Eldorado Park is one of the many drug hot spots in the Gauteng province. Growing up in such an infested area makes it hard for young people to break out and get out of the community. Those who make it out without being affected by the social ills of the community are lucky.
Sheldon Tatchell describes himself as one of the lucky individuals that made it out even though growing up and witnessing the full-blown drug infestation within the community. “I mean I grew up in a place called Eldorado Park, at the flats. Things were not as good as other places but I had to make means to help my parents were I can. So I basically knew because my friends and family were involved in drugs and hijacking. So I knew the lifestyle and I knew the consequences, I understood if I do follow X, Y and Z this is what it's going to lead up to.”
Even though the route that he had taken was not viewed as one which society respects or see as a wealth disposer he continued with his dream and he did it with passion. He says he started cutting hair at a very young age.
“I saw that this is something that I would like to do and it was beyond me making money. Sometimes people did not pay me and I did not mind but just the passion behind it made me continue doing it. I would wake up early in the morning and someone says cut my hair and I will it. So it's like the passion took over everything in this business and that is the reason why it is still successful still up to today.”
Tatchell says passion and the role models he had, especially his parents who are God-fearing helped him in becoming the person he is today. “My mother will always preach to me, and at the time I didn’t understand but now I understand it. My mom was always praying for me and all of the things she prayed back then are still coming to fruition” and as an entrepreneur, he says he understands that it can only be God.
Tatchell adds that “we can do all of these things but sometimes we need to understand that men can only do a certain amount but to go beyond your expectation standards it can only be God. Because “when we reopened in 2014, the vision was to open 5 stores in the next five years. We are at three and a half years and we’ve opened six stores already”.
He says the growth of the business has gone beyond his expectation and this growth came without any form of funding but just a clipper and a chair. “2011 when I started on a porch of a local supermarket, basically I didn’t need anything. What I needed was a clipper, a chair and basically people knowing I’m here.”
A lot of young people or aspiring entrepreneurs are forever complaining about the funding and other financially related challenges as being the main challenge to them starting. But in reality, all these individuals need is willpower and just giving it their all but they continue listing and naming the challenges. He says people complicate things so much, they think when you start a business you need a lot of things such as structure, or being out there and the media and other unnecessary stuff which you do not need.
“I just started with a chair, a clipper and just people to come and to inform that this is what I do and basically from that time it spread. People were talking in the neighborhood about my work and one thing that I have noticed and this was at the porch I had a long line here by me but there's a barber just across and he had his whole setup and a stand but no one was going there. I ask myself why am I so busy while that guy is empty and one day I just took some time to go see what he is doing and what I noticed was that this guy just pushes numbers, pushes clients and doesn’t build any relationship with clients or customers and that he is not an interactive person”.
This is where the concept or legends model then came to be, Tatchel says at Legends they teach their barbers to build relationships with the customers to make sure that everyone is happy. “It doesn’t help me taking money from you I must do something of value or more valuable than the money that you gave to me and that how you become successful.”
Adding that “I have been taking that lesson ever since the customers I have been cutting over 10 now are still with me. I’m not boasting but it goes to show the relationship that you have with somebody is more important than the money they give you. That person can help you in the future anything that you need but its purely based on the relationship that you build”.
Vital Stats
Business name: The Legends Barbershop
Age: 28
Number of employees: 52
Key player: 1