BUILDING A BARBERING EMPIRE WITH JORDAN TABAKMAN

BY LOUISE MAY

Jordan Tabakman, the Lead Educator for Gamma Plus, has a rich family background in hairdressing. After exploring various career paths, he ultimately found his passion in barbering. His dedication and innovative approach have led him to international acclaim, educating barbers around the world.

Jordan discusses his role with Gamma Plus, the importance of social media in his career, and his favourite tools. He also shares his insights on upcoming hair trends and the inspiration behind his successful journey. Join us as we delve into the fascinating career of Jordan Tabakman and his contributions to the barber industry.

Barbershop Editor Louise May chats with Jordan…

Where did the Barbering journey all begin?

Having both parents who were hairdressers I grew up around it. I went off and tried different careers before I fell into barbering and haven’t looked back since.

Can you share a bit about your journey?

After starting my barbering career, I tried many different paths to break through, photo shoots and education which is what I had a big passion for and got my first sponsor, which allowed me to travel globally educating in Europe, UK, and India where I met a lot of top stylists and built a network in which I’ve been able to utilise in business. Not only Barbering but also building brands that we have done. and now ultimately has led to opening up salons in India and Dubai.

What factors do you feel have contributed the most to your success as a social media influencer?

The biggest attribution to social media has been showing what’s possible in the industry, from being trusted by some of the biggest celebrities in the world with their haircuts to also showing if you work hard and be yourself, organically you can build a big network in which personal brands see your value which ultimately can lead to great opportunities in travelling the world educating or doing business.

You are lead educator for Gamma + can you tell us about this role and why you chose to work with the brand, what do you love about Gamma+?

I actually parted ways with a brand previously I’d worked with for 6 years and wanted to focus on our salons and personal development and then was lucky enough to be approached by gamma+ to have a discussion on what we could do together.

First, I wanted to try the tools and see if they worked for me which is an essential when it comes to promoting a reputable product, I instantly fell in love with the tools and decided it’s the right thing to work closely with a brand that I value and the people who work for the brand and their vision aligned with mine that I value a lot. We have put together an amazing education and ambassador team that all bring so much value to the brand and they make my job being the lead educator easy.

What are you most looking forward to with your role with Gamma+?

Separate to the current exciting plans within Australia and New Zealand, Carmelo head of Gamma+ Aust/NZ and I, challenged ourselves to look outside the box as I’d been doing business in India, and with his contacts in Pro Edge Blades it made sense to take Gamma+ to India and give the hair artists the tools they deserve. Ultimately, I’m excited about the growth of the brand in both countries and the opportunities we get to give people being associated with a strong brand like Gamma+

What are your favourite Gamma+ tools to work with and why?

Currently, I’m using the x-ergo clipper, cyborg trimmer, skin clipper and boosted foil shaver. They’re my go-to tools for my haircuts.

Can you share any insights or predictions regarding upcoming hair trends that you believe will be popular over the next 12 months?

We tend to follow suit of UK with trends, but it was exciting to see the mullets with skin fades becoming very popular over there now in which Australia has been doing for a while. Personally skin fades will never die out but I’m noticing a lot more tapers and burst fades are in trend currently.

Who inspires you in the industry?

My biggest inspiration has been my father who has trusted me as a business partner to take The Barber Club brand into a whole new element of modern barbering and to see the team we have now at all our shops and the growth of each team member through the internal and external opportunities is what inspires me every day.

I tend not to look for inspiration so much within the industry as my main focus is on creating opportunities for everyone through all the platforms, we have through Gamma+, the Barber Club's new education platform in which our team is running, and many overseas projects we are doing with new hair care/styling brands.

Can you talk to us about your Gamma+ tour? Where are you off to and when and what education are you doing?

We have a jam-packed Calendar this year. The end of May will see us Launch the extensions to the Boosted Family in Trimmer and Shaver. Then in July we are doing a road show tour of major cities in India expressing new styles India hadn’t seen before through using the Gamma+ tools and getting stylists to understand how important the tools they use on haircuts are. Over and above this, our team of Educators and myself continually work with Schools and Tafe Colleges around Australia to help bring the art of barbering to the next level with Gamma + Tools.

Can you tell us about the India Academy.

We have launched our first salon in Delhi, next month we open in Hyderabad which will be our flagship salon with our first academy and have signed contracts with master franchise licence holders to expand The Barber Club and newly formed women’s hair and beauty company The Beauty Club largely over all of India and Dubai.

@jordantabakman @gammaplusaus_barber

@gammaplusaus @thebarberclubindia