By Sagar Taheem
Many businesses and industries evolved exponentially post-covid and the barbering industry is no different. Being at home meant connecting with people online and while providing visibility, it also turned barbers into brands, shops into destinations and haircuts into content. Yet, behind the funny, glossy Instagram reels and viral transformations lies an uncomfortable truth: unprepared apprentices, unsatisfied employers and a high turnover in the industry. The issue? Ill-trained or unprepared apprentices facing the realities of a rapidly evolving industry.
As a business owner and an educator myself, I meet newly graduated barbers (apprentices) and stylists who
are talented, passionate and motivated, but dangerously underprepared.
A certificate alone is not a ticket to success in this industry. Yet that illusion is often sold to students. Speed, convenience and completion is often promoted at an educational level, rather than mastery, accountability
and long-term career readiness. Students leave believing they are fully equipped, only to discover gaps that stall their careers or put shop owners in legally vulnerable positions.
The issue is much deeper than anticipated and it’s not just the technical skills.
There is a lack of awareness among new graduates around licensing requirements, apprenticeship pathways
or what is legally permitted behind the chair. Some don’t know they need to register with Alberta Industry
Training (AIT). Others have never been issued a blue book or had their hours properly recorded. Many are shocked to learn they cannot legally perform chemical services. But most importantly, the number one gap is not knowing or understanding the depth of being on social media a barber in the public eye. Don’t get me wrong, social media is a land of opportunity if used correctly, and a medium a barber must use today to stay relevant, but it also has the potential to destroy reputations if mismanaged.
Another issue is not truly understanding their employment status. Most barbers work as independent contractors on commission. That means managing their own taxes, understanding write-offs, handling GST when applicable, securing personal benefits and planning for the future. These are not optional skills, but essential trade requirements and much needed survival skills. Yet financial literacy, entrepreneurship and basic business education are rarely part of the hair school curriculum.
Stakeholder Relations is another major blind spot.
Cutting hair is only part of the job. Barbers must manage client relationships, through conflict resolution, professionalism, punctuality and brand management. Social media following does not replace work ethic, reliability or respect for clients. Barbering is more stakeholder relations than customer service, as you’re to build and maintain relationships with: your suppliers, business partners, colleagues, neighboring businesses apart from your clients. In essence, it’s a small community and you need to be equipped to be a good member in all aspects.
Lack of training in all these aspects fuels high turnover, frustration and resentment on both sides. Some shops quietly enable shortcuts. Others exploit ignorance. Either way, the industry suffers.
The result is a cycle: schools churn out students, students struggle, shops absorb the fallout, and
standards slowly erode. What it boils down to at the end? What needs to be fixed at the structural level? What can each of us do? Barbering is a trade. Trades require structure, accountability and lifelong learning.
Change won’t happen overnight, and business owners can’t fix the education system alone. Collaboration matters. Schools should involve active shop owners and industry professionals in curriculum discussions; you can have the best curriculum on paper, but without experienced, motivated educators delivering it, the value is lost. Transparency around licensing, legal requirements and career pathways must be non-negotiable and lastly, business fundamentals should be treated as core education, not optional add-ons.
As an industry, we need to stop equating visibility with readiness. Those numbers can drop as rapidly as they grow with one wrong move. It is imperative to understand social media is a powerful tool, but it should complement skill, discipline and professionalism, not replace them. If we want barbering to be respected as a profession, we need to start by respecting the responsibility that comes with teaching it.