Welcome back to SOLO Diaries!

If you’re a barber or beauty/wellness solopreneur considering the jump (or already in it), this preview with Savannah-based solo barber Dutch Claybaugh is a must-listen. Dutch left a corporate job (~$50–60K/yr) and now grosses ~$130K a year behind the chair (services only)—then gets real about taxes, cash flow, reinvestment, and the mindset it takes to sustain the climb.

Why this matters: A bigger top line won’t help if taxes, debt, and random purchases eat your profits. Dutch shows how to think like an owner—plan for taxes (~30%), invest where clients feel it, and avoid “time off that costs a year.”

In this free preview, you’ll hear:

1. Career switch: corporate logistics → barbering, how he validated the leap and built demand fast

   
   

2. Real numbers: ~$130K gross from services alone (not including booth rent), plus his $10K “baseline month” and $15–16K “push month” targets

   
   

3. Tax reality check: first year owing $18K; why he set up an S-Corp and works with a CPA

   
   

4. Reinvestment that matters: premium tools, experiential space, and using home-office/ops wisely

   
   

5. The expensive lesson: two months “off,” $15–16K on credit cards—why time is money and how he dug out

   
   

6. Mindset & community: pressure as a performance lever, and the power of vulnerability to build trust and opportunities

   
   

Want the full, tactical playbook?

Upgrade to MONEY SOLO Premium for Dutch’s exact systems: how he plans taxes, structures months to hit $10–16K, what he tracks, and how he’s standardizing services through training to scale beyond the chair.

Sign up using Dutch’s link: Monthly | Annual

Follow Dutch @dutchcuts for behind-the-chair clips and business breakdowns.

Thanks for listening to SOLO Diaries—see you next time!