The sound of the last bell at Morgan High School usually means all the students rush to the parking lot or head to sports practices, but for Liam Totten, the end of the school day is the start of his shift. Instead of folding clothes at the outlets or stocking produce at the grocery store, Liam Totten heads home to his garage, which he converted into a makeshift barber shop. 

When you walk into his home setup, you will find professional clippers, ring lights, and mirrors. Liam had the idea to use his garage, but it was full of stuff. He cleared and cleaned his area and outfitted it with all the necessary equipment for a barber. Liam had been working at Pica Chica Tacos during this time so he was able to buy all of the best equipment with his own money. “In my mind, getting high quality equipment was a nessesity. I knew it would give me a higher quality haircut, the cutters will have more longevity, and it woud make people more comfortable to see nice equipment and know im serious.”

Liam Totten is building his own brand through word-of-mouth in the Morgan hallways, rather than waiting for a traditional job to call back. “Last year, I realized that I could turn this into an actual business once I cut my friend’s hair, and his mom told me I needed to charge him from now on. He sent me more clients, including his brother and cousins. Even though my haircuts were not the best at this point, I was still getting more people asking me to cut their hair.”

Between high-level classes, soccer, and the stress of senior year, adding a business to your palette isn’t for everyone. Managing business workload, staying professional while cutting classmates’ hair, and pricing are all things Liam must think about. For Liam, findng time to fit all of his responsibilities into his scedule has been his biggest challenge. “I was having to schedule haircuts as early as 6:00 a.m., I didnt have time the night before because I had soccer practice and then I had to clock in at Pica Chica. Waking up early to cut hair was a small sacrifice I was willing to make to keep my business going.” 

Since the Morgan community is small, a good haircut over the weekend is the best advertisement. By the end of the day, that fresh haircut could have generated 3 new clients. “Word of mouth is huge in the business of cutting hair. When someone sees a nice haircut, the first thing they ask is, ‘Who cut your hair?’ I have received numerous texts from people I don’t know asking for haircuts. When I first started, I would cut my brother’s hair, and just from him going to school and telling his friends, I have gained numerous clients.”

Liam has over 30 clients and charges $20 dollars per haircut. He has experience with fades, mullets, crew cuts, and shape ups. “It feels amazing to be able to cut peoples hair and give them some extra confidence. Something that I love is every haircut is different and needs to be handled differently.”

As college comes closer, Liam is thinking about how to take his business to the next level. “I will be attending UCONN in the fall, but I am planning on bringing all of my tools that I need to continue to cut hair at the dorms and make money while I am still in school. Many people don’t have ways to get a haircut in college, so I see this as the perfect way to make money while at college.”

Whether he becomes a professional barber or has an office job, the lessons he’s learned from running a business will stick with him forever.