Meet Wakius Hereford of Legacy Master Barber Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wakius Hereford.

Hi Wakius, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My name is Wakius Hereford. I am 47 years old, happily married with 3 children that are spread out in ages Seametrius is 27, Deuce is 17, and Kelsey is 5. My wife and I have been married for 20 years and together for 25 years. I am a licensed Master barber Instructor and owner of Legacy Master Barber Academy, located in downtown Nashville. I also own First class barbershop, and I will be launching my TRIMZ App in September. I have been cutting hair for over 20 years; I got my license while celebrating my first Valentine’s with my now wife, so it’s easy to keep up with the dates. Barbering is my passion but teaching people how to be a Barber is my purpose.

I was raised in the housing projects of East Nashville, and my mother then was addicted to drugs, so I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s house in Bordeaux. We weren’t financially wealthy, but we were rich in love, so I learned at an early age how to meet people at their level. However, when I went to my mom’s place, I saw the dark side of life. Nevertheless, I gravitated toward it instead of fleeing and began selling drugs myself. I claim it was because of the money, but I think it was the rush that motivated me to destroy lives with my drugs. Eventually, The rush caught up with me, and I got busted for selling narcotics in a school zone and was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Luckily, with God’s grace, the judge gave me a choice to do 3 years in prison, go to the military, or enroll in college. I was in a dilemma because the prison wasn’t an option, so it was either college or the military. I couldn’t get into any college because of my arrest, so the only option was the military.

To make a long story short, when I was at the recruiting office, a guy came in saying he wasn’t going to basic training because he had started barber college. I immediately saw a way out of my dilemma “I could go to barber college. Amazingly I had never even picked up a pair of clippers, but God instantly revealed my life’s purpose to me. The rest is history 5. Shops helped over 400 men and women get their barbers license, owning my first of many barber colleges and launching my App Trimz. I owe everything to my Lord And Saviour, Jesus Christ, because my life is what is because of Him. I opened my first barber college on August 16, 2021. I have taught barbering since 2012, and it’s been a great journey to get to this point in my life. When I was teaching at schools that weren’t my own, I used to want to do things with the students that my employers didn’t agree with. However, I knew the only way to be successful as a teacher is to relate to your students because to be able to teach grown people is hard, especially when learning can be boring. My job as an educator is to find ways to make learning more interesting and fun so the information learned can be retained. I am so happy in my life right now with my wife of 20 years, my service to my church, my teenage son senior year in high school, my baby girl in kindergarten, and my oldest son continued success, but I’m most happy to be living in my purpose.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

• Not graduating high school on time, but instead of getting a GED, I returned and finished receiving my diploma.
• I didn’t have my father, but I had uncles, but now my pops are cool. He has lived with my wife and me for the past year. I didn’t have my father, but I had uncles, but now my pops are cool.
• I lost my mother and found her deceased even though the doctor told me she would die in 2 weeks, and she died in 2 weeks.
• Losing my grandmother during Covid to cancer, but I was able to sneak into the hospital and be with her combing her hair and singing for about 2 hours before she deceased.
• Watching my best friend go thru a severe mental illness but getting better from it and watching them get back everything the devil stole from him

As you know, we’re big fans of Legacy Master Barber Academy. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Legacy Master Barber Academy 900 Jefferson street Nashville Tn 37208 was established on August 16, 2021. We are a full-service Master barber and Barber Educator school specializing in teaching men and women the craft of cutting and designing hair. Legacy was founded on the principles of reach one teach one because I know personally how making mistakes early in life can either break you or make you. Some schools focus on just teaching people how to cut hair, but we focus on both cutting hair and the theory portion of the discipline. When you graduate from our college, you can work at any location in town because we will teach you how to cut all hair types. I tell my students the only color we see is green, and that’s money! When people see our logo around town, they know it means excellence and workmanship because we are passionate about making you look great.

My other business is First Class barbershop, located at 610 west trinity lane in north Nashville. It is a 5-star rated barbershop that I have owned since 2002. I have 8 employees with over 100 years of combined experience. One of my barbers is rated the #1 barber in the South, winning trophies from Atlanta to Memphis. Our motto is first class service without the first class price. Finally, my new baby is The Trimz App, a new mobile barbering app designed like an Uber for barbers! It is going to take the nation by storm. You have to go on the app and book a barber so he can come to you, or you can go to them. We also offer manicure services for our clients, so it’s a one-stop shop for your grooming needs

What are your plans for the future?
My first goal is to get my school federally funded so I can accept military veterans and people that need financial aid. I also am launching my Trimz App in September so that it will be a big rollout event! I want to open up barber colleges all over the nation.

Pricing:

• Tuition for school is 6000 Fulltime
• Tuition is 7500 part time
• Trimz app free for barbers just join on the app

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lmb-academy.com
• Instagram: Trimz download TrimzApp
• Facebook: Wakius hereford
• Twitter: Wakiushereford1
• Other: www.firstclasscutz.com