Today we’d like to introduce you to Yahir Arzeta Ortega
Hi Yahir, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born in 2003, in Salt Lake City until 2021, after my family moved to West Valley City. Growing up, it was just me, my three brothers, and our parents. My dad was the primary breadwinner during that time. We didn’t have the nicest or latest things, so I had to make sure my clothes wouldn’t get ruined throughout the school year. I never had any issues at school; I minded my own business and focused on my education. I was always punctual with my homework assignments, tests, and so on. It was my mom who motivated and pushed me to achieve a better education than she ever received. Both of my parents did a lot for me, and they are the reason I am where I am today.
I remember my older brother, Braulio, practicing cutting my hair when I was in elementary school because he wanted to become a barber. I recall how stressed he would get over a haircut, and when he finished, he wasn’t satisfied with his work. But I was happy because I got a clean haircut. Now that I’m a barber, I understand why he was stressed; learning how to cut hair is a difficult skill. He used to cut my hair, and I remember my dad taking me to Cesar Hair Salon and The Dollar Barbershop. While these places were decent, there were higher-end barbershops that cost more.
Fast forward to middle school, my older brother noticed the haircuts I was getting and decided it was time to switch barbers. He started taking me to Ambrosio’s Barbershop, where I experienced my first fade. This was a life-changing moment for me as I experienced a real barber and barbershop atmosphere for the first time. I recall a middle school friend asking where I got my haircut, and I replied that I just went wherever my brother took me.
The thought of becoming a barber didn’t cross my mind until my junior year of high school. I started watching YouTube videos about barbering, and by the time I was a junior, I began cutting hair. When it was time to select my classes for junior year, I saw that barbering was an option and seized the opportunity. My dad bought me my first clipper set, the Wahl Color Guard set, which was actually quite good for $20. I still have them at home. That summer, I began practicing cutting hair on my little brother, Bryan. While my haircuts were far from perfect, I was learning. The Barbering I class was very helpful, teaching me shear work and how to cut women’s hair.
For senior year, I took Barbering II, which is the next step after completing Barbering I. Here, we focused on men’s haircuts. Since I was already cutting hair, I was ahead of the other students and knew the basics. Barbering II went smoothly, and each time I had the chance to cut my little brother’s hair, I took it. Slowly but surely, I saw improvement. The more I learned, the better my haircuts became.
After high school, I didn’t start barber school immediately. Instead, I worked at a warehouse to save money for schooling. In 2022, I told my parents I was going to barber school to get my license. They were both excited because they saw the potential in barbering that I did. I started in March 2022 and graduated in October 2022 from American Beauty Academy. While the school wasn’t the best, and if I hadn’t been cutting hair before attending, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The memories and friendships I made at school were the only real positives. In October 2022, my friend Omar informed me that Ramirez’s Barber Lounge was hiring. I messaged him on Instagram, and he confirmed they were hiring. That’s how I became a barber.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has definitely not been a smooth road. A main struggle I have faced is how I’m going to get people in my chair. Everyone wants a nice clean haircut and not a bad one!
How do I put myself out there is another challenge. What makes me unique from other barbers. My time on how long I’d take on my haircut was a challenge but with time I slowly became quicker.
Blending the fade/taper were a big struggle I faced at the beginning. A clean fade/taper starts with how blended the lines on a fade/taper are.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well I’m a barber in Ramírez Barber Lounge. I specialize in men’s haircuts, for what im known for I’ll say my tapers, fades and hot shaves.
The thing I’m most proud is my work and how far I came from. From giving out free haircuts to my family, the community and elementary students.
What sets apart me from others, is I take pride in my work. I give my clients a detail consultation, make it worth their time and money. I love giving out to the community.
I recent went to an elementary school to give the students free haircuts and during the 9th & 9th bike rides I use to set up and give free haircuts to bicyclist.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risking taking, well you have to take risks if you want to see improvement or a change in your life. If you don’t take any risks then you’re going to feel stuck. I took a lot of risks in my barbering career, even before it took off.
Some major risk I’m going through right now are how I’m going to get more people in my chair, how I’m going to stand out with so many barbers in the same industry, what makes me different from others, what can I do to make my clients return and leave them satisfied?
Being in the barbering industry is risky because most quit in the first couple years of starting off, why, they didn’t take any risk and felt stuck. Even during barbering school I had 2 other classmates and I was the only one who graduated.
Back in barbering school I competed in a student barber battle with 40 other students in the game. If I never competed in the competition I wouldn’t have been in touch with how barber battles works and late to the trend.
Always have to keep up with the latest trend to be in touch with the new generation.
The first couple years of barbering are going to be rough. You’re going to have super slow days where you don’t get a haircut the entire day. Sometimes it be having you contemplating if barbering was even the right choice.
High risk- high reward industry.
Pricing:
- Barbering education: $10k ish
- Cost of my equipment in total: $1k ish
- Haircut price $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://getsquire.com/booking/book/ramirezsbarberlounge-south-salt-lake/barber/yahir-arzeta-ortega/services
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klxtches
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565474607761
- Other: Phone Number: 385-254-4009 Email: yahirarzeta824@gmail.com
