HYRUM – Lance Puertas, a sophomore at Mountain Crest High School, has discovered his life’s work at an early age and he is actively going after it.
“I have a real passion for cutting hair,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since August; I looked at some videos and just went after it.”
He said the first few haircuts he gave he thought turned out terrible, but he feels like it is starting to click.
“I try and do what the people want,” Puertas said. “But I have developed my own style. I think people like it when I’m done and they see it.”
Being able to communicate with the people in the chair is as important as giving the haircut, he said. And for Puertas, conversation comes naturally.
“You kind of have to read the customer,” he said. “Some people like to talk and some just want to sit there and not say anything. I’m good either way.”
His father gave him a space in his home office. He had been cutting hair in the garage before that. Everything is organized: combs, clips, electronic razors and anything else he needs is on table before he starts so he can find what he needs.
“I want to show the customer a little love,” Puertas said. “And when they leave here, hopefully, they will spread a little love.”
He and a friend were trying to come up with a way to make money to start a business.
“We were going to do a thrift business out of my house,” he said. “We needed some money to start the business, and I thought I could cut a little hair and make some money.”
Once he got the clippers in his hands and started cutting hair it felt like something he was destined to do.
“I’ve been cutting about two haircuts a week,” he said. “I think I’ve done about a hundred since I started. I don’t charge people for cutting their hair, right? I can’t legally cut hair for money now because I’m still learning.”
His friend who wanted to do the thrift store with him, Jaden Carlsen, started photographing his haircuts and put out before-and-after pictures on the internet. The internet and word of mouth keep him busy.
“I worked at a restaurant for a while, but I didn’t feel like it had a future,” he said. “I feel like barbering has a future for me.”
Jaden Thomson, a classmate, sat down to have his hair cut. Puertas grabbed his scissors and went after it like he knew exactly what he was doing.
Whenever he gets stuck or needs to ask a question, he calls a relative in the Provo area who works as barber.
“He gives me advice and helps me out with questions,” he said. “He is excited I am pursuing the same profession.”
Being a barber is a career that offers skilled craftsmen some creativity and offers more opportunities to find work than ever before.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the median wage for barbers in 2024 was $18.35 an hour in 2024 and there were plenty of jobs available upon completion of schooling.