For many, pursuing their passions is not just taking a leap of faith, but truly delving into the impossible. With such a daunting goal ahead of oneself, it can truly hinder many from grasping their goals and ideas in any capacity no matter how large or small. For entrepreneur and business mogul Eric Roa, otherwise known as Pacinos The Barber, his start was nothing less than delving into the impossible.
While he’d come to terms with his passion for barbering at a young age by cutting his own hair in his mother’s bathroom, any dreams of pursuing that passion were put on hold after he joined the U.S. Navy to provide for his family fresh out of high school. However the call to pursue his goals wouldn’t quit and not long after joining the Navy, Roa was enrolled in nightly cosmetology classes that would earn him a diploma for barbering. Once leaving the Navy, his barber career began with a foundational base rooted through word of mouth and superior customer service. While he had already had a mildly successful stint in high school offering five dollar haircuts to more than a slew of friends, nothing could have prepared Roa for what was to come. Roa spent nights at the nightclub handing out his card to everyone he could find, plastering his name to garner traffic. His efforts did not go unnoticed and before long his client list was bursting. Furthering his career, Roa began utilizing his own tastes as the foreground for how to build his brand to the larger-than-life status it’s currently residing in.
The Queens native and Florida transplant has presently branched so far along that it’s almost hard to keep track of his accolades. Throughout his career these last 15 years, Roa has served thousands of clients and celebrities of household name level such as Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Sean “Jay Z” Carter, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Kevin Hart, and others. Continuing his passion for the industry, Roa toured around the U.S. and Internationally as a Platform Artist & Educator for WAHL Clippers, a leader in the professional and home grooming industry. It was during this time that Roa noticed a severe absence of quality products in the men’s grooming industry and took the plunge down that hole, pursuing conversations with manufacturers and testing products until he was able to find the right ones best suited for his brand. As his investment into the men’s grooming industry inflated, the time consumption resulted in him taking a step back from barbering in order to put the primary focus onto these products. This resulted in the launch of Pacinos Signature Line – top notch quality, barber approved products in sleek black packaging noting a crisp, professional aesthetic. Roa’s relentless hustle resulted in a widespread inauguration of Pacinos throughout the United States to first-rate companies such as Target, Walgreens, and CVS Pharmacy. As if it needed to stop there, Pacinos success only continued to shoot through the roof which has resulted in mass exporting internationally in countries among the likes of Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, Iraq, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, Japan and more, which has, in turn, allowed Roa the opportunity to close contracts with recognized international retailers such as Superdrug (United Kingdom), Manor (Switzerland), Watsons (UAE), among others. On top of that, Pacinos has now expanded even further with a series of APPs called “Pacinos” available for download in the iTunes & Android Market, in which he and an elite team of barbers teach you step by step how to do some of today’s latest haircuts.
How has Pacinos The Barber’s success blossomed so ferociously? For starters, the brand is person based, and having Roa as the creator definitely has a lot of weight on the brand. When peering through Roa’s 595K following Instagram page, it’s easy to see how much his personal brand has flourished. Interweaving a personable aesthetic with professionalism, finesse, and clear-cut vision on top of that paired alongside Roa’s flair for style has allowed clients and followers alike to turn their attention to him. While Roa is certainly not afraid of exhibiting the flashy benefits of Pacinos success it’s his unabashedly source of humility that not only keeps him grounded but also is incredibly evident in everything he shares. Each glimpse into his content is emblematic of just how meaningful the ascendancy of Pacinos is for Roa. His humble beginnings in Queens hustling in his high school friend groups cutting hair simply because he was passionate about it is a solid reminder that there is no success without fully enjoying and embracing what you are aiming to achieve success in.
When examining Pacinos The Barber’s story it’s clear to see that not only did he push through the impossible, he also did so not by waiting around for opportunities to appear before him, but by pushing himself out of his comfort zone and making them happen. An excellent reminder for anyone wanting to achieve their goals.