CHANGING TIMES
AMERICAN CREW
TAKE A RISK, BITE THE BULLET AND JUST GO FOR IT BUSINESS ADVICE W/ LUKE MUNN 22
Luke Munn is a barber who barely needs an introduction. Having been named the global winner of the 2020 American Crew All-Star Challenge, only to be crowned ‘Men’s Hairdresser Of The Year’ at AHFA last year, Luke is a rapid-fire success story. However, Luke’s meteoric rise has been a lesson in taking business risks and biting the bullet. The young barber has just swung open the doors of his first barbershop back in his hometown in Adelaide. If he could give one piece of advice for anyone starting out it’s ‘just go for it’, so we had a chat to Luke to get into the depths of how to open a barbershop for the first time.
Can you tell us about your journey from starting out in the industry to opening your first salon? Early days started at The Barbery Academy here in Adelaide where I was mentored by some of the best in the industry. That was back in 2017 and since then it’s been a crazy journey. After completing my barbering certificate, I made sure to dive headfirst into doing anything and everything I could to allow myself the best opportunity in becoming the stylist I wanted to be. From those early days I always knew that one day I wanted to have my own salon. Fast forward to 2020, I was crowned the AllStar global winner which has been an amazing experience and still to this day it sounds weird saying it. 2021 was another crazy year working with some of the best in the industry and focusing more on educating and creating content. It was then that I won the AHFA 2021 Men’s Hairdresser Of The Year. And now I’m here finally starting that journey as a salon owner. February 1st, 2022, Havachat Barbershop opened its doors. It’s a small, two chair studio nestled away in the beautiful suburb of Dulwich in Adelaide. What were your biggest apprehensions about opening your own business? I think the biggest apprehension for most people when starting their own business is actually just doing it and getting to the point that you can open the doors and trade. I found that once I reached that first day of trade everything just felt natural. There are always those fears with new business in regards to client retention and so on but I feel like you need to trust in your ability.
