's very important for me that they had the right attitude. More than just being a good barber, you want good barbers, but I was kind of like I would rather find barbers that I would help train up and get better with the right attitude than finding someone who's a good barber but has a horrible attitude, because a horrible attitude can just set the environment all wrong. So for me, it was looking at that. So that's why we got all the younger barbers who start, and some of them can't cut hair or were horrible at cutting hair. But if you got the right attitude, i'll work with you. And even all the barbers that work here have all improved, even the barbers who came here and were decent barbers already have improved. But for me it's kind of like finding the right attitudes in personalities And that's kind of how I've done it And then also leading by example.
Speaker 2:One thing I do when barbers come here especially is I always let them know some of their strengths and the things that they're better than me. I always let them know I'm the head barber, i'm the head barber, but I still let people know that you're better than me at that Or you're really good at that. Oh yeah, i need to get some lessons from you about that. And what that was doing was if the head barber who's supposed to be quote unquote is supposed to be the best barber, right, can come and say that well, actually you're better than me at doing that and can ask that person for help, then from straight away, them coming into someone else's business not being the head barber, not being the owner, not being the boss or whatever up there, knowing the position they're in seeing the boss doing that, they straight away are humbled. So they straight away feel like, okay, well, they can ask for help because he's asking for help. So why can't I ask for help? And if I'm saying, actually, you're good at these things and I'm saying, oh, you should really help me with this, or I start giving them advice about improvement on things They don't feel so. It's not that there's no pride there, because I've led from example, by dropping any of my pride, to show you that you're better than me at this And you're good at that and you can help me with that.
Speaker 2:You know one of the even young yesterday, one of young barbers in here. He's a young barber who I'm helping to get better and I said to him you're better than me, you're better than me in doing sizzle work. I thought you're ready to learn to do sizzle work. He goes all. I learned here and I went on YouTube and I don't know these kinds of stuff. That's yeah, you're really good. I said you know you're better than me, right, because, oh, you know I can. You know you want to. I can give you some tips on it. Oh, yeah, cool, why not straight away? You're one of the junior barbers talking to the head barber about helping him out with something.
Speaker 2:You cannot have pride now In anything when it comes to getting help and just setting that example from the front. Like often, you'll see me talking about stories of things where Quote-quote, bad things happen to me, on the victim, or it's embarrassing I tell those stories as well, so people can feel comfortable about talking about these things and we don't create this environment where Everybody's the best at everything and I'm the man and no one's ever slapped me up and no one's ever been better than me And I've never lost a race and you know I passed every exam and you know, like just having to create this bravado kind of like I'm just the best at everything and everything. You know I'm just a man. And When you set that example from the front and I've always, always important to set that example from the front then the people underneath you will follow Suit and that's how I created that environment, you know.
Speaker 2:And obviously, on top of practical things, you know We have team meetings. You know we go out for dinner every now and then. You know We do things where we gather things together, where you know someone's having like a baby, that's all. Just had a baby in a shop just now and you know we put money together and bought him a gift. When I had a baby, they put money together, they bought me a gift. What my people presence, you know, just like one-on-one conversation, just like have built that whole thing of being really focused on building a community Environment and family environment among the stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good stuff. And kind of just before we wrap up, because a few more things I want to ask about actually to do with the branding of the shop. Now You've got the different sort of names of the different types of haircuts and you know, against the grain, etc. And everyone's all went there Slider, cut, hoodie or t-shirt and it all looks, it all simulates, it all looks together. So why was that something that you plan prior to have that kind of synergy and together listen to regard to the branding, like a consistent branding?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was so. Even when I was, you know, managing the shop I did before, i always had these ideas of wanting to create even uniforms. I'm there, but it's just difficult because of the setup at the time. Right, i knew that when I came to open up my own shop, i had this idea where I want to have uniforms and I wanted to keep to a brand Color scheme, you know where it was consistent throughout. So, where, you know, i got the black and white, you know on color scheme, which everything's black and white, except for these Red pelkings you see in the back, which is, yeah, which is a partner of mine, you know, kelkin, kind of like a partner of mine in, since you know we do the side cuts, kelkin. So where I partnered up with them, i also take some of their stock as well, which is their blue and red stuff as well.
Speaker 2:But outside of that, hey, everything you know. You look at you, like the band you brought, it was like black and white. The car machine, black and white. You know everything. If I can pick up random things just around me right now, like Everything is black and white. The gloves, like my Bob gloves, black and white. My t-shirts, black and white. You know Everything. Look dust across black and white. I don't even have to search, i'm just picking up random things around me. You know everything is black and white. And once I got that color scheme you know my book, look shape, my culture, the book, the mast you know black and white, you know my. So once I got that color scheme, it was just easy to run with.
Speaker 2:This time It's kind of like yeah, okay, let's keep this consistent with everything the colors in the shop. When we look around the shop, you know The clock is black and white. You know the desk I'm on right now is black, but then the thing above it is white. You know, if I just push this back a little bit, looking behind me is black and the cupboard is is white, you know. So, um, having knowing what my brand scheme was, it's kind of like yeah, i wanted that uniform throughout the whole shop, from the people, even those trainers. People, you know, can't come in here wearing red trainers. I've. You know they can wear whatever they want shoes or trainers but it has to be black and white or black or white, whatever you want to, but keep to that color scheme. Yeah, that was important. We did have that kind of like that uniform and that kind of like to give in this in the shop from the people to the actual aesthetics.
Speaker 1:Mark is been great interview you today. If people want to find out more about you, where can they go? website, social media.
Speaker 2:Um, wwwslidercutscom and on social media. I'm on every platform, basically all the main platforms, anyway under slider cuts. So you know, if you just even go to Google and type a slider cut, you'll find me. I'm there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, guys recommend it highly when they get a haircut. Fuck. Check out slidercutscom and go to his Instagram. He would do a great job for you, as well as the other barbers in the shop too. Mark McIver, thank you for joining me today on the British Black Trip.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 1:Well, i hope you enjoyed that interview as much as I did. I had a great time speaking with Mark genuine, authentic, really good guy, great character, and He's just so diligent in how he applies himself. It was just so good to have that kind of conversation and, as you know, i love to kind of reflect after every, if not all the episodes on just some of the things that I really found to be quite useful. Now mark said something in the interview. He said you're always in an interview and that really struck me as to how We conduct ourselves, whether it's at work, business, in life, families, parents Somebody's always watching you, somebody's always seen how you're doing. Is it pleasing on the ice? You're doing the best job. So, whatever you're doing in business, how could you Apply that principle of somebody's always watching me? Let me do the best job, regardless if it's for 50 pounds or 500 pounds or for 5,000 pounds. You know, whatever it is, doing it with diligence. And I love the way he applied some You know the core spiritual principles towards that, which was really good. And again, it's just really about how do you Apply yourself every single day, and that was incredible. There's so, so much We could kind of unpack and talk about. I'm hoping to bring Mark on again, you know, maybe later in the year and we might touch on another subject, because I feel like there's a part to to this interview Not that I'd let him know yet, but it would be great to have one again.
Speaker 1:So, folks, i hope you enjoyed that today as much as I did. Once again, if you are enjoying the show, please give me a rate, review and subscribe. It does help others find the show and it really just, you know, kind of encourages me to keep going. Really, i mean this for the long haul. I really want to produce something that you were going to enjoy, because I really want to see that business Really doing well and it's my ultimate goal to really promote them. So I hope you're enjoying the journey so far and I can't wait for you to join me on the next episode. So, whatever you're doing, hope you're doing it Well, all the best in your business and I will see you on the next episode. Remember I'm dropping one every single Friday. All right, take care, see you soon.