Sponsored by Hello Salon Pro & Milk_Shake

Interview with 

What if finding your next barber or your next chair could be easier? Kelly Ehlers sits down with Drew Lee, founder of Barber Recruit and owner of Original Sharp Barbershop and Shave Parlor in New Jersey, to explore a more connected, professional future for barbering.

Drawing on 20 years behind the chair and a decade of shop ownership, Drew shares how his own hiring frustrations inspired a platform that brings portfolios, career experience, shop opportunities, and compensation information together. They discuss building strong teams, supporting barbers’ career growth, and finding a shop that fits beyond the paycheck.

Plus, Kelly and Jeff discuss beauty news, transformative haircuts, curtain bangs, and the balance between charging your worth and communicating prices clearly. In The Fine Print, Kelly challenges the idea that women have an expiration date on their ambitions.

Timestamped Chapters: Host Recording

04:33 — Welcome Back: Carnations and Catching Up
06:31 — Nice Girls Win: Reader Feedback and Recording the Audiobook

09:34 — Obsessed or Over it 

1. 10 Years Younger
2. Child Stylists Are built Different
3. Hair contouring 
4. 1ksewin

27:37 — The Fine Print: Challenging the Career Timeline for Women
32:05 — Beauty News 

• https://www.thetease.com/undone-old-hollywood-curls-took-over-vivienne-westwood-ss27-at-pfw/
• https://www.thetease.com/lina-lennox-founder-angela-d-muth-on-why-hair-protection-is-haircare

Timestamped Chapters: Drew Lee Interview

00:00 — Meet Drew Lee: Celebrating 10 Years of Shop Ownership
00:37 — From High School Haircuts to a Career in Barbering
02:57 — Building Original Sharp and Stepping Into Ownership
06:52 — What Professionalism Looks Like in a Barbershop
10:28 — Why Finding the Right Barbers Is Still So Difficult
12:11 — Retaining Talent Through Structure, Support, and Career Growth
13:17 — Turning a Hiring Challenge Into Barber Recruit
15:47 — How the Platform Works: Profiles, Portfolios, and Visibility
17:11 — Finding Nearby Shops and Comparing Opportunities
18:16 — Projecting Earnings Before Choosing Your Next Chair
19:16 — Compensation Transparency and Finding the Right Pay Model
20:23 — Growing the Network: Connecting Shops and Barbers
22:08 — Drew’s Vision for the Platform and Finding the Right Shop Culture
24:39 — Why Changing Shops Can Mean Rebuilding Your Clientele
25:22 — Technology and the Future of Men’s Grooming
28:24 — Getting Started and Building With User Feedback
29:38 — The Tease Quick Takes: Public Speaking, Podcasts, Perms, and Justin Bieber
31:45 — Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Barber Recruit

Links:

• https://barberrecruit.com/about
• https://www.instagram.com/barberrecruit
• https://www.instagram.com/originalsharp/

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Credits: Volume Up is a Tease Media production. This episode was produced by Monica Hickey and Madeline Hickey. James Arbaje is our editor and audio engineer. Thank you to our creative team for putting together the graphics for this episode.
 
Thank you to the team who helped create our theme song. Show them some love and check out their other work!
•Josh Landowski https://www.instagram.com/josh_landowski/