He became famous for cutting hair on YouTube. Now he owns barbershops across Europe.

From working-class background to haircuts in Nepal, Gutierrez credits his travels with opening his eyes to cultures around the world.

If you are smart and you have a practical skill you can go a long way, literally.

In June 2013, Miguel Gutierrez decided to mix barbering and traveling and record his experiences. He conducted a world tour that began in Europe, went through Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia, and then on to the USA and South America. He interviewed barbers in their shops and in the process brought the trade alive as a vehicle for examining culture.

“The most fascinating part for me is that, yeah, I go to their shops, but it is more interesting learning about people. And seeing just in this one job how the lives of people vary so much in each country.”

What he found out is that techniques and the tools of the trade don’t differ that much worldwide, but working conditions do. He came across barbers in India and Nepal who were working 15–16 hour days. He also noted that in some places people are born into the trade and have to do it. Or that for some it is the only job available because of their skin color. He also found out that the status of the job changes from country to country.

“In some places, you hold a privileged position, in others, you are just a servant.”

Nepal is where he had his most profound experience. He spent time with a seasonal barber who lived eight hours away from where he plied his trade in Kathmandu. Miguel went back to his home with him and recorded the way he lived.

In this way, the videos became more than show and tell. They became a fascinating archive of people and their culture. They also provided a valuable educational experience for Miguel, who by his own admission wasn’t exactly top performer at school.

“I’d like to think because of the videos I know a lot more about how the world works than other people. Despite not being exactly the best student.”

A similar start at barbering

At the age of 16, Miguel left school and started working at a men’s salon, earning about £50 pounds a week for between 40–50 hours work. It was a similar start to those he met on his travels

He got his inspiration from a family friend who owned four barbershops. For him, it was a possible way out of his humble upbringings.

“I do come from a very working class background. My friends would be getting five, ten pounds a week pocket money. I’d be getting a pound.”

Barbering wasn’t a passion yet but he started considering it. Perhaps, he thought, he would even have his own business one day?

“It was always at the back of mind I was going to do it, I wasn’t sure quite when. I knew I wanted to go and work in as many places as I could before that and learn as much as I could so I would be competent in running a shop.”

Starting out, it was a very hard gig. Even for Miguel — who’d had menial jobs since he was a teenager — being on his feet all day, and scrubbing and sweeping floors, was very taxing. And all this had to be done while trying to find time to learn how to cut hair.

As a self-confessed lover of “cash,” and after being told by the boss it would take him a couple of years to get near a client’s hair, Miguel moved on. He’d sneakily spent his free time practicing on live models so he was ahead of the curve. It was time to give it a go elsewhere.

“I knew that if I wanted to make money, I needed to get to cutting on the floor really quickly. I went to a traditional barbershop in a poorer area. I was really cocky and the boss said, ‘If you think you can cut hair then go on then.’ And I did a buzz cut on a kid and it was the hardest haircut in my life. It progressed from there.”

By the age of 18, he was at a high-end salon earning nearly £300 a week. He then moved to London and earning more cash than he could spend. But Miguel faced a dilemma. He could use the money to follow up on his plan of opening his own shop. But he also wanted to travel and if he didn’t do it then, he might not ever. The danger was that he’d lose his business stake and he might become forgotten in the industry if he disappeared — he’d started to get media exposure for his talent and a good reputation, which counts for a lot when you want to open a barbershop.

So he and a friend hit upon a plan that would cover both problems, and one that has been instrumental in his whirlwind rise. They’d travel around giving haircuts and recording it. He would be the Nomad Barber.

The birth of the Nomad Barber

“Once I’d launched the Nomad Barber people were telling me they wish they’d thought of it.”

The success of the project only became apparent to Miguel once he hit Southeast Asia. Suddenly, because of the videos, the barber with a small but growing industry reputation in London was now an international social media celebrity. He was getting stopped in the street for selfies. More importantly, he had unwittingly created the basis for a successful brand.

He capitalized on his return to the UK. He set up a chair in a vintage market in Brick Lane under The Nomad Barber moniker. A lot of people came to him via his website and he built on that popularity to earn back the travel money and achieve his ambition of opening a shop in London.

“When we put The Nomad Barber sign up in the new shop, a lot of people would walk past and stop and get their phone out and look at the name. I think the story is what sold it.”

The simplistic barbershop became two in 2017 when he teamed up with Mühle, one of the most respected shaving brands in the industry, to open in the buzzing Kreuzberg area of Berlin.

The emphasis of both shops is developing barbering and exploring its cultural crossovers, but the central pillar is always to create a comfortable space for customers.

“The thing about a barbershop is you need the barbers that can create a conversation. You need a good relaxed vibe with people who want to talk about everything and anything.”

Looking ahead to the future, with one eye on his upbringing

With the shops up and running, Miguel is in the process of building the hair care products side, which had been at the planning stage for about four years. There is now a range of shampoo, conditioners, skin care, etc. under the Nomad Barber umbrella. Whether it is the name or the ingredients, each product has its own story inspired by his travels. It is an inspiration that he would like to give back.

“Ideally we could look at more ethical causes in the future. That’s what I’d like to do. If I have money when I am 50, 60, I’d like to go and travel and help people and give back. That’s kind of like a dream. It’s not to buy a Lamborghini.”

Sometimes we can pick up values on our travels, most of the time, it is
the ones that were instilled in us at home that turn out to be the most
meaningful. What Miguel’s parents, the son of a British mother and a father who came as a political refugee to the UK from Chile’s Pinochet in the 70’s,
passed on to him has helped the most in his success in a people business.

“My Mum was kind of the boss in terms of how we were brought up. We were brought up with Latin values. My Dad is more loving and affectionate than most British Dads. We’ve got that warmth, always welcoming people into the house type of vibe.”

A vibe not much different from an excellent barbershop, you could say.

Miguel Guttierez has barbershops in both Berlin and London so pay him a visit here if you’re in town.