N ot a m e m b e r ? J o i n at a s so c iate d h a i rp rofe s sio n a ls .c o m 33
Mark Bustos, Owner of My
Darling Ivy (New York City) and
Silver Vine Room (Summit, NJ)
Social media celebrity stylist Mark
Bustos is well-known on Instagram
and through his passion project,
#BeAwesomeToSomebody, which
started with him giving free
haircuts to the less fortunate on
Sundays. Today, Bustos has over
250,000 followers on Instagram.
From the moment he gave his first
free haircut, Bustos realized he wanted
to inspire people. He found he could
use public space to build stronger
community—to inspire the people
walking by. "I came across a photo
where I was cutting somebody's hair,"
he says. "There were a lot of people
walking by in the background, and a
lot of them were turning their head,
frozen, watching what was going on.
"In that same photo, I saw one
individual looking down at her phone,
and I thought to myself, 'How do I
inspire that person?' because she didn't
look up once, and she had no idea what
was going on." That lack of real-world
attention inspired Bustos to sign up on
social media—in particular, Instagram.
"A very good friend of mine,
Gerard Scarpaci of Hairbrained,
mentioned that social media and
Instagram are the new magazine,
which is true. It's great to interact with
one another on social media and find
inspiration, so I created this hashtag
on Instagram and social media called
#BeAwesomeToSomebody. I posted
pictures of my charity work and what
I do on my days off on Instagram. I
probably started with 30 or so photos
of my own, and then the media
picked it up. All of a sudden there's a
couple thousand people posting on
#BeAwesomeToSomebody, which
basically became my platform for
individuals to do what they do best,
to be able to give back, and inspire
others while they're doing it."
Beyond The
Technique Podcast
Beyond The Technique is changing
the way salon owners are
supported in their businesses.
According to Kati Whitledge,
"Through the education and
consulting BTT provides, we have
improved operations, revenues,
systems, leadership, and profits
for salons globally." The podcast
has 370 episodes and is intended
to connect salon owners to
professionals who want to impart
their wisdom and experiences.
(beyondthetechnique.com)
Notes
1. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. "Niche," accessed July 29, 2020,
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/niche.
2. Susan Ward, "Definition and Examples of a Niche Market,"
The Balance: Small Business, February 13, 2020, accessed July 30, 2020,
www.thebalancesmb.com/niche-market-definition-for-business-2947188.
Social media celebrity stylist Mark Bustos is well-
known on Instagram (@markbustos) and through
his passion project, #BeAwesomeToSomebody.
