I can't lie, last year I was in my flop era for a minute. When I was a teen, I had all these plans in my head about starting my own barbershop. Then I matriculated, and I just kept pushing it aside. Before I knew it, a whole two years had passed. And I hadn't done anything towards my dream. I felt like a loser.

I always wanted to be a leader. Have my own thing. My own business, right? Back in the day, I was the kid who had my dad's machine and let the boys let me practice my skills on them till there was a line outside my mom's house on a Sunday. Everyone knew me for it. Then one day, before Grade 11 my uncle said if I kept it up he would sponsor me to open my shop. I didn't believe him and laughed it off. But then on the day I got my results, he surprised me. He gave me the keys to my very own container. Fully set up with chairs, mirrors, everything. It was ready to go. But instead of getting started, I was sitting around, doubting myself. I dunno. Something just felt so real about it Like, I wasn't in school anymore. This was a life decision now, not just a hobby. He was cross with me but I needed space to think, Joh.

Then my bestie Zama came over one Sunday. We were just hanging out, talking about life, when she hit me with, “Why do you keep talking about opening that barbershop but never actually do it?”

I felt called out, to be honest. I wanted to say something like, “I’m not ready” or “What if I fail?” but before I could even respond, she kept going, “Your uncle gave you everything. The space, the equipment, even clients if you’d just show up. What are you waiting for?”

She was right, and I knew it. I had the tools, I had the space, and I had the talent. But deep down, I was scared. Scared of putting myself out there and not getting any clients, scared of messing up someone’s cut, and scared of failing. So I kept talking about it like a dream, but I wasn’t doing anything to make it real.

Zama didn’t let up. She just looked at me and said, “If you keep waiting for the ‘perfect’ time, it’s never going to come. You gotta just start, even if you’re scared.”

I had been waiting for some magic moment when everything would feel right, but that moment wasn’t coming. I don't know when she got so smart either. I was angry with her for a few days and didn't speak much. But those next few days I couldn't shake the feeling that it was now or never.

So I Decided To Start:

I called my uncle the next day. I was still nervous, but something else was happening in my stomach. Excitement. He didn’t even say much, fam. He just handed me the keys with a nod, like he knew this day would come. He had never lost faith in me. Can you imagine that? All the people around me believed in my dream before I did. That still blows my mind.

The first day I opened up shop, I was nervous as hell. My hands were shaking the whole time I cut my first client’s hair, but when I stepped back and saw how happy he was with the cut. He looked CLEAN! And something clicked. This is what I was meant to do.

But wait. I must keep it 100, neh. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing since then. There’ve been days where no one comes in, and times when I’ve second-guessed myself again. But I keep reminding myself of what Zama said: just start. Every time I doubt myself, I think back to that conversation.

Now, the shop is slowly picking up. More people are hearing about it, and some regulars have started coming through. It’s still early days, but the difference is that I’m doing it. I’m out here, making mistakes, learning from them, and growing every step of the way.

And honestly? That’s what being a leader is about. It’s not about having all the answers or knowing exactly what’s going to happen. It’s about showing up, even when you’re scared, and pushing through the doubts.