Today we’d like to introduce you to John Duvoisin
Hi John, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I opened Liberty Barbershop in 2008 off of Primrose Drive as a one chair shop at 26 years old after grinding out how to be a barber in sketchy barbershops in various parts of town, building a small following for myself, and locating centrally so I was easy to get to regardless of what part of town you lived on.
After a few years as a one man operation taking walk-ins all day, my reputation continued to grow, and I ended up having 10 or more people waiting for me to unlock the door every morning and then a line out the door like a Black Friday sale 365 days a year.
Clients got tired of waiting all day to get a cut from me, so it went from walk ins, to dropping a $20 in a jar and writing your name on a board, to eventually higher priced appointments. I was beginning to win local and national awards for my work in the industry, and the lines kept getting longer.
Once it got to this point, organized, I expanded the shop to three chairs and started doing everything from training apprentices, hiring experienced barbers, and even hiring shop managers with the day to day of things so we could just focus on clients, because I have always been about service and community first.
After six years by myself, and ten years with various teams I had built up, continually stacking awards, teaching at schools, seminars for industry professionals, and even flying to places like LA to do special guest spots, I decided to slow things down.
I narrowed the business back down to one chair, with me as the Owner/Operator, and moved my business from the beautiful Milk District I am a founding member of, to the heart of downtown Maitland, near my home in Seminole County.
I now enjoy doing my favorite part of my trade, taking care of clients, in a beautiful mall across the street from Kappy’s and see myself continuing to take care of my oldest clients, and all the brand new ones, for at least 20 more years at this location.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have made tons of mistakes along the way. I tried having two shops, one for walk-ins, and one for appointments, that failed miserably in six months. I didn’t go to school for business, so I spent a solid five years working with business consultants to teach me how to solve my problems of being so busy in a saturated market, because I didn’t have time to go back to school and get a business degree.
I didn’t know that it’s bad customer service to be booked solid, and I was scared to raise prices, but eventually learned that it’s worse to say “no I can’t cut you I’m booked out for three months” than “I can cut you this week it will cost between $60-$200.”
I loved training, teaching, and helping other barbers but I never got over the bad feeling in my stomach when I had to tell someone if they no call no showed or showed up to work hungover again they would be let go, and that taught me I am my happiest just doing less business and doing it on my own.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been a licensed barber for 23 years. I specialize in precision detailed short to medium length haircuts, detailed, sculpted beards and facial hair, hair and skincare recommendations, in-depth consultations to really have a conversation with a new client about what they want, massive new look transformations, and being extremely reliable, punctual, and consistent.
I am the most proud of being kind of an intermediary from the late 90’s into the 00’s when being a barber used to be considered a boring, crappy job like laying tile to the artistic, elevated career it has become now. I am also very proud of proving that you can truly be a versatile multicultural barber that can cut all hair types and styles without catering only to one, and I am extremely proud that I won Best Orlando Barber more than six times in various publications before I ever expanded my shop and built up teams to work with me.
I think what sets me apart today, other than just hundreds of thousands of hours of practice, is that I only do unrushed appointments now, and won’t squeeze in extra people because I would rather each client get their chair time and never get hustled out than have to not give them what they want because I’m in a hurry because my books are too tight.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Anyone that says they are self made is a liar. It takes a village to raise a child. I wouldn’t be where I am without local people like Sandy Bitman of Park Ave CDs, Scott White of Rise Above Tattoo, Daniel Dennis and Tom Vann of the Tom and Dan Podcast, educators like Celina Suarez of aeffect hair and Ivan Zoot of Clipperguy, Joe Spino of Old Florida Electric, and my first jiu jitsu coach Terrie Bourgeois. Apprentices turned excellent barbers of mine Robert Bauer and Tito Santiago taught me just as much as I taught them. Every happy client, every less than happy client, everyone that ever walks through my doors helps me and molds me into the person I am today, because I believe you can truly learn something from anyone every single day, even if it’s just to confirm something you already thought or recognize something you shouldn’t do again.
I am absolutely nothing without the people and community that support me.
Pricing:
- $60 Haircut
- $60 Beardcut
- $120 Hair and Beard Cut
- $200 In-Depth Consultation
- $200 Transformation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.libertybarbershop.com
- Instagram: @johnthebarber @libertybarbershop
