In this new world of startups, app development and the internet of everything, I humbly own and run a barber shop. Having left investment banking a dozen years ago to become a small business owner my high-powered friends still don’t get it.

GQ Barber Lounge

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Apr 23, 2016

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I’m not a startup. I’m not an entrepreneur. I am a shopkeeper. Every morning I unlock the door, turn on the lights and tend to the mundane to ready our shop to open. I pray that my employees show up. They do (most of the time.) I hope our customers come back and new guys find us. They do (most of the time .) And so it goes.

It’s not about the money. There never is any left. It’s not about changing the world. We cut hair. It’s not about fame. I am a shopkeeper.

This is what it’s about. It’s mine. If it succeeds, it is because our people did well. If it doesn’t, it’s because I made some bad decisions. I love this place. I Iove my employees. I love my customers. Most of all, I love the challenge. It’s by far the hardest thing I have ever done. I see my mistakes up close and personal every day. The project and task lists never get any shorter.

So what is the point? My young staff take pride in their craft. And it makes me smile. Our guys leave with awesome haircuts, looking their best. And that makes me smile. In the process we are changing a few lives for the better and I will be remembered. That is what makes it all worthwhile