“Gentleman’s Haircut” Hair Transformation Albuquerque, New Mexico Scissor Cut

Good to see you. Yeah, good to see you. Long time, huh? Yeah. Spent almost two months in South Africa. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, recently? Yeah, I just got back. Oh, that's good. Thank you. What would you like to do? Last, the usual. Yeah, I got you. Trim it down. I remember twos. That would be very beautiful. Wait, so what did you go to Africa for? We went to, I took my two kids to go visit grandparents. Because you're from Australia. South Africa. Oh, yeah, never mind. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's so good. So you went back home? Yep, went home. And so how was it? It was great, man. Was it, like, warm out there? Yeah, it's summer. It's summer day. Oh, wow. This is, like, good. Beach, beach day, every day on the beach. That's a good bird. It's got quite a bit of weight. Yeah, that's cool. Nice thing to have. You need to eat it, especially right now. In a positive way, too. A buddy of mine texted me when I got back. And he's also Tom, so he's also entered in my notes. It's TJ. Oh, ----. And I thought it was you. And he said, I'm heading to Ireland for a couple of weeks. Oh, my God. I'll see you at jiu-jitsu when I get back. And I thought, when did you join the gym? Yeah, exactly. And then it took me a while to put it together. Dude, that's funny. Because it's, like, how random that is. It's, like, okay, wow, I told you I was doing jiu-jitsu, but Jesus Christ. You tracked the exact gym down. And you'll see me next week. It's, like, my God. Yeah. Wait, which one are you at? Which jiu-jitsu gym? Paseo, Tramway, and Academy. And across from that Albertson's? Yeah. It's five minutes from the house. Nice. And what is that, a Gracie Vada? Yeah. Cool. That's good fun. I missed it in South Africa. I was in a small town. And there is a Gracie gym in Cape Town. So if you join that particular gym, you can go to any... Gracie universe. Yeah. A lot of the guys who train there are, like, pilots and things of that nature. So they're always on the move. So they train all over. But I was, like, four hours driving from Cape Town. So that was not... I wasn't going to do that. No, it's too much effort. And what are you, a clear ball, or did you get your blue? There were some struggles. I don't... I should probably... I haven't thought to back up again, but I should be getting blue in the next couple of months. Like, in a month or two. I took lots of breaks in between. To interrupt the progression. But it's okay, I'm in no rush. Apparently it takes a long time. I got a buddy that was the first black belt in the state. And I grew up with him. And I took a fight. I took a heavyweight fight. This was a heavyweight... Oh, you won't be able to... So this is the first fight that I took when... You know, when I got out. It was me versus this dude, Luke. And that was a heavyweight fight. I was only 184. And then, so we did a catchweight. He was, like, 260 or something like that. But I fought him, but... He had a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. And I called a good friend of mine. And I was like, oh no, he had a purple belt. And I said, hey... He goes, who's the guy that you're fighting? And I told him... And you know what? He was... And he *******... He was... And I tell him, oh yeah, he's got a... You know, because I looked him up. And then I said, he has a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. And then... And then I guess Adam was all, oh yeah, that's a glorified blue belt. Or whatever it is. So it was... So there was nothing to worry about. Yeah. But once you're hitting brown, it's... I don't know, dude. GSP was a purple belt. So I still think purple's kind of... Pretty good or not. Oh, nice. So it is a glorified blue belt. And I got a buddy who's a black belt in Gracie Vada. So it's not like he's... He's not like a black belt in some lame-ass big jiu-jitsu or whatever. It's... You know, he's registered and... By God, I think it took him 12 years to get it. What's his name? Adam Opie. He's an attorney now. Oh, really? You know what I'm saying? We went through a rough life. I was with him when he got shot. In and out of jail. And now he owns his own law firm. I'm doing this. I like the jiu-jitsu because I know that... I got into a fight once on accident. It was some ******* idiot who was all, **** you, through the door. And so I was like, so this is weird. And so we had pulled over into a location that was close to here. I didn't pull over. He pulled me over. So he's like, he's all, ******* pull over, whatever. And so I pulled over. And so I'm just saying, in that situation, I was like, okay, there's three dudes in the vehicle, but one of them is going to supposedly have a fight with me. And I'm like, you know, I'm going to go ahead and stand up with him until I see otherwise. Once I see that someone's exceptional with their hands, then I have the choice to, you know, go ahead and take him down and, you know, deal with it from there. But that's where the one, you know, I'll start to think and I'll say, okay, well, you know, I'm not going to start it, you know, on the ground or whatever. I'm going to start standing up. But if he happens to have any kind of hands or he's quick or, you know, he seems to be posing an issue, then I'm going to take him down. And I doubt that he'll have a remedy for it. You know, I just mean take him down and choke him out. It's ******* crazy. It's *******, maybe tweak his arm on like an arm bar and let him escape it and then go for like a rear naked choke The issue is always if there's more than one, isn't it? Yeah, if there's more than one. Look, I have a homie that swears by jiu-jitsu. He used to get into a lot of street fights using jiu-jitsu and he was getting his ass kicked a lot. It's good if you're fighting one person. Yeah. Because the moment you're on the ground and people out here have this ego of, it's like, oh, stand up when you fight. You're not going to dictate how I ******* take you out, dude. It's like you don't get to tell me how you want me to fight. Okay, I'll ******* stand up. Blindfold yourself. It's like, you know what I mean? You can't start making rules. It's a fight. Unfortunately, if he wants to kick you in the sack, you're in a fist fight. I would say out of all the fighting techniques, though, the best one, in my opinion, for the overall would be jiu-jitsu. And I would do what you're doing, full gi. Yeah. Because it replicates clothes. You know what I mean? That's the reason I like it. I did no-gi for about six years. I do a little bit of both. I actually quite enjoy the no-gi. I enjoy the no-gi, too, but I'm saying for MMA. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But for a street fight or having ******* prison clothes on, the full gi is the way to go. Yeah. Because then it's like, oh, no, you're in a ******* gi all day. I was in a gi for 1,827 days straight. And then I rolled with a dude for like four years straight every day. Every day I'd get on my back, and he would submit me three different ways. And then he'd show me how to get out of that submission three different ways and then how to better my position. Three ways in, three ways out. We practiced every day for four years. That was before I got out. That's why I took that first fight, because I was like, oh, I'll just take it. I was like, I don't see anyone out here being any more prolific than that homie in there. Yeah. That's where it was. That's right. I mean, four years of training is a good amount. And, you know, we had done this stuff on the street. We were the first ones to do it out here. I did jiu-jitsu in 1998 out here. Really? 1996 and 7, when nobody did it. Yeah. So, you know, we were choking people out at house parties. Like I said, one of our homies was the real one, the first black belt out here from Albuquerque. That's pretty cool. Jiu-jitsu is good when you're in that type of environment. Yeah, I agree. I actually started doing it because I took my kids to go do it, just because it was another activity that was close to the house. So I took the kids to go do it, and then it looked like fun. So I gave it a try, and it stuck. Well, you have a great build for it. It just seemed like, to word it, how you are. Like, you probably, you know, longer limbs. You're not going to be able to get those moves off. And flexibility along with strength. That's it. I think it kind of reminds me of rugby, in that there's a role for every body type. Like, everyone can do it. Your approach is probably going to be different if you're short and stocky, versus if you're tall and light. You're holding arms. That's what I like about it, though. Because at first I was like, oh, this is too slow. I need to implement strikes in it. I can't just do the— But then you realize the beauty in when two men will square off standing up, and it won't be the sitting down. Because when I was in prison, I just did the back movement to the top position. You know, and then working boxing, of course, because the guy that was a world champion boxer that was in there. So it's like, *******, you were boxing and— Just boxing and jiu-jitsu. Yeah. That's an excellent combination. And kickboxing, too, because there was a homie named Brad. But then when I got out, I went— So when I first got out, I went to Albuquerque kickboxing. From there, I trained jiu-jitsu with my buddy, Adam Oki, at Los Vatos. So I was doing Albuquerque kickboxing and Los Vatos for my ground training. And then I went straight over to Fit once I felt like I was ready to— with Donald Sanchez. Shout out to them dudes. And went over there. And then I went to Greg Jackson's, the official camp, whenever it became world famous or whatever. And that's when I— You know, after having another four years out here, or three years of training. You know, so a total of seven years. And then I went to Greg Jackson's. And I would say that Fit was a very hardcore camp. Fit NHB. But I'd say Greg Jackson's was very, very methodical and well thought out. And very, very, very— Just very professional. You know, and there was a bunch of fights happening and a bunch of ---- going on in there. I lived there when I trained there. See, because I'm a weirdo, dude. So for me, when I started doing something I'm poor, I get real ******* addicted to it. So it was like— And, you know, when you're younger and everything, it's like able to— Commit? Able to just commit fully. And, you know, hey, dude, do you want me to throw another feather in the cap? I was also very poor. So I had another goddamn thing coming in. So it was easy for me to go sit over there and train all day. Yeah. Hanging out with women that maybe had money or whatever it might have been back then. It's like nowadays it's, you know— But where's the fine line to reach now? When I open up my school, my buddy has a gym. I'm going to talk with him on that and figure out where's there a class where some older guys can go that aren't necessarily going to have a fight but we want to train at the level of a fighter. So that's where— And then my engineers, they come here and doctors and everyone gets real soft here and comfortable. That isn't you, but I'm saying those guys that are here, I want them to have a place to go to that's comfortable. So a spot they can go to where they don't have to feel any kind of weird vibe, animosity or— You know what I mean? They can truly learn at their speed. And since those schools are so smart, they'll pick it up like it's ******* nothing. They'll be the next black belt. Any one of them dudes. And then good luck ******* with them. I don't care how nerdy they are. Once you get that black belt, it's over. Your ears are going to get fucked up. That's the only sad part. Oh, you got a cauliflower ear from the rugby? Yeah. Yeah, I've seen some other people do rugby and they have the same thing. Now a rugby man is a big old dude. Big white dude. Eating a big old plate of nachos and this was over at Nod Hills. Jesus Christ. Couldn't shake. I don't think, brother, you can be that small playing rugby, though. Like, I think you have to— What, is there anyone smaller than you? Yeah. Oh, really? Like, is someone my size? Yeah, smaller than you. God damn. That's hard to believe because I just say it's like those big ass fools and it's like you have some tiny ass— you're not allowed to throw a punch or anything so what do you just—I mean, ----. You catch that ball, you're doing a ******* handoff like a ************. You're ******* running like hell. Yeah, there are positions where it's to your advantage to be smaller. What position is that? It's like *******— There are a couple of positions where it's— -------, you know what I mean? Yeah, they definitely see less like maybe less intense contact. Well, yeah, you can't have any intense contact at that size because even in the UFC they have weight division so imagine like rugby, it's like, damn, most of those fools have to stay in shape like, you know, buffer shape kind of. Do they or not? They're in good shape. Professional rugby players are in really good shape. Yeah, that's what I figured just because, I mean, you have no pads on. You can, you know, you can get fucked up. What is it, like, for a lateral or whatever that they do? Like forward lateral movements? Or they can throw to the side but you can't throw in front of you or whatever it is? Yeah, it's not that forward like you do in American football. That's kind of cool. Because then it has a certain, you know, pattern set up. Yeah, you have to get, like, there's a very clear, like, defensive line and— Oh, yeah. —to get past the defensive line. You can't throw the ball over it. You kind of try to go through them. You can kick it forward. That's another way around. But then, you know, you're not guaranteed to get it back because if you kick it over, if you kick it over the defending team, they're probably the ones ending up with the balls. It's an interesting game. And so are you on the rugby team out here? I haven't played for a long time. I think the last game I played was more than a year ago. See, what I'll do is I'll go play maybe one or two games a year. And how old are you, brother? Thirty-four. Oh, yeah, you're still young still. That's why I say it's a no-brainer. And what, you're already having some issues? Some of them just come from a long time. Yeah, and I thought I was the highest. I thought I was second highest because shout-out to Steel Blade Men's Salon. I thought they were the highest. And I was right underneath them. And then it comes out. You can find out. But then the barber that told me that that guy was none of these. Oh, he only does like a couple of rickets a day. It's like, well, that's not really worth it financially. That's only a couple hundred bucks. But it's like, jeez, that's a ******* small niche. Because at first I was like, are you dying the hair too or something? Or like, what comes along with it? Is it a woman's cut or is it... It says no, regular haircut. I was like, god damn. So what is a regular *******... Like, jeez. I mean, like, dude, I could see if you're in Miami. Or possibly... Because L.A. prices aren't even 94. Yeah, shout out to my homie that has a salon in West Hollywood. I think he's at 60. I'm lying, he was at 60 in 2019. So he could be at salon maybe. But that's West Hollywood. And to be more than that here. It's like, whoa. He's over in Nob Hill. And you know how we... What he said is it's a house. It's a house that's... Because I said, oh, it must be a humongous shop. Like, just saying if you're at that kind of price point. I would think, oh, it's in uptown. Or it's somewhere with a big wall. You have a bunch of overhead. But he said no, he's doing it out of his house. So it's like a house in Nob Hill. He converted his living room and has a shampoo bowl. And then I guess you go into his master bedroom and get a haircut. Here's the thing with me, dude. I'll end it all right there. I ain't going into your ******* bedroom to get a goddamn haircut. I don't give a ****. It sounds weird to me. So it's like, nah, that just doesn't sound... Dude, I have to go into a real location. That's where it's at. I ain't going to your bedroom for 94 ******* dollars. I'll go to your ******* bedroom haircut if my barber's not available for $15. Or for free. They give you the practice to say that, you know, it's like... But God, 94... I was like, damn, that only has balls. Balls of steel. Yeah, that's an odd one. And you could probably... You know what's so funny about it is... We could probably look it up. Because I... The thing was, because I have someone working here now. And he's the one that showed me this. Next time you'll meet him, we'll talk about the same thing. And then he shows me on the phone after he told me a couple days before that. He goes, hey, look. And he showed me and it says regular haircut, $94. And I was like... And so I said, you got to be ******* shitting them. And I said, well, dude, do they like even... They probably have no kids haircut. It's probably just an adult thing. And then he said, no, their kids haircut is $77. So I was like, but the pricing is strange, too. It's almost like $64. You nudge them for that extra dollar. Instead of... I mean, at $94. Instead of saying $95 and they give you $100. You nudge that extra dollar out of them. It's like *******... That's where I just said it's... That part was crazy. And see, look. We got the inspector thing in. So now all of these are new. If I pull something out of here, it's clean. And so this says clean implements. All of this stuff is... Had to go through and... We all do this for... For OSHA now, like our water bottles, mine says water on it. The dude that's... Yeah, the dude that's here, I have to label his. Yeah. So OSHA requirements. And our towels are no longer out. They're in a closed environment. Is it because you have someone else working here also? No, it's because that's not... That's part of the skateboard's requirements. Oh, okay. So we're in compliance every year that that same guy said that he's going to be here. And then my razors, because he's all... Do you need to dispose of those? He's all, make sure to take them to the sharps place because they incinerate them and they have the right paperwork for you. And the next time he comes in, he's going to check it. So it's like, oh, okay, cool. There's a special place in town you have to inspect it? Yeah. Like a medical facility, maybe. Like wherever that sharps thing is or whatever. You can probably take it to a pharmacy and they can take custody and write you paper that you brought in there or whatever. Yeah, dude, everything over here is going to be by the book. Sorry. You showed me what the non-compliance looks like. I guess two people came up non-compliant and it's a big old red letter. Red letters that say non-compliant across your form. On your shelf? You have to post it. So like when you come back next time, you'll see my compliant one. Oh, that's embarrassing. Yeah, that would be. Because I would feel kind of weird if I was the client coming in and saw non-compliant. Oh, ----. Do they have dirty tools? I also, you missed out, I had to take 12 hours of extra credit hours to hold my teaching degree. This guy that I hired here, he's working Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and I'm going to put him on the website. And he's also becoming an instructor. He's at Palm Mitchell School to become a barber instructor. Oh, cool. Yeah, so he just got his barber license. He's already enrolled in an instructor program. So over here, you guys will have two instructors that work here. Oh, very cool. Yeah. So I had to take 12 extra credit hours to, they came up with a new thing, RDL, the licensing department said now, the regulations and licensing department for the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists told me that, well, told all the instructors now, if anyone holds an instructor license, if you're going to renew it this year, you have to have 12 extra credit hours. In, you know, in teaching, or they have a bunch of different things you can get in there. Yeah, I see. So I had to take, like, a few different courses online, costing more money, of course. Yeah, yeah, of course. But I'm saying also, too, I did learn a lot about, I did a three-hour infection control course. I needed to get 12 hours, so I did, like, a three-hour infection control, and then I did a mentor styling, professional level, and then a bunch of other, that I already knew, but there was a client customer service one that I picked up a lot on, and that part was, you know, how you greet the client and bring him in, and I noticed I was kind of like the bad stylist dude, because the bad stylist in that video would just say, okay, come in, have a seat, what do you want to do? That was, I guess, bad, and the good one said, hey, is this your first time here? Welcome in. I'm Thomas, nice, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let me take you on a quick tour around. It's not big enough here, but I'm saying, he had the decency, then he brought you to the chair and said, are you ready to get started? He took his coat, the gentleman took his coat off, he took it, so I'm buying a nice coat rack. That way I can take one, you know, you can take their coat, go hang it for them, allow them to come sit, you know, so I got to, that was the number one thing, that and the infection control that I pulled out of it. Interesting. But mainly that, dude. It was that customer service that I didn't realize that I had been lacking so heavily. I was like, damn, dude. Just because I, I didn't know that that was that. Look, that girl also did other wrong things of where she hurried up on the client, and I don't do any of that, but I'm saying, the one thing that I do do was how she sat him, and I guess that wasn't the, they didn't, they don't like that. Interesting. And it was something to do with running a successful salon, and I just, I bought that video, and then it was that schooling so I can add that to them. I was like, I want to take this one just to see what, and then they talked about looking at your finances daily, this, that, and the other, and having product, and so I brought the product back into the shop, and it's like, I have the connection on getting the product wholesale. I'm a distributor for the company, so it's like, why not? Yeah, why not have it in the shop? Why not have it there? You don't need to shove it down their lip and throw it. If someone wants it, give it to them. If they don't, because a lot of the times now people are like, oh, do you have any of that paste or clay or whatever it is, and it's like, oh, I don't retail it at all. Why? You don't like making money? That's weird. That's what I'm saying. Those videos showed it from some things I didn't even really, you know, I'm just the artist at the end of the day, but yeah, unfortunately, I have people really need to talk to me. Do you have some sort of software you use for it? No, like QuickBooks or? Oh, that, I don't. they told me to use QuickBooks. I just use my actual bank account that's tied to my LLC on any kind of financial transaction that I'm making to the business, but I mean, you can do QuickBooks. I mean, there's nothing wrong with, nothing wrong with the QuickBooks. As far as the taxes, though, I do have the CPA that files the taxes in a year, and I can hire him to do them. It's like, man, if you have something like, like QuickBooks, then it makes things really easy for the accountant at the end of the year because you don't have to, like, type in all your receipts and stuff. It's all right there. Oh, wow. So maybe I should just go ahead and give that a try. People have suggested it. I think it's time to jump on that thing because I can start it for this year, for next year. Just get the lowest tier subscription and then, you know, it's like, you hook it up to your bank account and it automatically picks up what was like, you know, what was a regular business transaction, what was something you put on a credit, on your, like, company credit card, what, you know, like, what are business expenses and what's not tax deductible, like, all those things just happen. I'm going to lightly trim your eyebrows, too. Oh, sure. It looks great. Thanks. You like it? Yeah, it looks great. No, this one's sick and I figured I'd like it with him on it.