Kurt's Classic Barber Shop

After becoming a licensed barber, Curtis Scalph decided to open his own business. In December 2010, Kurt's Classic Barber Shop opened on Main Street in Huntington. Scalph provides an old-fashioned barber experience, which includes haircuts and hot-towel shaves.

Finding himself short on cash and in need of start-up capital, Scalph met with Vocational Rehabilitation to see if he was eligible for financing. After discussing his idea with them, they referred him to the Price Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to help him write a business plan and to obtain a better understanding for business basics. He also had the opportunity to participate in a FasTrac course offered by the SBDC to get a better feel for what to expect as a business owner.

He felt offering supplementary services would be beneficial to his business and hired contracted labor. Unfortunately, it was very challenging to find reliable contracted labor that would be available when scheduled. This setback was hurting his company's image and Scalph was forced to make a tough management decision to not rent space to contracted labor. This experience helped him see the additional services may not be worth the hassle in the long run. Since starting his business, trial and error has been the key to recognizing what works in business and what doesn’t. He said the advice he would offer to someone interested in venturing into business ownership would be to reinvest all of the extra income back into the business so you can continue to grow and expand.

The ability to manage his own schedule appealed to Scalph from the start and he feels it is the best part of being an entrepreneur. It is advantageous for both himself and his clients to have flexibility in his schedule.

Curtis enjoys owning and operating his own business and said, "Although owning my business has been a great deal of hard work and sacrifice, it has been worth it."

The Utah SBDC network is comprised of 11 regional centers hosted by Utah colleges and universities. The centers serve entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. The centers are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.