How a $40 Haircut Taught Me Everything About Building a Loyal Tribe

I met my Dominican barber on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The year was 2023. 

I showed him a picture of Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan with a fade. Julio nodded his head and proceeded to cut my hair. I’ve had this same style, showing the same picture, done multiple times in different barber shops. Julio asked me where I used to go before. I told him the name of the place, just a few blocks down, and He said “Forget about it! They don’t know what they’re doing.”

I said ok. I mean it’s just a haircut. I sit in a chair. You cut my hair. I pay you. What could be different?

Oh boy, was it different! I think he must have taken an hour to cut my hair and trim my beard. I looked different. 

I looked Dominican.

I was an Indian dude, looking like a Dominican. 

Typically, when I get a haircut, people say I look like a mobster. And then I feel like a mobster. Then I grow it out, for like 3-4 months. Sometimes longer, until I have to get a haircut. Then I go back to get a haircut and the process starts again. 

This time was different. I’ve never had a haircut like this!

It was a new adjustment for me, but it was still a $30 haircut!

The Loyalty Test

Julio told me, “See you in two weeks.”

Instead, after 3 months, I went back to a barber I used to go to in my teens and twenties. He also did the fade, it but wasn’t the same. It wasn’t like the way that Julio did it.  I was sad. 

Also, it was $35! More expensive than Julio but a fraction of the quality.

So after 2 months, I went back to Julio with my tail between my legs.

He looked at the mess of hair on my head. He asked me where I got my haircut. I told him. He shook his head but proceeded to give me another amazing haircut. 

Then things happened. I bought a house in a new neighborhood and thought that I should find a local barber. The guy I went to had great reviews, but the haircut was terrible.

But was it actually terrible? Or had I just become spoiled by Julio?

2 months later, I was back at Julio’s, getting my haircut not by Julio, but by his protege.

It was $40 now. But the haircut was still amazing. The protege spent an hour on my hair.

A true craftsman.

Now I’ll never go anywhere else. 

Julio deserves his cash. 

I’ve seen the difference between $30-$40 haircuts across multiple places. I’ve seen Julio’s craftsmanship. I’ve seen his dedication.

And…I saw that he remembered me each time. Regardless of how messy my hair was and how much work he had to put in each time, he never complained. He still treated me like his best friend.

He was still happy. And he made me feel happy. 

What Made Julio Different?

Julio didn’t just give haircuts—he built a tribe. And that’s exactly what businesses should aim for. Here’s what he did right:

1. - Craftsmanship

Unlike other barbers, Julio spent an hour perfecting my haircut and beard. He made me look completely different. His work stood out. 

2. - Consistency

Every time I went back, the haircut was amazing. Even trying other barbers, I realized that none could match the precision and care Julio or his protege provided. 

3. - Community Building

He didn’t just cut my hair, he remembered me much like the way a barista remembers orders. Regardless of the condition of my hair, or the fact that I had “cheated” on him with other barbers, he treated me like a valued customer. He made me feel like a part of his inner circle.

4. - Connection

Julio built an emotional connection. Our mood is often determined by appearance. The moment you stand up from the barber's chair and look at yourself should be an emotional experience. No other barber had ever tapped into that before. This emotional aspect turned a simple haircut into a reason to stay loyal. 

So how can we apply this to online marketing?

1. - Craftsmanship

Create high-value content that solves real problems, just the way that Julio’s haircuts involve time, care, and attention to detail. If you look at the haircut, and it isn’t the type of haircut you would wear, then make it right. Just the same, ensure that each content piece you create is worthy of your reader’s time. 

2. - Consistency

Julio was in his shop the Sunday after Thanksgiving—there when I needed him.

In marketing, the same rule applies: show up consistently. Post regularly, engage with comments, and serve your audience. A great first interaction can turn a visitor into a lifelong subscriber.

First great interaction is key here.

Here are some examples of a negative first interaction:

I once commented on a doctor’s video suggesting a topic on Kamala Harris. His condescending reply led to a back-and-forth that completely turned me off from his content—despite its quality. I wasn’t the only one. Bad engagement loses audiences.

Another example is when a prominent SEO YouTuber dismissed a request to translate his videos into Hindi with, "I don’t speak Hindi." His response was condescending and revealed poor marketing sense. With a large South Asian audience, he could’ve hired a translator and expanded his reach. Missing that opportunity showed me he wasn't as great a businessman as he wanted people to believe.

3. - Community Building

Create an exclusive group (e.g., Discord, Facebook Group, Substack Community) where members feel recognized. Think of it like this:

• Tier 1: Free observers, people who read but don’t comment
• Tier 2: Free engagers, people who read and comment and like and share <- This is where you want your exclusive group to sit.
• Tier 3: Paid subscribers

Coming back to Julio, frankly, not everyone is going to like his unique style. Maybe you do want a quick, fast haircut. For example, my father always goes to the cheapest guy and gets the same haircut. 

It’s fine, people want different things. 

Your exclusive group separates the casual observer from the true fan. 

4. Connection

Share your personal story (why you started your business, what drives you). This is where your branding comes into play. It’s why I used my relationship with my barber as an example to drive home a very real point of building your tribe. 

If I just said, “Build a tribe” because of reasons X, Y, Z, etc….it wouldn’t be the same. Everyone is writing the same type of content. Even AI can write that for me. However, what AI can't write about is an experience. Maybe it can fake an experience, but it won’t be able to communicate the authenticity of that experience. 

Pricing & Perceived Value

Julio charged the same as other barbers, but his value was 10x higher.

Meaning that there is a difference between having a Julio haircut at $30 - $40 and feeling great for next month vs getting another barber’s $30 - $40 haircut and feeling like crap for the next month.

So the product you sell must be a $300 product if it’s priced at $30. If it’s not, then people will walk away feeling like the $30 wasn’t worth it, and never come back. In my case, it took me some time and comparison shopping to truly understand the value of Julio’s haircuts. That’s fine. Let people go and explore. 

A great example of this is an Indian grocery store called Patel Brothers. The grocery store chain thrives despite heavy competition. In my area, dozens of South Asian grocery stores have come and gone, yet Patel Brothers remains. Their prices are comparable, so what’s their secret?

Patel Brothers succeeds by staying clean and strictly vegetarian. Here's what they figured out: many vegetarians avoid stores that sell meat due to the smell. 

Think of it this way:

By being a grocery store that doesn’t sell fresh meat or fish, you’re saying no to maybe 5% of people who are heavy meat eaters. But if you're a non-vegetarian place, you’re saying no to 30-40% of your potential client base that is just going to walk out because of the smell. 

People don’t just buy products or services—they buy experiences, relationships, and trust. Whether you're cutting hair, writing content, or selling a product, build a tribe like Julio did.

And when you do, your customers will never go anywhere else.