CHAMPION OF THE CRAFT

JOE POMPER WON BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR, BUT TELLS US HE’S ONLY JUST BEGUN

It’s not until you’ve worked in a barbershop that you appreciate the ambience, the camaraderie, and the banter. And that’s exactly what happened when Joe Pomper stepped foot inside a barbershop in New Zealand, marking the beginning of a love affair with the craft.

“I trained in hairdressing much to the dismay of my parents who saw it as a job for dropouts,” Joe recalls. “But I was headstrong and while everyone expected me to go to university, I wanted to get out there and start earning money. I didn’t have a great career plan, I just thought it would be cool, and even though my parents were behind me, I blagged a lot of my early career.”

However, Joe soon became disillusioned with hairdressing and went travelling to embark on a new career. “I thought I’d walk straight into a new job but it was really hard. So reluctantly I applied for a job at a walk-in barbers. This was my first taste of what a barbershop was like; I was working on 25 haircuts a day, completely blagging it but loving it. I loved the intricacies and details of the haircuts and the generally more chilled out-client base. I decided to move back to London and focus on barbering.”

He joined Murdock London in 2015 just as men’s hairdressing was having a resurgence. “There was a mini movement at the time within men’s fashion and grooming; peak hipster beards, slick backs and skin fades, but also tattoos and styling products and Murdock was one of the first barbershops that catered for that type of client while also offering a high-quality service. I saw it as the place to be and wanted in!”

Now, ten years later, Joe is the general manager, having worked through the ranks. “The passion the barbers had for the craft was astounding; I had to learn how to use clippers properly and a razor for wet shaves, but stepped up and worked my way to GM,” he states.

Joe has stepped away from behind the chair and spends much of his time overseeing all things barbering across the brand – from recruitment to education, while supporting product development, marketing and brand partnerships.

He loves the variety his job brings – one day can be working across the business, the next putting his ideas into place. “The main thing I love though, is that I can positively affect our barbers; constantly striving to give them the best platform to succeed.”

But while he loves these elements of his job, he misses the days of seeing his longstanding clients. “I spent years building relationships and getting to know them, now it’s a quick hello when they are sat in the chair with one of our other barbers,” he says.

He also misses the camaraderie that got him into barbering in the first place. “The best stories come out during the pre-work coffee, or the staff room and I miss that. Most of our team only know me as ‘The Manager’, so there can be a deathly silence when I walk in sometimes, which I hate!”

Working at Murdock for ten years has given Joe an insight into how the industry has changed – there’s a multitude of career paths that barbers can now take. “We’re in an era of ambition and opportunity,” he says. “We are now rightfully recognised for our skills, and I only see the future of barbering being bigger and better.”

One of those recognitions is with awards – with Joe recently announced as Business Leader of the Year at the Modern Barber awards. “I had no intention of entering, I was helping complete an application for someone else, when it was put to me that I had to enter. I’m glad I did now,” he enthuses. “I watched all the winners throughout the night going up on stage and saying a well-worded speech, but not once did it cross my mind that that could be me. My table was right at the back so the walk to the stage felt like forever, I was focusing on not falling up the stairs. There is a picture of me with the award on stage - my face says it all!”

So why does he think he won? “I keep things simple and real,” he explains. “My go-to is to remain calm and focused and that’s a life skill in itself! More things will go wrong than right and it’s how you adapt and react to it. Always have plan B and C in your back pocket. I don’t think it’s a role for everyone - it can be stressful, lots of moving parts to juggle simultaneously and it can be lonely and feel unrewarding.”

Life is good for Joe, and he’s kept busy with new ideas and plans for the business. “My career has never had a set destination, but I have always been ambitious. My goal is to be at the forefront of what we are doing in the industry and to play a part in constantly pushing the boundaries.” And with his passion and dedication to the craft of barbering and business, this is just the beginning.