Conversations with Victor Barnes

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victor Barnes.

Hi Victor, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I got into barbering in 2018, as a thought in the back of my head and during the lowest point in my life.

At this time, I was in school (St. Cloud Technical Community College) for my generals. During this time, school was not my cup of tea and with a bad mindset for partying on and off-campus, my academic career was in jeopardy. I worked a couple of jobs. My former employers really pushed off my self-worth and I ended up not having a good relationship with management. I wasn’t happy not because of the assignments given, but the direction things were going and I knew I had to make a significant change on my end. I took a break from school, quit my jobs, and explored around my options.

This was not easy for me. Quitting school and my part-time jobs, I had a lot of self-doubts and no backup plan. I tried to keep it confidential between my friends and family. I still had no ideal what to do with my life besides for long term. Then, something changed my life, I went to my barber for a haircut. During the service, we talked about my situation; he asked me, “Why don’t you get into cutting hair?”

A light shined bright, a new thought became manifesting, manifesting turned into research, research turned into saving, and that saving turned into a commitment, and that commitment turned into my first down payment for barber school. Rest is history.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. There were a lot of difficulties, failures, and letdowns. From getting told “You’re not cutting on Saturdays” (Equivalent to being told you’re getting benched), to clienteles yelling at you saying your skills are poor, I’ve heard it all and the reality is it’s a business. Even at your earliest stage, people are ruthless, but it shouldn’t offend you, you should learn from it and never retract that negative energy, instead, embrace it. It’s all a learning process in building confidence and knowledge. If I had to say if there was a timeline/phase things became hard, I would say the third-fourth quarter of barber school. During this time, COVID-19 was shutting everything down and my school at the time was relocating to the cities. This made my earned floor-hours tough.

The hard truth I’ve learned from my past is you’re not going to please everyone, everyone is different, but you got to have that dream to make it possible. So how do you separate yourself from everyone else? Are you willing to learn? Are you willing to see the other side of the perspective? Are you willing to take accountability? Are you bias? Are you willing to separate right from wrong? Can you be leader when demanded? All that correlates more than just barbering, but as a business owner, this is what I stand by this because a lot people consider challenging, this is the part of the process and it should be enjoying the process, the ups and the downs, you have to embrace all of it. Especially if you want to be at your best as an individual and as a brand.

My philosophy is having consistent days of positivity, while not being complacent with success.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a barber, very traditional in style and format. My services ranges from haircuts, beard trims, facial shaves, and head shaves. I’m mainly known for my craft and attention to detail on every service I do. I take pride in constantly improving and finding ways to create a conversation. I separate myself from others with my personality and topics of discussion. I try to be sociable as possible while still being myself while still providing a top-notch service.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Best thing I love about St. Cloud is the community. While I constantly get asked if I want to move out of town, it will take a big offer for me considering to move. I grew up here and most of my clients are the same people I went to elementary, all the way up to college. Everything is close to home and I try to do my part on making an impact to the area.

It’s hard for me to find dislikes when most of my them involve around me. I grew up with a bad mindset and turning things around and maturing, I started to find positivity in the things around me. One of the many reasons why I enjoy my career the most.

Pricing:

• Haircut is $31 if you pay in card, if you pay in cash it’s $26.
• Haircut & Beard is $36 if you pay in card, cash it’s $31.
• Facial Shave is $35 if you pay in card, if you pay in cash it’s $30.
• Head Shave is $35 if you pay in card, if you pay in cash it’s $29.
• Beard is $15 if you pay in card, if you pay in cash it’s $12.

Contact Info:

• Email: victorycb50@gmail.com
• Website: www.victorycuts.co
• Instagram: @VictoryCuts
• Facebook: Barbers on St. Germain

Image Credits
Victor Clay Barnes
Brandon Olmscheid
Garret Louis Christopherson
James Blommel