Cutting a styling new career

WHEN Peter Cupido from Ida’s Valley, Stellenbosch, swopped his technical assistant job to open a barber shop, he started a community where men gather for quality time and a close shave.

“I opened Peter’s Barber Shop in 2017, but I’ve been trading for eight years. My interest in barbering started in 2005 when I ran a business from my parents’ backyard to earn extra money. I obtained an official barbering trade certificate in 2016 and from there I knew that barbering had shifted from being a hobby to becoming a fully-fledged business. Now I employ

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two full-time barbers and one assistant.”

Cupido’s patrons are mostly between the ages of 21 and 35. He says barber shops have seen a revival over the past view years, representing both nostalgia and masculinity.

“Men care more about their appearance these days, buying into the notion that if you ‘look good, you feel good’. The modern hairstyles and trends have men flocking to barber shops. Unisex hair salons, once all the rage, were geared towards efficiency and speed, whereas the current barber shops are more concerned about giving quality

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parttime

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haircuts and pampering their clients. Barber shops are tangible and personal – you can’t get a haircut online!”

Cupido is one of 32 small business owners in Khayelithsha, Langa, Mitchells Plain, Stellenbosch and Gugulethu selected to take part in the sponsored Small Business Academy (SBA) development programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).

With sponsors Distell and Absa, the SBA provides a platform for small business owners to gain business, financial and operational knowledge over nine months, to grow and strengthen their businesses. The SBA creates networking

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opportunities and offers a mentorship programme whereby each participant is matched with a USB alumnus.

“My growth has been organic ,with word of mouth my strongest marketing tool,” says Cupido. “I’ve learned how to structure the financial side of my business better, which has given me insight into what’s really going on in my business.”

Peter’s Barber Shop is sleek with a vintage yet classical look. Strategically located near a busy intersection, he has the opportunity to turn walk-in clients into regular customers – and he does. |

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PETER CUPIDO