The Grind That Gives Back with Mike Webb & Rizzo King Kongin

You can feel the difference between someone chasing a quick win and someone building something that lasts. Mike Webb is in the second category. He’s the owner of Philly Fades barbershop, and he’s also helping push BuzzBox and the Buzz It Forward foundation, where mentorship and free haircuts become a real pipeline of confidence for kids. We talk about what it takes to fund impact the unglamorous way: community sponsorship, local businesses, and a clear plan, including a bold goal for seniors of 500 free haircuts in 80 days.

We also get honest about focus. Not the trendy kind where you say you’re locked in for two months, but the kind where you keep showing up even when the results are quiet. Mike breaks down how his plan started long before the shop, how he pivoted away from engineering, and how he stayed disciplined enough to finish his degree over years while working. If you care about entrepreneurship, barber shop business growth, and building a brand with staying power, the practical details here matter.

Then we go into the stuff most people avoid talking about until it hurts: partnerships, investors, and paperwork. Mike shares a cautionary story about expanding to a second barbershop location, what went wrong when agreements weren’t in writing, and why moving key decisions into email can save you later. We wrap with mindset, responsibility, and how to protect your business without losing your peace. If you got value from this conversation, subscribe, share it with an entrepreneur friend, and leave a review so more builders can find it.

Transcript

Meeting Mike Webb

SPEAKER_01 0:13

So, Mike Webb, what's going on, man?

SPEAKER_00 0:16

What's up?

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Yo, it's it's been a grind, grind, grind, right? And you're a grinder too. So you're an entrepreneur. Mike Webb, tell us about what you do.

BuzzBox And Free Haircuts Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:28

So I own Philly Fades barbershop. I would say that's the headquarters, the day-to-day operation, but I'm the assistant director of BuzzBox and Buzz It Forward. Buzz It Forward's the foundation providing these free haircuts through the mentorship program for kids specifically. But the BuzzBox company here, that's the real push that I'm looking to show the entire state of Pennsylvania. And right now I'm focusing on a campaign for seniors. 80 days, 500 free haircuts off the back of the corporations and small businesses and really the community.

Focus And Following The Plan

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Okay, so you said a key word focus. You focus. What's the plan?

SPEAKER_00 1:09

The plan, the initial plan is to use my network and secure my committee. Because I have bigger things to focus on. So I need a committee. I need people that understand the plan and that the goal for all of this to take effect is community sponsorship. So the more people I have that know the that know the plan and that I trust, I can focus on higher things.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yeah, so I I said those two two words to you because you don't you you know a little bit about me, but you don't know everything about me. And and for the people that is in the audience as well, right here. Focus, follow the plan, and it will expand. You know what I'm saying? So whatever you're focusing on right now, that's why I want you to really know the plan. The plan is ultimately God's plan. We don't know where it's going to expand, but it will if you follow through. How many times have we, you know, everyone out there that's listening, how many times have have you heard a friend saying, oh, I'm gonna focus, I'm focusing on this new podcast, I'm focusing on this new thing, and then two months later, they're on something else. That's that's what I'm talking about. You know what I mean? So I want you to follow that plan.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

For sure. And just watch. We don't know when it's going to expand. And in this book, I have people all the time ask me, Rizzo, how did you get with Snoop Dogg? Rizzo, how'd you get with Master P? You know, so I got the MP right there, Master P, they thinking, but no, it's not Master P. It's tell me what this is. That's Mitch Pitch, right? Mitch Pitch. Yeah, this is the fourth agent around. Yeah, this is a sponsorship for today's show. You know, Mitch Pitch, you know, just make sure you follow him. Man, this hat is fire. Who made the hat? Grand Slam ideas. Oh man, see, we got some hustlers, hustlers in here, man. But we got people in here that had a plan. They followed through with it. I don't know how Mitch Pitch, what he started with, how his plan initially was, but whatever that plan was, shh, shh, shh, it expanded into what he's doing right now.

From School To Mobile Barbering

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Same as you. You know, how did you what was the plan when you started the barbershop? You know, what was that plan? The plan was before, before the shop came.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Before the shop? Yeah, what were you doing? I was in school initially for business marketing and management. Yep, that wasn't the barbershop, it was not in that plan, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Cutting hair mobile was. Oh, cutting. Not the shop. Oh, okay, but still, cutting hair was still the plan.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Before that, when did that start? That's what I want to know. I want to break that down. When did it start in your head that I'm gonna do this barber shop stuff or barber cutting hair?

SPEAKER_00 4:00

It started, hmm, when I got in that first uh whatever the mathematics course was for engineering. I thought that I wanted to go to school for engineering. Okay. Because I did electrical construction in high school.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Then I got in this class and I seen the syllabus, and I'm like, yeah, this, I'm not cut out for this. This this right here, this direct line to my advisor. Because I knew that I wanted to do something in the field of barbering, but mobile, not in the shop. So I I switched my focus to uh um business marketing and management.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

And then from there, like I started to brew what mobile would look like.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Yeah, so before that, your plan was you're going to school. Yeah. And you follow through. You ain't give up, you ain't quit. You follow through with going to school to graduate. Yep. Right? And then expanded into something else. So when you follow through with your plan and ideas, God's gonna lead you to the right direction.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

One more tidbit on the focus and following through. It took me eight years to do the two-year degree because I only went full time just my first semester. And then after that, I I said to myself, I didn't graduate high school to go back to school full time. Like I wanted to work.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

So I only did one course every semester. So even through the summer semesters, I still went at least once. Still went. It took me to about 2018.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Yeah, you still went. Never gave up. That's what I'm talking about, man. I salute, I salute soldiers like that.

Partnerships Versus Going Solo

SPEAKER_01 5:40

I love it. And now the last thing I want to talk on is this when you're in this partnership and you know, or solo um businesses, I want to talk about that. So, partnerships. Have you ever been in a partnership with a business?

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Uh I've been in partnership with individuals.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

In individual, yeah. So for a business.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, okay. Um, have you ever been in good ones or bad ones or what? You've been in both. All right, so my my next thing that I'm doing with this King Kong and mindset um is to educate the next generation. And I want them to know going into a partnership with your friend, family members, you know, random people you meet that talk a good game, it's gonna happen. Um, really, really set back and and and and look at everything. And I want you to see if you have any signs of mmm, nah, just like a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship, you know what I mean? Sometimes you see that sign real quick. The girls see the sign real quick with the guy, like, oh man, he's so uh jealous, like the jealous type. Oh, that's a sign. Get out, don't even do it. Okay, and a lot of times people keep, they stay in it. Okay, so just like business, I want them to know if you see a sign, that might not be it. Um, so I I had several different partnerships, and it seems like it's this doesn't work. Doesn't work. Um, so I gotta go solo. You know, so I'm gonna be on the solo team from now on, and I'm gonna be an advocate for solo. So I'm sorry for people that have business partnerships. Um, God bless you, if it's some some are going really well, but a lot don't. So do you you have a little can without saying any names, do you have any a story about bad a bad one? Yeah, and and give us a tip what to what's what what to watch out for. Welcome to social media Welcome to social media.

The Second Shop Deal Goes Wrong

SPEAKER_00 7:56

I'll give you the give you the rundown first. So I I was ambitious about expanding from one barbershop to two barbershops. And so this client acquired a barbershop, a brand. And once the brand owner who promised a turnkey operation for my investor here, they split ways. Now the investor's sitting there with a barbershop, and he's not in this industry at all. He was getting a turnkey operation. So I saw that I could seize this opportunity to then have a second location and also have a partner to where there's investment in this second location, so I don't have to come out of pocket for something that I'm most importantly not ready for. Yeah. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

And you were up front with I'm not ready for this, I don't have the bread right now. Yep. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah, we we sat down face to face. We had the interaction of as long as he could be hands off and recoup his now 30% off of whatever comes in the business, then fine. I just said I didn't want to pay the rent, but I'll renovate the property and I'll get it up to Was this in writing or anything?

SPEAKER_01 9:08

Tell us that. Was it in writing? No. Okay, so it's not in writing right now what you're talking about. Yes. So that's number one right there. You must have everything in writing. And if you don't have the lawyers or whatever, get it in the email. At least get it in the email and start emailing each other. So you so right now, people, you're texting people, you're texting your partner, your your future partner, you know, texting. No, the moment start getting to that level, the business, then I want you to send the email to the to that partner, to that friend, or whoever. I don't care if it was your mama, you know. So it's now your mama getting an email. So, man, you sending me an email? Yeah, yeah, mama. We're business right now. So that's what I want. The next generation, but not even the next generation. If you're out there right now and you're adult, you're an adult entrepreneur and you're in something right now, you might be like, dang, yeah, you right. See, I I've been trying to do this. This is what I've been I've been thinking of doing. This while I'm gonna encourage you and motivate you to do it. Send the email, right? So now, okay, it wasn't in writing. So now what?

SPEAKER_00 10:05

Mm-hmm. So now we went through this process. Uh, we started the business. I did all the necessary legal documentation to have Philly Fades 2. U-ver important factor here. Before we even did any renovations, some damages happened to the basement of this location. So now I'm assuming the obvious. We spoke about it. He said, Yeah, insurance will come down here, take care of everything. Because literally it was sewage in the basement. So you lost everything. The property that was down there and the construction had to be redone. So I spent the next three months renovating the upstairs so it can be a barbershop. Ideally, this was going to be a barbershop and salon. Downstairs was going to be the real moneymaker. So I spent the time renovating the upstairs, and then when that time came around that this was done, and I inquired, hey, whatever happened with the basement, oh nothing. I mean, um, you're saying this to the investment, right? This is to your partner? Yeah. Okay. I asked, yeah, you know, what's going on with the basement? Are we gonna move forward with that? What happened? The response is, you know, no, no, no, insurance money came from that. I was conscious to not respond immediately, definitely with like a reaction. Yeah, that's another tip of emotion. That's another tip because I knew better. It sounded funny, and then I could use my own critical thinking of, well, if I'm in his position and you told me that it was already operating in the red, and then I got in business with this kid, this person that's younger than me, that has less than me, and he did his part, I got that money, that insurance money. Now, am I gonna take it out of my pocket and give it to him to then restart all of this, or am I just gonna pocket that and then tell him, Alright, well listen, none came. I mean, do you wanna do it yourself, or do you wanna do you wanna split or we can downgrade this business to a non-profit because my accountant says this looks bad on my on my books. So when he told me that, I calculated all of this and I said, you know what? Okay, I understand. And I just moved on amicably from that to where I I looked at this as first off a learning lesson. Yes. Of when I am in this situation, this type of situation, because this was early on in my entrepreneurial career, year three, actually year two and a half. So And you're young. Yeah, young. I learned like documentation because there was he said here.

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

And then I also learned here that if something happens, sitting there sulking on it is not gonna, it's not gonna make me feel any better. Me dragging his name through the mud, that that's not gonna do anything.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

But your flesh, your flesh, I'm telling you right now, your flesh, all of us want to drag that person in the mud. I'm just keeping it real. The flesh, but you know, soft answers turns away wrath. That's in the Bible. So, so the moment, you know, you we we have to, it's hard right now for me to even preach this to you, to teach it, teach it and coach you, because I I have that flesh problem, you know, but but you're right. So you didn't do all that. Uh so you just walked walked away.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

I I took what was mine in there. Okay. Renovations, like I took the the uh countertops that we made, and I redirected here because I had mentorship in my corner.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

And you believed in your brand, you believe in your vision, and you believe in your plan. Yep. And that's that's that's the end of the day. You have to believe, you have to believe in your business more than anybody else. You know, so so let me tell you this, and this is how I'm gonna end this.

Put It In Writing And Protect Yourself

SPEAKER_01 14:07

So, what I'm seeing, I never I never met you before. This is my first time meeting you, and never heard your story about your investor. Here are the tips right now. I truly believe most investors, the ones with the money, the moment something goes bad, the moment something not does not go their way, they're gonna cut you. They don't want nothing to do with it anymore. They got the bread, they got the money. This is what I experienced. So I'm seeing it throughout the country, so I know it's throughout the world. These people, God bless the ones that are gonna own up and keep their word. All the stuff that he says, she says stuff, even if you had it in writing, they're gonna come up with their own um their own way of thinking, like they never even wrote it. It it literally can be in an email, and they would still say I'm talking about the money and the power people, those people that have that inside their blood, stay away from all money ain't good money. We heard that before, and I'm telling you this true. I experienced it several times, and I want to be an advocate to all you people out there, to you for your next next business partner. I I mean, business partners are hey, it's it's good. Some some are definitely good to have. I'm just telling you to watch out. That's all. You know, be careful. Thanks for coming on the set, the King Congen mindset. And and King Kong means you're a soldier, you're a warrior, you're more than a conqueror, you never give up. You blessed by the best, you you highly favor. It's not an energy, yes, it's not an energy drink, bro. It's not an energy drink. That's just the name on the can. It's a mindset. That's what King Kong is. When when people ask you, hey, oh, that's an energy drink. No, go ahead, drink your monster, go go drink your Red Bulls, go drink your Celsius. I don't care if you drink this at all, but it's a mindset, okay? And you are one of these soldiers. So congratulations. Um, how can someone follow you?

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Instagram, easiest way, web underscore media productions.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

That's the easiest way to get a hold of you, man. God bless you, man.