“Don’t give up, keep going, keep praying” were the parting words of Branden Love, celebrity barber and former GSU student.
Love got his start in barbering at Grambling, giving $10 haircuts in his dorm room. During his junior year he had the opportunity to give a haircut to Grambling legend Doug Williams.
Courtesy photo
Known by many as ‘B. Love’, the barber takes his time while giving a client a cut.
He then decided to head to Houston, Texas, after receiving a D in his final required course, which wasn’t offered the following semester or during the summer. After moving, Love went to stay with his mother and drove her car while attending barber school. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams.
“A degree doesn’t define me,” said Love. “Grambling put me in the position I’m in. [Grambling] taught me to be relentless and patient.”
So far, Love has won the Mega Fest Barber Battle Competition at the Texas Barber Battle Expo. Though he has won a number of awards, he attributes his success to his own self-betterment. After moving to Houston, Love went back to barber college, and began advertising at clubs, hair shows, and anywhere else he could.
He used the economics he learned from Grambling to build his brand. “I’m a multi-million dollar business. I want to build my business like Wal-Mart has,” explained Love. “I give specials during the holidays and I have set prices.,” he added.
The Chicago native has given haircuts to some big names in the music industry as well as pro athletes. He was flown out to the Grammy’s this year to cut for OVO producers and writers.
Rapper Bun B even came to the barbershop where he works just to meet him. Love is now a barber for Money Team, a music group under Floyd Mayweather and #teamdoubledose.
His daughter, Breaille, has been over to his client’s house, NBA legend Tracy McGrady’s and plays with his daughter. She even flies with him for his out-of-town bookings. His goal is to open a barber college and train aspiring barbers to become celebrity barbers.
His advice to young professionals is to “tune everyone out. If you want a Ferrari and your friends say you can’t do it, leave them alone. Remember, a degree doesn’t define you and failure is just a lesson.”
Love says he will never forget how Grambling impacted his life and he hopes to pass the wisdom down to the next generation.