Experience More Business Growth This Calendar Year

When it comes to true business growth, there’s one Booksy Ambassador who went above and beyond last year. So, if you haven't heard of Bryan Senatore, better known as Big Yams, now’s the time to take note. Because this New Jersey based barber made some of the biggest gains of his career over the past 12 months—and he’s just getting started. 

In the course of one year, Bryan opened his own private studio called Big Yams Hair. He then grew his number of Instagram followers from a couple thousand to almost 20,000. Bryan also became an educator with Hattori Hanzo Shears. One of his TikTok videos earned 3.2 million views. And his work has been featured in a host of news outlets, including NBC's The Today Show. 

All of his efforts to achieve true business growth came to fruition at the end of the year, when Bryan teamed up with a few local barbers to host a charitable event. They offered free haircuts to children and teens, just before Christmas, when families needed it the most.

Learn about the road that this kind soul traveled to get to where he is today. Find out why Bryan refuses to give up on his career and himself. And soak in all of the details about the moves that Bryan made this year to spark business growth, so that he could use his notoriety to give back to others through honest charitable work designed to change his community for the better.

The Tough Road to Success

Bryan is the kind of barber with so much carefully stylized ink covering his neck, wrists, and even a couple of designs on his face—that at first glance, a person might think he's a tattoo artist. But that’s hardly the case. Barbering is the one profession that drives Bryan like nothing else. Part of that is because of the different doors this industry has been able to open for him. 

But when it comes to the road that Bryan traveled to stand behind a chair in his own private barbershop, he doesn’t hesitate to say that life before barbering was “pretty rough.” Dropping out of high school before graduating and hanging with the wrong crowd led to brushes with the law. By his early twenties, Bryan had taken a turn for the worst. And his future looked grim.

In 2015, Bryan reached a turning point. His actions landed him in a court ordered rehab facility in South Carolina. Instead of giving up hope and continuing down a dark road, Bryan used that experience to learn to cut hair. He became fully dedicated to staying sober while remaining focused, so he could embark on a career that could provide a new life like nothing else had. 

After bouncing between shops, Bryan found one that he could call home. He spent four years at Virile Barber & Shop, where he perfected the skills that he uses today to give the absolute freshest of fades and tapers. And he did it all in a way that was unlike anything many people in the New Jersey area had ever witnessed first-hand. 

“Some people do like my image. But I think most of my clients identify with my story. They know that I come from a pretty rough background. And they know that I've been able to overcome all that and turn it around—people identify with that,” Bryan said.

Business Growth Strategies 

When it comes to tracking the amount of time that Bryan has spent growing his business, he has without a doubt lost count. And even though he takes his craft very seriously and sees himself as highly professional, customer relationships are one feature that set him apart from the pack. 

“I think that above everything else, people like talking to me. They like the fact that I'm real. And when they're in my chair, they can tell me whatever they want,” Bryan said, adding that he lets clients know they can talk to him about anything and everything, because he’ll never judge. 

Bryan was also able to organically create a unique brand that separated him from other barbers. Then Bryan used his social media platforms to share more about himself. He gave online followers and new clients valuable insight into the person that he’d become. And he openly talked about the work that he wanted to do with like-minded industry experts. 

Another major step that helped Bryan experience real business growth involved becoming an independent business owner. Making the decision to step out on his own and work in a private studio was huge for Bryan. And he encourages professionals to make the same step, once they’re ready.

An additional skill that Bryan used to promote business growth involves mastering content creation. He regularly featured his work on Tik Tok and Instagram—wherever people could view his videos and pictures. Working with freelance videographers and photographers, as well as creating his own videos has truly helped Bryan spread the word about his business. 

Over the past year in particular, Bryan also took the initiative to network and create professional relationships instead of waiting for them to arrive on his doorstep. He wasn’t afraid to pick up the phone and call major companies within the industry to set up the ambassador programs and educational opportunities to spread the word about his work.

Using Business Growth to Give Back

All of the business growth that Bryan achieved over the past year came to fruition last month. On December 12th, Bryan and three other barbers hosted a charity event to offer free haircuts to neighborhood youths. They raised money to give away toys and coats to toddlers, as young as three years old, up to teenagers attending high school.

“There was always somebody there to help me whenever I needed it. Lord knows, I needed it a lot of times in my life. And now that I'm no longer in that position, I’d just like to turn it around and try to help somebody else out, or at the very least give them a nice haircut,” he said.

Roughly 40-50 youths attended the event, which Bryan describes as a success. But this was the second charitable event that Bryan hosted. Right before school started, he set up a free haircut event that took place inside a barbershop. This time around, Bryan wanted to invite parents and their children to the Hawthorne Boys and Girls Club, because it’s a bigger space.

“It's hard to even put it into words honestly, just how thankful these parents and their kids were—it was amazing. All of them were so happy. I mean, there were these kids who were jumping around and dancing on their way to get to my chair. They just couldn't wait to get a haircut,” he said, adding that Christmas music was playing in the background to help spread holiday cheer. 

Because of the continued success of his charitable events, Bryan is already in the works to plan something similar in the future. Both as a father of a two-year-old son and as a man who had to humbly accept help from others when times were tough, it means a lot to be able to give back whenever possible, Bryan said.

Letting Booksy Help

When it comes to juggling the multiple different industry projects, charitable work, and life as a father—that’s where Booksy offers a helping hand. Bryan said that features like the Book Now Button helped him turn social media followers into new customers in minutes. And Boost brought a host of new clients into his shop, when he needed the support.

“When I saw Boost, and I figured out what that was—I turned it on immediately. Anybody that looks at Boost and doesn't activate it is thinking about the short term, rather than looking at the long term. Yes, you gave up 20% of the first haircut. But now you have a client for 5, 10, 15, or 20 years. Who knows how long they’ll keep coming back?” he said.

Bryan first downloaded Booksy, when he decided to step out onto his own and start running his own space. He couldn’t be happier with the software tools that helped him achieve the kind of business growth that he wasn’t sure if he could expect in his first year of owning a shop.

Most importantly, Booksy helps Bryan spend time doing the things that matter most, like being a father. “As soon as my son was born, I knew I was going to have to take that next step. And Booksy was there to help. Now, if I want to take a day off and hang out with my son, I can have that time, which means the world to him and me,” Bryan said.