Check Out Carlos Spivey’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Spivey.

Hi Carlos, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

I didn’t take barbering seriously until my studies at California State University, Los Angeles came to a halt. I was a kinesiology major, doing well and a year and a half from graduating, but I couldn’t afford to continue. Leaving school and my friends was devastating. I remember riding the bus home in disbelief, not knowing what I would do, until I looked up and saw a sign in the window of Abram Friedman school: ‘Barbers, Enroll Now.’ That’s what I did.

I called my uncle Titus to tell him I wanted to become a barber. He asked, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Yessir.’ He told me, ‘No matter what you start, make sure you finish.’ That has stayed with me to this day.

Over 15 years, I’ve owned a barbershop, worked on set, and taught as a barber instructor for three years. I also spent 12 years with LA Parks and Rec coaching basketball, baseball, softball, Snoop Youth Football League, and soccer. The discipline and brotherhood sports gave me, I now pass on to young men through the chair and the field.

That became Barber Gurus, a 501(c)(3) in South Los Angeles. We provide vocational barbering and braiding training, mentorship, and community development, and we run pop-up events across LA County, including Skid Row. Everything we do centers on legacy, brotherhood, and using barbering as a vehicle for personal growth and community transformation.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

At 22, I moved 3,000 miles from the South to the West Coast and left all my family behind. I’m very family oriented, so that decision was one of the best I ever made, and at times one of the toughest. I missed home, and it was too far to just pick up and go back. There were moments I wanted to give up on school and sports and return to the life I knew. But I’m not a quitter. I dug deep, focused on the task in front of me, and set out to show everyone, including my uncle, that I’d made the right decision.

On top of that came the financial hardship. Everything in California cost so much more than in the South, and that was a rude awakening. But God had other plans for me, and it was part of my journey. Pushing through wasn’t about proving anything to anyone else. It was about proving to myself that I could do anything I set my mind to.”

“Those struggles shaped who I am today. Because I know what it feels like to be far from home, to have a plan fall apart, and to want to quit, I can sit across from a young man in my chair or on my field and meet him where he is. I tell him what my uncle told me: no matter what you start, make sure you finish. Barber Gurus exists so that no young man has to walk that road alone.”

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

What I’m most proud of is the impact. Every year we give away thousands of free haircuts and braid styles, and last year we served over 300 men in our Village Circle safe spaces. Also the work we’ve done including our annual back-to-school events, grocery giveaways,Barber & Braid training, and barbershop pop-ups. I’m also proud of the teaching. I love sharing knowledge with my students and watching them take it to the next level and become licensed barbers. I believe all things are possible, and teaching young people how to fish so they can become great never gets old.

But outside of all of that, my single proudest moment ever is the birth of my beautiful daughter, Nevaeh Spivey. She’s now 15 and a sophomore in high school, and I love her life. I’m always grateful.

I’m thankful for the artists and volunteers who’ve given their time to help Barber Gurus grow. I thank God, and I pray He continues to watch over us all and allows us to keep making a difference in our communities. I’m grateful for the connections we’ve made and for being a successful nonprofit still making change seven years and counting. Who would have thought a young boy with a passion for barbering would have so much promise? I’m forever grateful for it all.”

What I’m most proud of is the impact. Every year we give away thousands of free haircuts and braid styles, and last year we served over 300 men in our Village Circle safe spaces. That includes our annual back-to-school events, grocery giveaways, Men’s Village Circles, and barbershop pop-ups. I’m also proud of the teaching. I love sharing knowledge with my students and watching them take it to the next level and become licensed barbers. I believe all things are possible, and teaching young people how to fish so they can become great never gets old.

But outside of all of that, my single proudest moment ever is the birth of my beautiful daughter, Nevaeh Spivey. She’s now 15 and a sophomore in high school, and I love her life. I’m always grateful.

I’m thankful for the artists and volunteers who’ve given their time to help Barber Gurus grow. I thank God, and I pray He continues to watch over us all and allows us to keep making a difference in our communities. I’m grateful for the connections we’ve made and for being a successful nonprofit still making change seven years and counting. Who would have thought a young boy with a passion for barbering would have so much promise? I’m forever grateful for it all.”

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was athletic and driven, and I always wanted to be the best. I’ve always been patient and never rushed anything, and I believe everything happens on God’s timing. I was quiet and reserved, but in class I was the jokester. I love to laugh, and I’m a huge fan of comedy, especially Jim Carrey and Martin Lawrence.

Sports were my world. I’m absolutely the biggest Jerry Rice and 49ers fan, along with the great Barry Sanders. Outside of sports and comedy, I was a huge video game fan, and Street Fighter was my game.

Those same traits show up in my work today. My drive pushes me to bring out the best in the young men I mentor, and my patience lets me meet each one where he is, because growth doesn’t happen on a schedule. I still love to laugh, too, and a little humor in the chair goes a long way toward getting a young man to open up.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.Barbergurus.com
• Instagram: Barber_Gurus

Image Credits
Barber Gurus Inc