From the court to the chair legacy barbershop

After committing to Middle Tennessee State University on a basketball scholarship in 2017, Gregory Dixon, founder and owner of Legacy Barbershop, anticipated being in the business of sports, not haircutting. Due to an injury before his season started, Gregory decided it was time to shift in a different direction and picked back up his old sport of cutting hair.

Upon realizing the flexibility haircutting offered him, he wanted to master his skill and decided to move back home to pursue barbering fulltime. Shortly after returning home and receiving praise from his part-time work in the community, Gregory found it was time to take the leap and go to barber school to further establish his craft.

When Gregory tossed around the idea of opening his own shop, his father recommended a complex for sale in the neighborhood him and his family grew up in. This sparked the idea of the name “Legacy,’’ as it reflected the meaning of what had been for Gregory: his family; and what will be: leaving his impact in the barber industry.

Since his opening, Legacy has proven to open the door to opportunity for Gregory. Though his former dream of being a basketball star was forced in another direction, Gregory quickly discovered he could bring his skills to the chair instead of the court. “I still ended up living the dream I wanted to,” said Gregory. “Now I get to cut hair for celebrities, NFL players and basketball players all over the country.”

After finding success with his first location, Gregory decided it was time to take his business a step further. Upon connecting with Pathway Lending, Gregory was able to access the funding he needed through a Propel Loan to fund the expansion of his second location in the heart of Chattanooga.

“It was perfect timing. When I got the building, I connected with Pathway, and we were up and running in just a few days. It all happened in such a short amount of time and set me up for success.”

Now, in Gregory’s new location, he hopes to build up his shop to attract even more celebrity clientele by crafting his unique style through customer service, barber skills, and the energy of his shop. Overall, Gregory aspires to bring an atmosphere to his clients that make them excited for their next haircut. ‘’My key to success in the business world is being available to every client,’’ says Gregory.

In the future, Gregory hopes to work with Pathway again to access even more funding to continue to leave his legacy in the barber industry. Eventually, he hopes to expand to a barbershop on wheels, make it on reality TV, or start his own YouTube channel to vlog his business journey.

Connect with our team to learn more about the lending solutions and learning programs that can help your business grow! Check out our 2022 annual report for more client profiles and impacts!

 

Image