Q&A with Terrence Davidson, The Hairy Barber

What is your favourite thing about your business?
I’d have to say my favourite thing about owning the Hairy Barber would be meeting new people, creating friendships and relationships, and having a good crew of guys to work with.

What attracted you to this industry?
When I first started barbering 16-17 years ago, the industry was very different from what it is now. When we look at the barbering industry now, it’s very trendy, and young men and women can come through and see a profession in that, in a culture, in an environment they want to be a part of.

When I started barbering, it was very different. It was very transient. It was in the middle of being the old school classic suburban barber, to starting to see more modern versions in the city. And I was very lucky to be a part of those very early days of transitioning from barbering being what was considered a suburban thing to being a trendy city thing now.

Previously I’d worked in a creative industry, in television for like 10 years. The change of government came along, and I saw an opportunity that I thought I could grow in. It was the opportunity to be my own boss, have control over my own future and I could see where barbering was going, and I wanted to be a part of that.

Terrence Davidson, outside the Hairy Barber Wellington.

What’s something unique about your training approach?
I wouldn’t know categorically how to say what’s unique about my training. I like to create a relationship where the trainee feels comfortable in their learning and comfortable in failing. You have to fail to be able to succeed.

You’re not going to succeed right off the bat from the first time you do it. So, having an open mindset about making mistakes and being that safety net for them is probably something I try to emphasise more than anything else. And probably just having a good modern knowledge of barbering and being open to all ideas.

What makes a good apprentice?
I’d say the key to being a good apprentice is the willingness to try, and to be comfortable with failing. Like we’ve spoken about before, a lot of apprentices or trainees will come in with a mindset that they’re going to nail it, and they sort of get knocked back when they don’t nail it. And they need to have that mindset that you grow as a barber and you never stop learning.

How do you lead and motivate apprentices to be their best?
I wouldn’t say I’m consciously an active leader or motivator to encourage someone to do their best as a trainee or an apprentice. I like to set standards and make it very clear what our goals are. And my role, I think, as a trainer, as a shop manager and a business owner, is to make sure that we’re staying true to our goals and our standards. I think if we do that and focus on that as a trainer, everything else, the motivation to want to turn up is there organically.

They get excited about work, they know what their goals are internally themselves. So, it’s not something I actively go out of my way to do is to lead or motivate, but certainly try to create an environment that’s conducive to wanting to be there and wanting to achieve goals.

How do you keep up with industry trends?
We’re very lucky, I think, in the barbering industry that with the advent of social media and social networking, staying up to date with modern trends and what’s happening in barbering is very easy. It’s something that, as long as you’re staying engaged in and keeping connected with, it’s pretty easy to stay up with trends here.

It’s your job and your role as a barber when a client comes in, and they ask for something that you know what they’re talking about, so using things like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. I’ve got kids, lucky enough that my kids keep me up to date with a lot of trends and having young people around as well helps with staying up to date with the latest trends.

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