"In the Chair with"............. Lesley McBain
Ok this week we caught up with Lady Mojo herself Lesley Mcbain, She hotter than ghost Chilli dipped in lava and from what i heard about her recent trip to The Great British Barber Bash in Ireland and bit of a party animal too.
1 - SO LADY MOJO THANKS FOR AGREEING TO SIT IN THE CHAIR AND BE INTERVIEWED, BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE REAL YOU.
1, my name is Lesley-Anne Macbain, age 41 with 2 grown up children of 23, and 22 and a little grandaughter of just 4 months old...before I was a barber, I was a mental health nurse and troubleshooter for privately run homes for the mentally infirm....I would go in, identify problem areas and retrain the staff accordingly to the highest standard attainable, A very demanding yet rewarding job, self confessed workaholic and social media promoter, no owner of Mojos Kids & Gents barbers which is my Barbers situated underneath my house, I run an appointment only system as I don't get passing trade, this is the best thing I have done with regards to my career in barbering
2 - NOT EVERYONE WILL HAVE READ THE INTERVIEW IN BARBER NV MAGAZINE (WHICH I HAVE TO SAY WAS AWESOME) SO FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T CANT YOU TELL US WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO JUMP OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING AND HEAD ON DOWN TO YOUR BARBER SHOP.
2, what motivates me and gets me up every single day are my customers, the fact they they have moved around with me throughout my career and travel in from far and wide is an honour within itself, I am very blessed and very humbled to be where I am today, without them, this wouldn't be possible
3 - SO WE SEE YOU TOOK PART IN YOUR FIRST EVER PHOTO SHOOT, THE PHOTOS BY THE WAY LOOK AWESOME AND THE RESPONSE YOU HAVE HAD ON THE VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA SITES WE SEE YOU ON ARE FANTASTIC, TELL US MORE ABOUT WHY YOU DID IT AND WHAT RESPONSE YOU HAVE HAD FROM BOTH YOUR CUSTOMERS AND YOUR COLLEAGUES IN THE TRADE.
3, my recent photo shoot was something that I'd wanted to do for some time now and I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone within the salon environment and to a location where I felt I would get the best from my images!! I enjoyed every single minute and aim to continue to promote my work this way for the foreseeable future, the response I had was amazing!!!! I'm have the full support from my customers as ultimately they get the best from me when I am fully focused and it's nice to get compliments from some of the top barbers within my industry, it's a tough place for a female barber!!
4 - THE GENTS INDUSTRY IS CURRENTLY BOOMING NEW PRODUCTS AND NEW STYLES ARE HITTING THE BARBER SHOPS EVERY MONTH, ONE STYLE WE SEE A LOT OF IS WE SEE IS THE FADE (WE WILL CALL IT A FADE EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE UMPTEEN OTHER NAMES FOR IT) APPEARING IN THE VARIOUS FORUMS GROUPS AND SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES SCATTERED GLOBALLY ON THE INTERNET, OTHER THAN THE FADE WHATS CURRENTLY BEING ASKED FOR BY THE CUSTOMERS AT MOJO'S KIDS AND GENTS BARBER SHOP AND WHAT IN YOUR OPINION SHOULD MAKE A COME BACK.
4, the most popular cut within my shop at this point is still the 'skin fade'!! high, low and all variations!! This year is all about texture and surgical lines!!! Although I'm a sucker for the executive contour cut to keep things classic
5 - CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAYS A HUGE PART OF BEING A SUCCESS NOT ONLY IN THE INDUSTRY BUT IN BUSINESS AS WELL, WHAT WAS THE LAST COURSE YOU ATTENDED AND HOW HAS IT HELPED YOU PROGRESS IN THE INDUSTRY.
5,training courses are a must within our industry or you will remain stagnant!! You need to be constantly pushing yourself, bettering yourself and improving yourself in order to keep up with the local and current trends, education is the key ! My last training course was with Sid Sottung at vodou in liverpool, Sids work is recognised globally and with his classical barber training from italian trained barbers as a young man from Brooklyn, you are sure to learn something that bit different!
6 - ONE OF THE HOT TOPICS AT THE MOMENT IS STATE REGISTRATION, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS AND HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF THE GENTS HAIRDRESSING INDUSTRY?
6, I myself am currently a senior registered barber and believe that eventually it's a thing that we all should be looking into!! To answer that question again, I would rather go to someone who is qualified,registered & regulated over somebody who isn't....and I'm not just talking hair! After all that was part of my profession before becoming a barber so it makes sense to me.
7 - SO EVERYONE HAS A STRENGTH AND A WEAKNESS, TELL US WHAT YOURS ARE AND WHAT YOU DO TO BOTH PROMOTE THEM AND ALSO OVERCOME THEM.
7 My strengths I would say are customer care skills, it's really important to me that my customers feel comfortable, happy and satisfied with the service that they receive when they come through the door, that first impression can last let me tell you!!! My weaknesses are my ability to take good pictures of my work! Something I am currently working on Improving, hence my photo shoot! Keep your eyes peeled for more of my work!!
8 - SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS A BIG PART OF RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS, WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU AND WHATS YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES (OTHER THAN BARBER BANTER OF COURSE)
8 There are so many social media sites to promote your work through, apart from yourself of course it has to be barberverse for its diverse approach to the industry
9 - WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEWBIE LOOKING TO START THEIR CAREER IN GENTS
HAIRDRESSING.
9, My advice to anybody who wants to embark upon a career within barbering is..don't give up! Keep yourself well educated and surround yourself with positive people who will encourage and direct your ability in the best possible way
10 - SO WERE AT NUMBER TEN IN OUR LIST OF QUESTIONS AND BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU FOR BEING ONE OF THE FIRST TO KICK OFF THE NEW SERIES OF THE IN THE CHAIR INTERVIEWS ON BARBER BANTER, WE ALL HAVE A GOAL OR A GAME PLAN SO WITH THIS IN MIND WHATS NEXT FOR LADY MOJO AND WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
10, My goals for the next 5 years are not just to become an educator, but a mentor within the industry....I'm very passionate about this industry and Beleive that anything is possible if you out your mind to it.
Well what can i say thats a mission complete, big thank you to Lesley for taking the time out of her day to answer our questions, stay tuned in to Barber Banter for some more great interviews with our new series of In the Cair With........
If you personally have or know someone in the industry with an interesting story let us know and lets get them in the chair.
