This week Spadesso sat down with Rico Reams, Barber and AGM at Tailor Made Barber Studios. His career in the barbering world is quickly on the rise in the Fargo Moorhead area (so much so that Rico’s wife can’t even call Midco without their service tech’s asking if she knows or is related to him).
His personal journey as a barber is the inspiration we all need to close out 2022.
Rico’s Journey to becoming a Barber
Before Rico’s days as a barber, he had found a rough road. He’s the first to tell you, that it wasn’t an easy journey to get to where he’s at.
Reggie, his barber, was always telling Rico he should become a barber. At the time, committing and paying for barbering school seemed like something that was unreachable. But after a while Rico wondered if it could be a path for him. He finally decided that it might be the right fit for himself and started doing his own research. With the help of Job Service, he was able to find a program that could help him through barbering college. “School had its ups and downs,” Rico says through a smile while he credits his wife for strength,” She pushed me to keep going.”
Thanks to her encouragement, Rico is now closing in on his 4th year in barbering and is a licensed Master Barber. But his success doesn’t stop there, he was recently promoted to the Assistant General Manager position at Tailor Made’s (TM for short) Fargo location.
As I asked Rico about his experience as a barber, he wasn’t shy to admit that his first few years were challenging. Finding his stride took some time. Rico believes that this year he’s really started to step it up. He’s bringing stronger communication to his clients and their hair needs while getting to know them better. He’s even started opening up about himself and is sharing more about his journey.
But the most important and biggest change Rico credits to his successful year: he shows up as his best self everyday.
Never stop learning
Reaching Master barbering was certainly a celebrated milestone, but Rico has no plans to stop at just barbering services. Through the help of his team at TM he’s learning more about traditional salon hair services too, and has set the goal of teaching others in the barbering world by the time he reaches year 5 in his career.
This last year was TM’s first time competing in the Texas Barber Wars and was a great opportunity for the team to get an understanding of what the event and experience is all about. We expect to see big things from the TM team this next year, Rico even commented it himself, “We’re going back to the competition strong in 2023!”
In the meantime, he’s taking every opportunity he can to learn more about small and large designs that are popular in the barbering world and continues to refine his skills in the category, finding it a big help when working with his younger clientele.
Rico was sure to give credit to those that have helped him in his career. He’s quick to point out that a good portion of his growth as a Barber has come from the guidance of Leane and Brendan, owners of Tailor Made. They’ve served as a huge inspiration to him. “They are caring, approachable, and so knowledgeable about business. It makes all the difference to work life,” he adds.
Photos and Haircuts Courtesy Rico Reams
Why we love Rico
Rico loves seeing clients happy and seeing them come back, but it’s his commitment to making them look sharp that sets him apart. He wants others to find style and look sharp, just as he has!
Part of his essence as a barber is about adding flavor. And we couldn’t agree more! After seeing his work, it becomes obvious that Rico takes what could be ‘just a cut’ and elevates it to something that is fresh, stylish and refined.
He’s great with kids, too
My first encounter with Rico was when he had a fairly difficult younger (toddler) client in his chair. Rico maintained his composure the whole time and managed to finish the service with clean lines, happy parents, and a happy client.
He is very open about his secrets to working with kids: patience and dealing with them like they’re your own.
But it’s not just us that find Rico’s barbering talents charming. One of Rico’s regular clients brings his sister along to every haircut. She recently requested that her family purchase a doll that looks like Rico. She now brings her doll along to every haircut and insists Rico cut her doll’s hair too! He has admitted that this is one of the biggest joys of his job, and he looks for opportunities to be an inspiration to others.
Inspiring Others
Rico is starting to be more open about his struggles with addiction in years past. He’s worked really hard get to this place in his life, and he’s now at a stage where he’s ready to give back to others. He’s involved in the F5 project and focuses on being a force of positivity for young adults. He relentlessly encourages those young adults to find something better and uses his own profession and life story as an example.
I’m sure Rico would be the first to tell you that it took a while to find this path. And he gives so much credit to those that surround him, including his family. He’s been married for 5 years and has thirteen children, ages 6 to 24. When he’s not at Tailormade, he’s at home with his family.
Why You’ll love Rico:
- His Ability to have fun and be patient with kids is out of this world
- He has a sense of style that’s almost effortless, so you know he won’t let you choose a style that’s tacky and you won’t leave the chair until your service is flawless
- He’s relatable and approachable
- Committed to great service
How To schedule:
Spadesso is honored to share Rico’s last-minute availability for barber cuts on the Appointment finder. If you’d like to explore other barbering services or schedule something beyond last-minute availability, you can visit the Tailor Made Barber website and find Rico’s services here.
