Being a people’s person is a vital element of running a business. Nobody knows this better than Sheldon Tatchell. Sheldon has built a multinational brand through his love for people and clean haircuts.
In the first instalment of our interview series featuring South Africa’s most successful entrepreneurs, we start by interviewing the founder and CEO of Legends Barbershop, Sheldon Tatchell.
Sheldon began his entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 12. His interest in business came from the desire to learn how to sell things and to avoid falling into the tough life that comes with being born in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg.
“I remember that my parents used to give me pocket money, but I wanted to do more with it. I took all that pocket money, saved it and bought sweets and chips to sell to other learners at school,” Tatchell says.
Becoming a Legendary Barber
Realising that selling snacks, sweets and ice cream was not enough, Sheldon decided to pursue something that would turn him into an entrepreneurial phenom. Sheldon took it upon himself to learn how to cut hair. He went around to various barbers to get training and although some said no, he eventually found a mentor.
“I started by going to different barbers in my area to learn how to cut hair because it’s a skill I can have forever. Some barbers would chase me away, but I’d keep coming back sometimes even with cold drinks to soften them up,” Tatchell explains .
Early in his career as a barber, Sheldon realised the key to running a successful barbershop is to connect with the people. He tells SME SA that he used to write down everything he remembers about each person every time he cut their hair. This allowed him to connect with his customers, making them feel comfortable to keep coming back to him.
“I was only 14 when I realised that I needed to connect with my customers and build those relationships. So for every person I cut, I’d write down their name and summary of our conversation. This really helped me build and keep those relationships and it led to me growing my customer base,” Tatchell recalls.
Once he had established a good customer base, the legendary barber decided it was time to do his own thing in his own shop. In business, deciding to start is the best thing but knowing where to start can be difficult.
The Best Advice is to Start
Sheldon knew this and decided to take his business to his cousin’s Internet café, with only his clippers and a chair. From there customers would come to the Internet café to get one of Sheldon’s famous haircuts and of course to connect.
“All I had was my one (hair) clip and one chair, but I knew what I wanted to do. I had my two tools and of course I had the connections I had built with my customers so even without a proper shop, people still came to get their haircuts,” says Tatchell.
Inspired by his customers and his own determination, Sheldon quickly started the famous Legends Barbershop. Following in the steps of Apple founder Steve Jobs and his garage, Legends started out in just one small store. Sheldon recruited some of the barbers within his area and from there the brand was born.
All was not smooth sailing for Sheldon and in 2011 he had to close down his barbershop and go back into corporate. But because this business was his ‘baby’ he knew he had to come back and so in 2014, he reopened Legends Barbershop.
“When I started the shop, I didn’t have a good enough plan to ensure the business would run for years to come so we had to close it down. But those years I spent away from Legends I decided to come up with a better plan and that plan has guided me to where I am now,” said the CEO.
Growing the business was no easy feat and Sheldon did all this by bootstrapping every aspect of the business. Once his first store was highly successful, he used the profits from it to open up a second store. This went on until he had built his empire.
Although the growth of his business, Sheldon did go through his own struggles. From having to finance the growth of his own business to falling out with a trusted employee. He highlights that falling out with a trusted employee and friend was a big struggle for him, but this was just a small bump in a very successful journey.
“I think besides having to close the business in 2011, going through the whole thing of falling out with someone I trusted was a blow. Experiencing betrayal for the first time can make you feel nothing is working but of course, pushing through that really gets you past it,” he says.
Looking past the ‘downs’, the Legends Barber brand took off when some famous sports players and celebrities began coming to the shop. Sheldon recalls that another ‘high’ for him was having late musician Ricky Rick become the first franchise owner for Legends Barbershop.
From Cutting Hair to Household Name
From there on, Legends became a household name and built a ‘legendary’ brand which now exists all over South Africa. To cement the success of the brand, Legends launched its own product line. The product line features hair care, facial care and kits for grooming.
“The product line really came from nothing. One of my customers wanted to do waves in his hair and asked me for a product. I don’t know much about waves, but I wanted to give my customers what they want and that was the start of our product line,” he elaborates.
Looking to the future, Sheldon says the next step is to open even more barbershops. He also says that he is looking to give more franchise opportunities to the RIGHT people who will take care of the brand and their shop.
His advice to young entrepreneurs is that they should stick to the core of their businesses. He insists that young entrepreneurs should start their businesses and not create a plan B. Tatchell says this will help them focus on their initial business and ensure that it grows to its full potential.
“Once you get involved and make your customers happy, you will not only build a business for now but also a business and brand that lasts forever. A business that is legendary,” Thatchell concludes.
