Determined to receive a college education by Paula Anderson Most entrepreneurs decide at an early age to be their own boss. However, when Thomas Randle started cutting hair, he did not anticipate a lifelong career as a “master barber.” At the tender age of 12-years-old, Thomas’ mother purchased a set of clippers to help her save money on haircuts for her three sons. Having an entrepreneurial spirit, he used the clippers as a tool to make money versus his mother wanting him to cut his own hair. Following high school, he joined the Navy and cut hair on his shipmates in the “barracks head.” His first college experience was at Tennessee State University (TSU) and he used his hair grooming skills to shape up guys in the dorms. Roderick Richmond, longtime customer, says, “We were classmates in middle school at Trezevant High School, colleagues at Tennessee State University, and friends. Thomas start(ed) cutting my hair in Eppse Hall dormitory in 1988 at TSU and has been my barber ever since, 28 years (later).” He transferred to LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) from Tennessee State University. During his matriculation, he decided to pledge Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and many of his frat brothers encouraged him to become a barber too. The motivation for making money increased when Randle made a choice to leave college to provide for his oldest daughter, Chanel Nicole Randle. As a new father, he decided to pursue barbering to handle the responsibility of being a parent. He graduated in 1996 from barbering school and has perfected his trade for over 20 years. Throughout his life, he has been “that guy” who cuts hair. Although Randle left LeMoyne-Owen College in 1992, he did not give up on his aspirations to become a college graduate. He returned to LOC in 2011 and received his bachelor’s degree in 2014. Shortly after that, he pursued his master’s degree. Randle says, “I am an entrepreneur, but I wasn’t knowledgeable about the business aspects to successfully run and manage business operations to see growth.” Randle has his barbering license and degrees on the wall at his shop to give inspiration and hope to his customers about education. His shop is located in the Parkway Village community across from where the Mall of Memphis was located. After doing research for a class project, he was able to lease space because he presented realistic data to the leasing company. This created the perfect opportunity for him to operate for six months without any rental expenses. Randle believes in supporting and helping the community and he plans to partner with various schools in the neighborhood to share customer service values and how to effectively build relationships.
With any business, there will be challenges and Randle says “managing fixed expenses and various costs are areas that can affect the overall cash flow for a business.” As a seasoned barber, Randle has positioned himself in the community and has a loyal customer base from when he started. His primary customers are between the ages of 35-50, but also has teenagers and seniors as customers and he offers them pampering services. Lee Martin, fraternity brother, says “Thomas and I have an extensive history timeline. We were high school classmates at Hillcrest High School, we ran track together in high school and college (LOC), we both pledged the same fraternity and he has been cutting my hair for 32 years.”
Most recently, Randle assisted the LeMoyne-Owen College Alumni Association with its social media marketing for the 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast. To learn more about T-Randz Barber Shop, please call 901-207-6667 (business) or 901-244-1171 (mobile) or email thomasrandle050@gmail.com.
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