Neapolitan Family's MOMentum Mom: Lindsey Dulin

Beards & Brews Owner Lindsey Dulin before the pandemic temporarily closed her shop.

Photo by Lisette Morales

By Stacy Nicolau

Lindsey Dulin never dreamed that she would become a successful small business owner. Statistically, she says, she shouldn’t be where she is at all. Her tumultuous childhood ended at age 11 when her stepfather murdered her mother. Suddenly, the only two parents she had ever known were gone.

Born in Washington, D.C., Lindsey was living in Indianapolis with her family when her mother died. She moved to Virginia to be raised by her grandmother, and Lindsey followed her grandmother to Southwest Florida when she retired.

After moving to Florida, Lindsey attended cosmetology school and now lives in Fort Myers with her husband, Rithoy, and three of her children: Xavier, 15; Nasir, 7; and 2-year-old Neema. Her oldest daughter, Kennedy, is 19 and in college.

After working for a franchise barbershop as both a stylist and manager for eight years, and then briefly leasing space in a cooperative

salon, she became owner of the Naples’s barbershop Beards & Brews, and she soon will open a second location in Bonita Springs.

How did you come up with the concept for Beards & Brews? The business concept came about while sitting in Whole Foods with my friend Briana. We really wanted something catchy, and after studying the market we decided to capitalize on the two hottest things: craft beer and beards.

What do you love the most about your career? I love building relationships with people. I get to make people look amazing and feel confident, and I gain new “family members” everyday. I love that I get to work with and motivate other strong mothers just like myself. I want to show them that they don’t have to climb the corporate American ladder in order to be successful, and that with just a little faith and hustle you can have whatever God wants you to have.

How did a place called Beards & Brews become a popular place for children’s haircuts? It all happened because a few moms loved us and they shared it with all the other moms. Boys have always gone to get their haircuts with their fathers – why are we trying to change the tradition now? Boys are our future clients, so we need to start while they are young.

What have been the challenges of this business while raising children? The main challenge is feeling like I’m not doing enough. If I can’t make it to a field trip, band parade, or to take my daughter to college (even though those things are all important), there is a certain level of guilt. But I also feel like I may hurt the business by not always being available there.

How has your life experience shaped you into the mother you are today? My mother was always a super hard worker and made sure we had whatever we needed. She was very active in our schools as well. Growing up without a mother (after her death) was tough. I always had my grandmother, but the one person I wanted couldn’t be there. So I always try to make sure that when my children have something going on they can look up and see me cheering them on. Even though I’m working I don’t want to miss anything.

What does your family like to do together in your free time? We love to get together and just eat! There is nothing a Chick-fil-A or Culver’s milkshake can’t fix. We don’t get a ton of free time; it’s usually consumed with another sibling’s activities, but they are all very supportive as long as we are all together. We try to take a few vacations a year to the Midwest to visit our family. It’s very important to me to show my kids the importance of family. Other times we go to the theme parks in Orlando or Tampa.

What is your favorite parenting advice? I was a very young mom, and I didn’t always get it right. My nana would say, “You don’t have to always get it right, but if you get it wrong just apologize and keep going.” My advice would be, there is no manual to being a working mother; sometimes it’s going to be hard. Remember to always do your best, take the time you need, and never stop loving your kids.

How are you coping with your business being closed due to COVID-19? As a mom, learning to be a teacher and being patient with them as they navigate through this new lifestyle, it’s hard to get them to focus and realize, okay guys, we really are in school right now. Then the business aspect: How will we overcome this? Will there be funding? Will my business recover from this, and will the landlords be compassionate with their tenants? It’s a very scary thing after spending endless hours working on my dream to now have that all possibly become a thing of the past in the blink of an eye. On the bright side, I’ve been able to catch up on some paperwork and research new ideas to bring to the business once we restart. I’ve taken up gardening, and my house is getting more organized by the day. I am taking it day by day hoping this will be over soon.