Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Schufford.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A brief story on how I got started is this. My entire family have been barbers and entrepreneurs. So, I was nudged into the family business at an early age. I enrolled in barbers school at the age of 13 and earned my license at age 16. College was something my parents encouraged and I earned a scholarship to the Univ. of North Texas. After graduating with a degree in Business Management, I joined the Dallas Fire and Rescue department while maintaining a dual career of barbering and firefighting. I was employed for nearly 27 years until retiring in April of 2021. My last role with the department was the Chaplain, for five years, where I oversaw the welfare of 2200 members and their families. After moving to my next mission, I felt the need to continue to help first responders after a rash of suicides in the first responders community. I created the non profit organization 2 The Next Shift the helps them with mental health resources. With barbering still a passion and way to stay connected to community and relationships, I created “Ray’s Nicelook Mobile Barber Lounge” which allows me to stay on the move while serving clients where its most convenient for them. It also allows the NICELOOK barber brand that was once a brick and mortar building in Oak Cliff Texas to be anywhere and everywhere. “Shears to You!”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I can say that life no matter who you are will have have some ups and downs. This is what shapes a person into the strong individual that will eventually become. I’ve had some struggles. The loss of a mother, a divorce, financial woes, promotional setbacks, etc. I feel that a lot was self-inflicted but all a part of God’s divine plan to get me where I needed to be at the right time. So, I can say that it hasn’t been a smooth ride but in time things have always become clearer as I kept going.
As you know, we’re big fans of RAYS NICE LOOK MOBILE. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business was created on the eve of the covid epidemic. Barbering has always been very important part of me and my family but I wanted to do something more intimate and personal. The Nicelook brand has always focused on having high character and great customer satisfaction. Once closed after 30 years of operation, I reopened a different model in the form of “The Mobile Unit.” I service professional clients that value time and appreciate a great customer experience. What sets my business apart from others is the wealth of business knowledge, experience and common sense I bring to the barber table. Because I have expertise in first responding and community service, it makes conversations richer with every clip of the shears. I am most proud brand wise of the foundation my mother, Joyce Spencer, solidified early in establishing the family brand. I’ve kept it going and will continue too. Everyone knew what to expect from Nicelook and people still receive that same quality in 2025. Our brand is “love” and a client will feel special with every appointment and service experiment.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risks are inevitable. I believe that its a fundamental part of growing a business and being innovative to stay current with the fast moving times. If you are starting a business or growing an existing business, you have to take risk but make them calculated.
Yes, I have taken risk. Some strategized and some not so much. The ones that were planned out and thought over with prayer worked the most. It’s always best to do homework, collect data about your type of business, create a plan, but always have a backup. These have been my go to’s.
I dont take risk often but my perspective would be this. It can always be a learning experience no matter what you choose to do but no risk no reward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rayschufford.com
- Instagram: TheNicelookbarber
- Facebook: Ray Schufford (public figure)
- Twitter: The Nice Look Barber
