August 8, 2019
Meet Our Alumni: Mia Cutz Garcia
Tyler Price is one of the owners at Austin Kade Academy and also antique automobile aficionado. He sat down with Mia Cutz Garcia in his 1967 Volkswagen Bug to talk about her journey as a barbering professional. Together, they own Lyle Amando Barbershop.
Getting Started
Mia started cutting hair for her brother when she was about 12. Mia comes from a large family and currently has 23 nieces and nephews which has given her lots of opportunity to practice. At first, she wasn’t very good at it. In fact, she recalled a time when she was cutting her brother’s hair, dropped the clippers, didn’t realize the guard fell off, and ended up shaving off one of his sideburns!
Finding Her Way
After Mia graduated from high school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She jumped around from job to job and ended up working for Basic American Foods in Shelley, Idaho for three years. It was a lot of manual labor and Mia knew she didn’t want to do it forever. That’s when she turned to beauty school and Austin Kade Academy.
“I love Austin Kade. Great owners [and] instructors. I loved my time there; it was like being back in high school.”
Attending beauty school opened the doors to rewarding careers. After graduating from the cosmetology program at Austin Kade Academy, Mia went on to obtain her barbering license.
After Beauty School
Right after school, Mia found work at a barbershop. She enjoyed her time there is so thankful for the opportunity. All the time behind the chair help Mia learn a lot and grow as a barber. She loved her work but knew she was capable of more than living paycheck to paycheck.
Mia reached out to Tyler to talk about opportunities. They decided to invest in a barbershop together and six months later, they were getting it started. There was a lot of fear on Mia’s side. Between moving, bills piling up, and the fear of losing clients during the transition, there was a lot going on for her.
“It’s scary because I didn’t know if my clients were going to follow me. And I love my clients, they have been so good to me… I’m thankful for them.”
She knew venturing out on her own was a risk worth taking to create the future she wanted. And, her clients followed her and supported Mia throughout the transition for which she is very grateful.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuO1NwZAxsC/
Enjoying Success
Lyle Amando Barbershop has really taken off. And clients love them! They have a stellar rating on Facebook for good reason. Mia is currently working about 60 hours a week and is completely booked. She is an incredibly hard worker so it is difficult for her to slow down, but her goal is to reduce her hours soon.
The other barbers at the shop are all incredibly talented as well. If you are looking for a cut, make sure to check them out!
Fear Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will
Tyler asked Mia what piece of advice she would give to someone thinking about pursuing a similar path.
“If you’re already thinking about it, it’s a definite yes.”
Mia’s confidence has continued to increase and she knows she is capable of even more. She is passionate about what she does and wants to find ways to give back. Every Tuesday at 7 pm Mia holds educational classes at the barber shop. If you are near Ammon, ID and are interested in being a hair model, give them a call!
Follow in Mia’s Footsteps
If you want to learn how to create a future for yourself through beauty, give us a call. We can help you achieve your goals just like we helped Mia! We have cosmetology, esthetics, nail technology, and makeup artistry programs to help you start your career as a beauty professional.
Don’t let fear stop you. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish!
Follow Lyle Amando Barbershop
Follow Mia
Stay up to date on all of Mia’s accomplishments by following her on Instagram.
Exciting news! We will be adding a pilot barbering program to our curriculum very soon. If you are interested, contact us and we can let you know when it becomes available!
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