Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruben Javier.
Hi Ruben, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began cutting my own hair at the age of 13 when I moved to Florida from Pennsylvania. I lived with my older sister and her family, who took me in at the time, so I remember she used to get mad at me whenever I would clog up the bathroom sink since I would attempt to cut my hair every two days or so. Eventually, I started giving out free haircuts to those in my neighborhood and classmates until one day, I began to charge $5, that’s when I saw more people contacting me for haircuts weekly. Around then, my mom had moved to Florida and I was able to use her garage to turn into a personal barbershop to attend all my clients.
In 2014 I made the decision to open my own barbershop and in 2018, I opened another location in Colorado which, by the grace of God are both still operating, I was also able to open a Barber and Beauty school in Lake Wales, FL, which has been a great resource for the community in not only providing careers for many but also in services to the public. Throughout my career, I have been able to work with companies in beauty shows across the country and share my skills with others by providing education. I thank God for all the opportunities that He has allowed for me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I can definitely say it has been tough for the most part, nobody tells you how things are until you are in that position or situation. The toughest part was dealing with people, I think college doesn’t teach you exactly how it is when it comes to the psychology of dealing with multiple personalities at once. Patience is always a trait that gets challenged daily when it comes to dealing with employees.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a Barber and Beauty school, we offer Nail Tech classes as well, besides Barbering and Cosmetology. We are accredited and Financial Aid is available, so those who would like to apply are more than welcome to. We have taken our students to competitions and those students who participated have came back with 1st and 2nd place trophies each time. We take pride in our teachings and job placement for our students, we not only want them to graduate but to also follow the career in what they have invested their time in. Several of our graduates have now opened their own barbershops and salons which makes us very proud, it shows the effectiveness in our motivation towards them.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Decide what you want out of life, being a business owner is not for everyone, sometimes the image of someone else can deceive others. As long as you’re happy with yourself, don’t let unnecessary responsibility drain you from your joy.
Contact Info:
- Email: rubens5staracademy@yahoo.com
- Website: www.rubens5staracademy.com
- Instagram: ruben_dabarber
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubens5staracademy/
