Five years ago, as the new guy in town, I had to go about replacing all the vendors I had known and loved in the DC area. One person I thought would be particularly challenging — my barber. It’s always tough to find a good barber when you are new in town. You don’t want to do too much experimenting.

Standing outside my house fretting, I noticed the mailman headed my way.

“Hey man, I have a strange question for you,” I said as I approached him. “I’m new here, and I need to find a barber who can cut my hair. Do you know any?’

He chuckled. “That is a strange question.

“I go see Troy at Community Barbershop. It’s on Belmont - in Paterson.”

I was thinking about Troy this week as I pondered the topic, “What do you want to be known for?”

Troy was known for towns away for his trade and skill as a barber.

What do you want to be known for is often a tough question for many entrepreneurs or creatives to answer, but the answer often reveals itself when someone asks for a referral. 

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