New association aims to unite barbers, stylists

The Barbershop Network News Association hopes to offer barbers and stylists something they didn’t receive in beauty school: access to more than 200,000 vendors that can maximize their businesses and personal growth.

“Sometimes when you graduate from barber college or beauty school, you get the tools of your trade, your clippers, and your scissors, and you’re off and running,” said Deborah Pearson, the CEO of 20/20 Benefit Solutions which has partnered with BNNA. “But you need a lot more than that. You need to protect yourself as well as your client.”

Barbers and hair stylists are trusted and frequented resources, often well-known figures in touch with the heartbeat of a community. Jeffery Coleman tapped into the industry when he started Barber Network News in 2003, inspired by visiting barbershops for discussion about fashion, politics, social issues and entertainment. He explored the multi-faceted roles barbers and stylists play in society and recognized the need for an association to serve as a one-stop source to assist with business and personal matters.

Jeffery Coleman chats with Jeffrey Wright, owner of Headrest Barbershop in Chicago. | Photo courtesy of Lathia Smyles

“They’re more than just someone, cutting hair,” Coleman said. “They can be trusted with financial advice, relationship advice, fashion advice, and advice about health. They just not trusted with clippers. Black-owned barbershops have played a crucial role in African-American lifestyle.”

The goal of the BNNA, set to launch later this fall, is to give multi-cultural, multi-gender membership access to the association’s package of benefits. For less than $1 a day, members may utilize a multitude of vendors for discounts on everyday needs and necessities such as business tools, insurance discounts, financial outlets, travel perks and healthcare. Pearson said the mission is to elevate the profession through a cohesive mechanism that offers different forms of news, education and revenue generators.

“We’re not the originators of the thought,” she said. “But we’re taking the thought and putting it on steroids.”

Coleman connected with Chicagoland 3,000 barbers through his Network News program, which began in 2003 with a print publication circulated at city barbershops. He also hosts barbershop tours where he brings selected individuals to engage in impromptu discussions with owners and clientele. 

He sees a need, the BNNA can fill.

“A lot of these barbers are entrepreneurial by spirit and they need business consulting, life insurance, financial advice, legal advice,” Coleman said. “It took a while to get people trusting enough to learn how they can expand their business outreach for their families and their communities. We’re engaging a community staple that has never been approached with this type of opportunity.”

Though Pearson said the association “is going to be for barbers by barbers,” membership is open to anyone “who believes in our mission,” she said. “That’s our criteria for membership.”  

During her 30-year career, Pearson previously owned a broker firm and managed employee insurance benefits. She, along with Patricia Mell, the dean of John Marshall Law School, has helped Coleman develop BNNA. Pearson's initial attraction to the concept was its focus on a particular market niche and its specific needs. 

“I began to pull up research on how many barbers there were, how many stylists there were, what does the industry look like, and how many dollars does this industry generate,” Pearson said. “That’s a significant part of our economy.  Everybody gets their hair cut or uses salon-related services. Meeting the needs of our base is how we will organically grow the organization.”