GARY: Next on Start Up, we head to Dallas, Texas to meet up with Lilly Benitez, the owner of Blade Craft Barber Academy, a business focused on training a new generation of barbers.

All of this and more is next on Start Up.

♪ ANNOUNCER: Colonial Penn offers guaranteed acceptance, a type of whole-life insurance that does not require answering health questions or taking a medical exam.

Learn more at colonialpenn.com or by calling 1-800-372-8383.

Colonial Penn is a proud supporter of Start Up.

SARAH: I never dreamed of being an entrepreneur.

My goal was to get any free first aid kit in America.

JONO: It's been an awesome journey for us.

ANNOUNCER: More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Sarah and Jono at First Honey.

Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: Running a business isn't easy.

BambooHR supports your HR strategies by automating operational tasks, leaving you with more time to concentrate on what's most important to you and your business.

Learn more at BambooHR.com.

BambooHR, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: The future is not just going to happen, you have to make it and GoDaddy Airo can help you get your business online with an AI-generated name, logo and website.

GoDaddy Airo, learn more at godaddy.com/airo.

♪ GARY: My name is Gary Bredow.

I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

As the country faces uncertainty, small business owners continue to persevere, pushing the economy forward with their unrelenting drive and determination.

We've set out for our 12th consecutive season, talking with a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they've learned to adapt, innovate, and even completely reinvent themselves.

♪ This is Start Up.

♪ The barber industry in the US is a thriving and growing field that offers a variety of opportunities for individuals interested in pursuing a career in hair cutting and grooming.

In recent years, there's been a resurgence in traditional barbering techniques, such as straight razor shaves and classic haircuts, which has led to an increase in demand for these services.

Barbers are required to complete a formal training program and obtain a state license in order to practice legally.

This typically involves completing a certain number of training hours and passing a written and practical exam.

Today, I'm heading to Dallas, Texas, to meet up with Lilly Benitez and her team at Blade Craft Barber Academy.

From what I know, Lilly saw a demand in the marketplace for barber training and took matters into her own hands, opening one of the country's premier barber academies.

♪ ♪ Is there a deeper level of complexity with barbering?

LILLY: I would say that when it comes to barbering, there's a greater level of transparency.

GARY: Got it.

LILLY: On a shorter haircut, no matter who it belongs to, you can't hide a hole in a haircut.

GARY: Right, right.

LILLY: On longer hair, you can curl it, you can fluff it.

GARY: Fill in the gaps.

LILLY: You can fill in the gaps.

There's just a lot more invasiveness and precision that goes along with it.

GARY: When did you become interested in that in particular?

LILLY: Right out of high school, I went into my trade schools.

Went into massage therapy school, barber school.

I was really interested in straight razor shaving, specifically.

I didn't know that I was going to have to cut hair until I got to school.

Thought that I could just shave.

And so there were many temper tantrums later in barber school, when they're like, "You're going to have to cut hair," that I ended up falling in love with that as well.

But initially, it was my love for wanting to straight razor shave.

GARY: When did the idea of "I want to do my own thing or start an academy," when did it first pop into your mind?

LILLY: I first started considering opening my own business when I had confidence in my personal skill that I could take care of absolutely any service, any skin type, any hair texture.

I felt fully comfortable with that.

And then I also had an idea in my head of what I thought my barbershop concept could be.

Throughout my career, I had been keeping tabs.

When somebody sat in my chair and they said they'd had a straight razor shave before, I kept tabs as to where.

Because it's very rare to be able to have somebody that's already received a straight razor shave.

And so, then I would take a vacation and go to that place, and I would find the people that had done straight razor shaves in that area.

GARY: Wow.

That's some serious research.

LILLY: I didn't know how else to do it.

Vegas was a really popular one.

So I go to Vegas, and I learned that the barber at the Bellagio is the same barber at the Presidential Shave Club that's the same barber at yet another high-end hotel.

He's just moonlighting wherever they need him because the skill for straight razor shaving isn't available.

And so, that's when I was like, "Crap.

"I'm going to be in the same situation "everybody else I've worked with has been in, which is who the heck to hire," right?

Because people don't know how to shave.

GARY: Yep.

LILLY: And no matter where I was going in the country, the problem was education.

It just wasn't teaching what barbering could become.

GARY: Yeah.

So you found a huge gap.

LILLY: I found a huge gap in the industry.

And that's when I was like, "I know that I can create this more detailed and better."

And that's when I realized I had to.

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: What was the first action in your business plan?

Was it to get a space?

LILLY: I decided to try and find out a lot of the pricing in advance.

So, once I decided that Deep Ellum was going to be the home of it, then I focused on talking to different landlords.

And then after qualifying the space, I also started getting bids for the different trades.

So, I started getting bids for the architect.

I started getting bids for the plumbing.

I started getting bids for the air conditioning.

Once I got the approval for the city that it met what I needed, then I had really the understanding of what I was going to need for my loan.

GARY: Yeah.

LILLY: I then had already been kind of prequalified for my loan, and so I was able to start the build out.

GARY: From signing the lease, getting the keys, were you able to open the doors pretty quickly?

LILLY: You're funny.

(Gary laughs) Absolutely not.

Contractors... GARY: Oh yeah.

LILLY: Don't always do what they say they're going to do.

Even if you know how to use a straight razor, and I do.

They still will not always follow timelines, guidelines.

GARY: That's shocking to hear.

LILLY: I'm glad you're sitting down because, after that process, I still now also have to have approval through the state.

And they apparently walk through mud to get to their office every day.

So you call and you get timelines like "eventually" or "a while," you know?

And... GARY: Real specifics.

LILLY: Yeah.

So, you get those kind of timelines.

And I'm now having to start making payments.

GARY: Oh, my gosh.

LILLY: I've been working the whole time, still needing to provide for myself.

And now I have an added expense of a business loan.

And let's not even mention rent.

When is rent going to be due?

GARY: Oh, no.

Panic setting in now, isn't it?

LILLY: Yes.

So, I panic really beautifully in the sense that I will go to your office and I will show up unannounced.

And I will sit there and wait for the explanation of what does "a while" mean.

And so the state people are not so used to that.

So the next day, my application has somehow made it to the top of their stack, 'cause they're trying prevent... GARY: He wants you out of that room.

LILLY: They're trying to prevent me from visiting them.

GARY: Tell me about that day that you finally got all your permits, approvals, everything, and you're ready to do business.

LILLY: It was just absolutely magical to have people walk into the space.

I mean, to bring down the butcher paper off the windows and then realize that people can walk inside and interact with this space that you've curated and poured everything into, your family has helped, your neighborhood has helped, was kind of scary and felt dangerous, but it's so beautiful.

GARY: Liberating.

LILLY: Yes, it was really exciting.

And then also just for them to start.

That was the thing, is, "Here's this goal that I've been looking to reach.

It's just starting a brand new book for them."

GARY: Yes.

Yeah.

LILLY: And that was really different.

GARY: What goes into getting licensed to be an actual teaching school, like a barber school?

Is there special permits, licenses, qualifications that you need by the state?

LILLY: Yes, so in the state of Texas, every state has its own regulations on who can teach that particular subject.

And then in order to become licensed in barbering, for example, currently right now in the state of Texas, it's a thousand physical hours to become a barber.

GARY: Wow.

LILLY: Yes.

GARY: That's a lot.

LILLY: And then you take...

Yes, so most of our students do about 25 hours a week or 20 hours a week.

So it can take somebody 13 months or about 11 months to be done.

♪ ♪ GARY: What made you specifically choose Blade Craft for your education portion of this?

ELLIETTE: I was researching barber schools, and this was the only one that kept coming up that had the highest graduation rate... GARY: Okay.

ELLIETTE: The highest success rate of careers directly outside of graduating.

And I read so many articles about Lilly and how integrated she is in the community.

And there was nobody else that I think I would rather learn under than her.

GARY: Sounds like a no-brainer.

ELLIETTE: Absolutely.

GARY: This is the best.

Why wouldn't I go to the best?

Right?

ELLIETTE: She is the best barber school I believe in honestly... GARY: The country?

ELLIETTE: Probably the country.

GARY: Really?

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well, good luck to you.

ELLIETTE: Thank you.

GARY: And thanks for the shave.

Feels good.

ELLIETTE: Of course.

♪ GARY: A lot of people may not understand the specifics when it comes to a barber school.

Are you able to function as an actual barbershop as well so people can come in and have services done by students?

LILLY: So yes, as a barber academy, we're a functioning barbershop, so the students actually still see clients, and we as instructors direct the whole service.

We have three sources of revenue.

We have tuition... GARY: Mm-hmm.

LILLY: We have the services that we provide, and then we also have the products that we sell.

Recently we opened a little coffee shop in our waiting area to help bait people into coming in and interacting with our space.

We have a lot of people that have moved to the area and don't know that we're here.

And so instead of wondering, why don't they know that we're here?

We were like, let's create... GARY: Give them a reason to come in to a space they normally wouldn't.

LILLY: Yes, let's provide a service that's a low-dollar amount that allows them to come in, and then they're like, "Oh, my gosh.

This is amazing.

I want to keep coming back."

GARY: Perfect.

LILLY: So, we created the coffee shop, but that's recent.

GARY: Talk about the specifics of the program and how do you train your students or graduates to really make the most of this career?

LILLY: Our curricula is very different because it's super immersive.

We go off-site to do luxury barbering services for corporations.

We go to conventions and take the barbershop on location.

We also include business fundamentals in the program.

So, while they're in school, they're practicing those skills, and they're getting graded on that.

Pre-booking, upselling retail, and their timing, all of the things that are going to be actually important when they're behind the chair.

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: How far are you into the program right now?

JR: I graduate in August of this year.

GARY: How's it been going so far?

JR: The instructors are great.

The classmates here are great.

Just the overall, being here is great.

I love it.

Miss Lilly is awesome.

She's taught me so much.

GARY: What would you say to somebody who's maybe considering barbering?

JR: What's stopping you?

GARY: What's stopping you?

JR: That's why I asked what's stopping you.

GARY: From buying a ticket to Dallas and coming to Blade Craft.

JR: Yeah.

Seriously.

GARY: Right, right.

JR: Never too late to start something that you love and you have a passion for.

So, that's what I would tell them.

GARY: Great advice.

JR: If you want to do it, just take that leap of faith and do it.

♪ ♪ GARY: I want you to just kind of brag about some of your graduates and your students.

Tell me some stories about people that have come through the school.

LILLY: In the nine years we've been open, we've graduated over 400 students.

And then the other part of it is 43% of our graduates have opened up their own businesses.

And so, they are able to take what they learn in school and actually apply it to being financially successful and to providing for their families.

Another graduate that's opened up Virtus Barbershop that's really close by us, and almost all of their barbers are graduates from here as well.

He is also a military veteran, which is just something that's really important to me.

It's a community that I'm really passionate about serving, simply because I feel that when veterans are separating from the military, they're not sure a career that they could go into, and barbering gives them enough time to come into school, they have a uniform, they have a point person... GARY: Yep.

LILLY: And it allows them time to create a new... GARY: Routine.

LILLY: And personality on who they can become.

GARY: Like a transition into civilian life for military.

LILLY: Yes.

GARY: That's brilliant.

LILLY: And so, I love that aspect of them.

And so our graduate, there is a veteran, and he has created that downtown, like little small-town barbershop that is really impactful.

♪ ♪ GARY: What does it mean to you to to have one of your graduates go out and be able not only to employ other people that went to your school, but be successful as a result of what you started?

LILLY: You know, I find that encouraging, and it's almost like a influx of hope that sometimes you don't realize you need.

You think, "Okay, I have an academy, I'm going to teach this technical skill," but then to see their joy and their freedom and their personality coming to light is really beautiful.

GARY: Some people may find this whole thing a bit counterintuitive.

Like, "Wow, she's training her competition, a school within a 45-minute radius," especially when you sort of recruit students from all over the place.

Some business owners may find that threatening and say, "I don't want to lose business," but you seem excited about it.

LILLY: I do, because one of the things growing up mommy used to always say was, (speaks Spanish), "The sun rises for us all."

GARY: Yeah.

LILLY: And so it's not less available to you because I am in it.

And I really feel that that is...

I'm not afraid of competition per se because I'm in my own lane and I have...

It costs so much discipline, accountability to try to be the best that you can be, to then also have the energy to worry about somebody else taking from me.

GARY: Yeah.

Yeah.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Tell me about the group here.

I understand that you have some other Blade Craft graduates in here with you.

BRENNAN: We do.

I would say at least five of the eight people that work here went to Blade Craft.

GARY: Wow.

BRENNAN: Including our owner.

So yeah, it's like a family.

It really is.

I came down here from Wisconsin not knowing anyone, and I would consider most of the people here like family.

GARY: What was your experience there?

Tell me about your schooling.

BRENNAN: It was great.

All the teachers there were fantastic.

I mean, they taught you a lot.

You were able to sit down and have a conversation with them about certain things, be it barbering, be it the testing, be it just personal stuff.

You were able to sit down and just talk with them.

So, super awesome.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: Tell me your name and what do you do here at Blade Craft?

(Lilly speaking Spanish) (Carmen speaking Spanish) GARY: What do you think of what your daughter has built here with this school and this business?

(Lilly speaking Spanish) ♪ (Carmen speaking Spanish) ♪ LILLY: That I help young people.

GARY: And as a mother, to be able to be here and supporting your daughter in this business, what does that mean to you, to be here working with her?

(Lilly and Carmen speaking Spanish) (Carmen speaking Spanish) LILLY: It's a blessing from God to be close to me because she doesn't do a lot, but she's close.

(Carmen speaking Spanish) LILLY: She wanted her family to have better.

♪ (Carmen speaking Spanish) LILLY: That was her goal.

♪ (Carmen speaking Spanish) LILLY: And she feels really proud of us.

♪ (Carmen speaking Spanish) LILLY: That we're not as beautiful as she is, but that we're very smart.

(everyone laughing) ♪ GARY: Oh, that is fantastic.

♪ And what does it mean to you, Lilly, to have your mother here with you?

LILLY: Well, she charges me coffee delivery fees to the classroom, so... GARY: As she should.

LILLY: And then she tries to give my lattes away to the mannequin heads.

That's what she did to me yesterday.

It's a lot of fun.

GARY: Time to reevaluate her salary, it sounds like.

LILLY: It sounds like it.

(Lilly speaking Spanish) (Carmen speaking Spanish) GARY: I think it's time.

Yes.

♪ Where is the business sitting today?

Are you profitable?

Kind of where you want to be, other aspirations, and do you want to expand?

LILLY: Blade Craft Barber Academy is the Harvard of barber schools.

People come from all over the world.

They've come from out of state to enroll in our school.

As far as growing in the future, I would love to continue to train as many people as we can.

I think accreditation is going to be a huge part of that, which means we would be able to accept Title IV funding so we can train people that are of lower income households, and they would be able to qualify for loans and things like that.

So that's going to be one of my goals.

GARY: Yeah.

LILLY: Purchasing our own building so we can have our own freedom to do things that we want to do.

GARY: Gotcha.

LILLY: And having more stability with that.

GARY: Advice to somebody else who has a dream and a vision to do something?

LILLY: I think if you have a dream to create a business or to start on a new career, don't be afraid to go for the next step.

Find out where could you go.

And then if it's a place that you can gather training or education on, research a couple of places, maybe receive a service there.

Just interact with the space.

Don't be afraid to try.

You can always change your mind.

So, be comfortable with changing your mind.

♪ GARY: Walking into Blade Craft was energizing in every sense of the word.

With eager students standing behind their chairs with laser-like focus on their clients.

Lilly walking through, offering each of the students a bit of personalized instruction.

Lathered up faces and hot towels all around, this place just feels good.

And maybe that's why Blade Craft has become one of the country's premier barber academies.

In my opinion, Lilly is not in the education business.

She's in the opportunity creation business.

And each of the students that I spoke with, current and former, proudly attest to this.

With several graduates opening both barbershops and their own training programs in the area, she's literally training her competition, and doing it with a smile on her face.

To be so dedicated to expanding the craft of barbering, to me, is the very definition of emotional and professional maturity.

Co-owning a hair salon in the Detroit area myself over the last 12 years, Lilly has got me excited about the industry again, and I'm incredibly grateful that she gave us the opportunity to share her story.

♪ Next time on Start Up, we head to Dallas, Texas to meet up with Jacob Clayton, the founder of J.C. Scott, a custom clothing company offering high-end suits, shirts, vests and shoes.

Be sure to join us next time on Start Up.

♪ Would you like to learn more about the show?

or maybe nominate a business?

Visit our website at startup-usa.com, and connect with us on social media.

♪ ♪ We've got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ Got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ Before we pay our dues ♪ We've got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road MAN: That's good, there you go.

GARY: Oh!

(indistinct) ♪ I'm sitting in a cave.

ANNOUNCER: The future is not just going to happen, you have to make it and GoDaddy Airo can help you get your business online with an AI-generated name, logo and website.

GoDaddy Airo, learn more at godaddy.com/airo.

ANNOUNCER: Running a business isn't easy.

BambooHR supports your HR strategies by automating operational tasks, leaving you with more time to concentrate on what's most important to you and your business.

Learn more at BambooHR.com.

BambooHR, a proud supporter of Start Up.

JARRED: We have a mission, and we call it sweat and do good.

BRANDON: The more we're able to grow our business, the more we're able to give back to our community.

ANNOUNCER: More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Brandon and Jarred at NOOMA.

Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: Colonial Penn offers guaranteed acceptance, a type of whole-life insurance that does not require answering health questions or taking a medical exam.

Learn more at colonialpenn.com or by calling 1-800-372-8383.

Colonial Penn is a proud supporter of Start Up.