Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Igboeli.
Hi Joseph, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My barbering journey started way before I ever touched a set of Clipper’s. I always took a liking to drawing when I was younger. Around 1st grade, I would always draw and I noticed I draw people more than places and things. I also noticed I concentrated on the facial features of my drawings rather than the body. Emphasizing on edge up and the fade. My Dad started out cutting my hair and I used to hate haircuts, my guess was 1990’s clippers weren’t the best quality haha. As time went on my oldest Brother began to cut my hair. When I was 12 years old; the summer of 2002, my brothers moved to Cleveland with our cousins while I stayed in Texas. I had an Afro because I hadn’t had a haircut once they left. My brother left the clipper that he used to cut my hair in our bathroom. That would be my first time, of many times to come, of me cutting hair. I cut my hair and did the edge up with the clippers because we didn’t even know edgers came separately from clippers at the time. From that point on I began to cut my own hair, something I still do till this day. By the time I reached high school, I was cutting all of my friends and players on the football team. I got a scholarship to Texas Southern University in Houston coming out of high school. As soon as I got to Houston that is when barbering really took off for me. I would cut a high-top fade on myself and kept it fresh every other day to the point where players on the team, along with other students on campus would ask me where I get my haircut and I would tell them I cut my own hair. That would always lead to them asking me to cut their hair. It was my first-time accumulating clientele of random people that I didn’t know previously. They gave me the nickname “Boosie” because of my haircut. The nickname was catchy and spread like wildfire across all of 3rd Ward; to the point where I had random people calling my phone for haircuts while I was at Football practice. After transferring around to different colleges and universities, I finished in 2012 at UNT in Denton. In 2013 I immediately enrolled into Barber School at Dallas Barber College (Oak Cliff campus) and finished January 5th, 2015. I cut hair at a Low-end Barbershop for about 4-5 months just saving as much money as I could. I knew I didn’t want to be there for too long, I knew I wanted my own shop. I opened up Joes Barber-Cide on June 2nd, 2015. I can’t say I would’ve been able to do it without my Barber-Brother Jeremiah (Jays Cutz). Every Barbershop needs that Barber that sets the tone for the Shop and that is exact what he did. Owning your own brick and mortar is tough especially in the beginning although it’s never easy. I had plenty times when I wanted to give up but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I would have let adversity defeat me. It has made me a resilient person and I am thankful for that. If you are serious about it, Barbering is a lifestyle, not a hobby! I’m glad I was able to adjust my life to barbering because it has made life very prosperous to this point and I am excited to see how far Barbering will take me in life. I was at my first location for 3 years and have been at the 2nd location going on four years now. God is good all the time!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was 25 when I opened up my first Barbershop. It was never a smooth road. I began so young there was an older Barbershop Owner in a shopping center a light up the street from our shopping center that was trying to “cramp my style” pretty much hating on everything I was trying to accomplish. From taking my cards out of neighboring business that I was trying to promote my new barbershop at to tearing up my cards/flyers and placing all the shreds in front of my door when I get there in the morning to open up. I didn’t let all the negativity make me quit, it just made me go harder. I began to walk through neighborhoods and apartment complexes to pass out my flyers and cards, whatever it took that is what I was willing to do. The hate got so bad, there was a “meme” about my Shop but I blasted the “meme” on all of my social media pages and it eventually got back to the people who made the memes and they ended up apologizing about it. I still used that adversity as a fuel to my fire to do my thing in this Barber Game. It’s all a GAME!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My full name is: Joseph Igboeli and my Barber Name is: Haircut Joe. I am a licensed Texas Barber! I cut hair all day every day. When you cut with LOVE, it isn’t work. I love to make art of people’s heads. That’s pretty much what Barbering is. When you do it with love you notarize yourself amongst the public. Anybody who knows me knows my profession because I am notarized for what I do. It’s a big honor physiologically because I know what I’ve done works and is still working! I am proud that I can set my own schedule and give myself my own hours. I call that freedom and that is what sets me apart from my peers. Understanding my own algorithms that makes what I do prosperous.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Yes, Covid-19 taught me to take life one day at a time. It taught me to watch my health, appreciate what I have, and to be content with what God has giving me. It taught me to communicate with my loved ones and not hold onto petty grudges. It taught me about preparing for the worst and always being a step ahead so when adversity strikes, I don’t panic. Covid had many unsung lessons that I feel everybody, who is still here, has learned from.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://g.co/kgs/M1uY7r
- Instagram: haircutjoejudah and joes_barber_cide
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012337965077
- Yelp: https://www.instagram.com/joes_barber_cide/?hl=en
- Other: joesbarbercide.booksy.com
Image Credits
Haircutjoejudah
