Ryan Lewis, owner of Club13 in Hull is all about hard graft, teamwork and bringing out the best in his team. We sat down for a 10 Minute Chat to find out more about his career journey.
HOW DID YOUR CAREER IN BARBERING START?
I was 14 years old when I started working in my neighbour’s barbershop. I was sweeping and making tea. I hated doing it to be honest! But, I was totally absorbed in watching the barbers cut hair, and before I knew it, I was learning how to be a barber – totally by accident. It was a walk-in shop and my neighbour, Davy, was always absolutely stacked. I got too close to him one day and I accidentally tripped him up and he lost his temper with me. I took the hump over it. He came over at the end of the day and said, “I’m stressed, sorry. But why don’t you come over here”. He was cutting hair and he starts saying to me “now, what’s the next step?” And I knew all the answers. From that point on, we cut hair in the evenings and he could tell I was interested. Within 6 months I was cutting my school friends’ hair in the shop on Saturday’s, just as an apprentice mind, but it was all part of my education.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
I ended up buying the barbershop – I was only 20 years old. I could cut hair, but I wasn’t there yet with the business side of things. To be honest, I struggled managing the team. It was a hard transition from being friends with people to becoming their boss – it totally changed the dynamic and I didn’t feel like one of the lads anymore, which I don’t think I was ready to give up at such a young age. In the end I went to Newcastle and got a chair in a shop.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING POINT IN YOUR CAREER?
At that point in my career I didn’t think owning a shop was right for me. But a lot of shops I worked in weren’t taking care of the clients in the way that I would. I knew that I wanted to do things differently. That was challenging to be around. I eventually did go on to become a business owner again at House of Barbers in Hull. They said I could only come across if I took the team on which I did for a six-month basis, then they gave me a third of the business. Then last year, I opened Club13 and I finally feel I am exactly where I’m meant to be, with an amazing team.
HOW HAVE YOU SET ABOUT THE WAY BARBERSHOPS ARE RUN WITH CLUB13?
All our barbers are self-employed. They get 20 days holiday and during that time they don’t have to pay rent, plus they get bonuses. At Club13 it’s just that – a club. We’re about looking after our barbers and our clients. We have everyone from pro footballers and rugby players to everyday people, and we’re about creating a sports bar environment where everyone can come together. I love being in the shop – at Club13 us barbers are all closer than colleagues I would say. The way the team has developed over the last couple of years is phenomenal.
WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT?
I enjoy working with brands like STMNT that pull in everybody from lots of different backgrounds. I might have started barbering when I was 14 but I think I’ve learned more in the last three years than I have during the rest of my career. I’m also really proud of my colleague Luke Hartley. I pretty much trained him from scratch and now he’s working with global brands like STMNT. Seeing him do that when he’s only been in the industry a couple of years is insane.
