Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronnell Jones. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Headlines Barber Academy (HBA), postsecondary private vocational school founded in 2011 by Ronnell Jones. Shortly afterwards, George Jacobs and Derrick Davis joined as business partners. The three of us have been licensed barbers and licensed barber instructors with experience spanning over a 15-year period. In 2019, we added our last and final business partner, also a graduate of HBA-Lamonte McIntyre.
For the first three years, we didn’t see the light of day due to teaching, managing, recruiting, etc. Today, we are 50 students strong with a personnel of eight.
HBA is centrally located in the metropolitan area of Kansas City and within easy access by car and public transportation. It is one of few Barber Schools in Kansas City who continuously provides the barbering industry with professional tradesmen.
When establishing the school, our goal was to serve the people in the community in which we live, Wyandotte County. That continues to hold true. Also, to give those interested the opportunity to take a hands-on trade to become entrepreneurs.
Let’s dig deeper into the story – have this been a smooth ride?
No! We’ve had many struggles on this ride.
One of our biggest obstacles was demonstrating passion in cutting to our students. George Jacobs believes, “the best barber succeeds with passion, structure, and motivation”. We had many motivated and eager individuals in our program, some weren’t as driven. Those undriven students didn’t view barbering as a passion, just as a source of income. We want to mentor and open the minds that barbering isn’t just a job, but it’s your career and that you should love it. As Ronnell Jones espouses, “barbering is not just a profession, it’s a lifestyle”.
Another struggle was maintaining our school with little to no finances within the first 5 years of being open. We couldn’t pay ourselves as instructors but eventually as our school grew in different areas, we were finally able to.
Lastly, one of our most recent challenges was dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were forced to close our doors to the public in March of 2020 for three months. As a result of us closing our doors, we were forced to figure out how to pay our bills. We had no income. Fortunately, we were awarded grant money that kept us afloat through reopening.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Ronnell Jones – Barber School Owner (10 years), Barber/Independent Contractor (17 years), Barber Instructor (14 years)
George Jacobs -Barber School Owner (10 years), Barber/Independent Contractor (20 years), Barber Instructor (13 years)
Derrick Davis – Barber School Owner (10 years), Barber/Independent Contractor (13 years), Barber Instructor (11 years)
Lamonte McIntyre – Barber School Owner (2 years), Barber/Independent Contractor (3 years)
We specialize in education. We offer three courses: Barber Styling, Crossover Program (For licensed cosmetologists), and Barber Instructing.
Headlines Barber Academy is best known as the “Home of the $6 Haircut”, we provide our community with some of the cheapest haircuts in the area, and all the work is done by our students.
What sets us apart from other barber schools is that we are nonprofit and privately owned. The cost of tuition is much lower than the surrounding barber schools.
One accomplishment that we are very proud of is that we currently uphold a 93% graduation rate and have seen 50 percent of our students’ become entrepreneurs in the Wyandotte community.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you’re interested in starting a trade and becoming your own boss and barbering is something you have an interest in or would like to learn more about, we encourage you to take that first step in making a life change and come visit us. We have a family-friendly atmosphere that’s warm and inviting. Our student barbers leave here with a secured job and many other networking opportunities.
We’re growing at such a fast rate that we are exploring a second location.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: headlinesbarberacademy.com
- Instagram: @headlines.barberacademy
- Facebook: @headlines.barberacademy
Image Credits
Heriberto Garcia
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Jessica
August 8, 2022 at 7:22 pm
As a single mother with 2 sons I appreciate you providing a place where they are able to get a decent haircut for a reasonable price. THANK YOU!