LONDON: Father quits bank job to become hairdresser earns £650,000 every year!

• The 32-year-old father says it's the best decision he's ever made.

A 32-year-old father of two, quit his secured retail banking job to become a hairdresser, and earns a whopping £650,000  a year.

David O'Neal, who lives in the UK, opened a kids' salon and accessorised it with mini cars and PlayStations so that the entire haircutting experience becomes enjoyable for the little ones.
Revealing that becoming a hairdresser was the best decision, O'Neal said was quoted as saying in The Sun, "I was working in retail banking and was making £32,000 a year. But I am ambitious and I always had this dream of launching my own business. This time failure actually gave me a push. When I went for a promotion and I didn't get the job, I knew it was time for me to move on."

O'Neal set up salon named Shortcuts after the idea struck to him while cutting his own son's hair. "My boys aged eight and eleven always moaned about having a trim. I came up with the idea of just giving them a PlayStation or putting on a movie while doing the job and they loved it," he said.

The banker-turned-hairdresser added that he aimed to make the daunting hair cutting experience into a fun one for children to make them feel like they can 'be themselves'. "Everything from the colourful atmosphere of the shop to the games is tailored for the children. They can relax without their parents worrying that they will disturb other customers," O'Neal said.

He also stated that he took a loan from the government-backed start-up loan which offers 6 per cent fixed rate on borrowing up to £25,000 and resigned from his job to acquired training to be a qualified barber.

"Becoming a qualified hairdresser was one of my priorities. But I already had knack for it and used to cut my kids' hair," he added. O'Neal launched his hairdressing business single-handedly in 2014 and now has nine salons running in the UK, including in Milton Keynes, Leeds and Bristol, with a team of 30 workers.