Episode 270

[LIVE from '25 Beauty Business Brunch] Serving & Building Community Through Entrepreneurship & Education | Herson Bautista | CEO, DC Barber Expo | Owner, Heritage Barber & Co.

Special Edition: Live from the Beauty Business Brunch

What does it really take to build a thriving local industry? In this fireside chat recorded live at the 2025 Beauty Business Brunch, Herson Bautista—CEO of DC Barber Expo and Owner of Heritage Barber & Co.—joins Host, Robert Hughes, to talk entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and the power of community.

From lessons learned launching the DC Barber Expo to the importance of serving your team and showing up for one another, this conversation dives deep into what it means to grow through service, education, and connection.


🎟️ Exclusive Access: Until now, the in-depth takeaway and reflection guide was only available to Beauty Business Brunch attendees — but we’re sharing it with our podcast listeners for a limited time.

👉 DM us “recap” on Instagram to grab your free copy.


KEY TAKEAWAYS:

🔅Lead through service - Entrepreneurship is about more than making money—it’s about showing up for your team, your clients, and your community.


🔅Feed your team first - “If your team isn’t eating, they won’t hunt.” When you invest in your people, they’ll pour that energy back into your clients.


🔅Take action, even when it’s risky - Overthinking can paralyze progress. Growth comes from acting on ideas, even when the outcome is uncertain.


🔅Do your homework - Before jumping in, research what’s already been done, learn from others’ paths, and build from there.


🔅Redefine success - Not everyone needs to own a business to win. You can live well, build wealth, and love what you do without being a salon owner.


🔅Embrace failure as part of the journey - Setbacks don’t define you—they refine you. Learn, adapt, and keep going.


👉Follow DC Barber Expo on Instagram

👉Herson Bautista on Instagram


The Hairdresser Strong Show is all about Salon Owners, Rising Stylists, and Seasoned Stylists sharing their experiences, successes, failures, and advice to inform, educate, and empower their Fellow Hairdresser. We won’t stop until we are all: Hairdresser Strong.


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The views and opinions of our guests are theirs and important to hear. Each guest's views and opinions are their own and we aim to bring you diverse perspectives, career paths and thoughts about the craft and industry so you can become Hairdresser Strong! They do not necessarily reflect the positions of HairdresserStrong.com.

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About your host

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Robert Hughes

“I THINK HAIRSTYLISTS ARE THE COOLEST, NICEST, AND MOST FUN GROUP OF PEOPLE ON THE PLANET! I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT USHERING IN AN EMPOWERED-STYLIST FUTURE, AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GETTING STYLISTS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE TOGETHER IN A NON-COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE CAN LEARN, LAUGH, AND GROW TOGETHER.”
-Said by ME!
Robert started his hair journey as a kid in rural America offering haircuts on the street to kids in the neighborhood, not realizing, one day, he would find himself working the front desk at a hair salon while in high school. From there, his experience from salon-to-salon has included the front of the house, back of the house, stylist, educator, and consultant. It was during this movement through various salons he developed a passion to empower stylists and educate owners on how to raise the industry standard of excellence, mutual respect, and professionalism amongst stylists, managers, owners, and clients. Robert currently is the General Manager and a Master Stylist at Violet Salon in Georgetown, DC.