Eric Zamarripa

“Currently the state requires 1,500 hours of training to get your barber license. You also have to pass a test, but many schools won’t even approve for you to take the test until you’ve finished paying off tuition. I personally know three people who have finished their schooling but they can’t take their licensing test yet because they are still paying off tuition.”

“Tuition for these schools is often $20,000 to $25,000. So now they have to work at some place like Jewel-Osco and make all these payments before they can even use the education they just got.”

“For most people who developed a talent cutting hair for friends and family, $25,000 for school is just too hard to justify. You’re almost creating a necessity to work illegally. So many people I know who started the process of getting their barber license never finish because the demands are too great.”

“What’s crazy to me is how unequal it is compared to any other industry. Look at tattoo artists: They handle needles, they need to understand safety and sanitation, but they don’t need a license. A chef doesn’t need a license, but if they make a mistake, it goes in our bodies, it can affect our health.”

“If I were to design this my own way, the main focus would be an apprenticeship program. An apprentice can work with an approved barber shop, salon, whatever it may be and make money while they learn. At the end, they have the job support and the owner has a trained apprentice.”

Eric Zamarripa
Founder, ByBodega
Medinah, Illinois