Spencer McNeil is proof it’s not your past that defines who you are, but rather the lessons you learn and the people you learn them from along the way.

words HAYLEY BARNETT | photos ALEX CAIRNS

Life was tough for Spencer McNeil 10 years ago. His father suffered from schizophrenia and his mental illness and addictions took a toll on the family. Spence and his two brothers spent time in foster care and their mother, having lost everything, fought a hard battle to regain custody of her children.

Beneath the turbulence, Spencer was holding on to a dream. He wanted more than anything to become a barber and to run his own business, but he was quickly heading down a dark road – one that was becoming increasingly hard to find his way out of.

“I wasn’t a bad kid, but I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, doing silly stuff,” the 20-year-old explains. “That’s when I was selected for Project K. They look for kids they see potential in, who aren’t living up to it in school. That was me.”

The first part of the programme was a three-week 'Wilderness Adventure' with other young people selected for Project K, all funded by the Graeme Dingle Foundation. “It was life changing,” says Spencer. “We spent three weeks out in the wilderness, without a phone or any of my usual comforts. Just us, embracing that time away from everything.”

Activities involved kayaking along the Coromandel coast, biking from Thames to Waihi, and hiking through the Kaimai Ranges. “We had three showers over 21 days,” explains Spencer. “It showed me that you've got to be confident, you’ve got to give everything a go. And it teaches you to be grateful for what you have in life, because it can all be taken away just like that.”

Unlike most other kids his age, Spencer knew what he wanted to do with his life. At just 15, he applied for a year-long barber course and was immediately accepted. It was unusual for a 15-year-old to be accepted but they saw his passion and potential and he became the youngest student to attend barber school. Ten months later he qualified.

“They could see it was my dream, and it was huge for me. I got through the course and at 16 I was qualified.”

During these years of growth and change, his mother had met Phil, someone who had become a ray of hope for Spencer and his brothers.

“When my stepdad Phil came into our lives, he stepped up as a role model and a best friend,” says Spencer. Sadly, Phil was diagnosed with cancer just as Spencer was coming of age as a young teen, and he tragically passed away not long after Spencer completed his barber course.

“He got to see me qualify as a barber,” Spencer says. “He knew I wanted to run my own business and, before he passed away, he came into my room one morning and said, ‘You don’t get in life what you want, you get in life who you are’, and that you only fail if you fail to try. I’ll always remember that.”

The loss was another hurdle but Spencer used his suffering as fuel to become motivated and turn his business dreams into reality. Despite being assigned a mentor by Project K, it was Dan Allen-Gordon from the Graeme Dingle Foundation who had the most impact around that time. Dan helped to pull Spencer out of the dark hole he had found himself in.

“Dan is a big reason why I am where I am today,” says Spencer. “His encouragement and motivation really affected me. It really inspired me to succeed.”

After a couple of years working in barbershops, he was itching to get out on his own. “I was over it,” he confesses. “I didn’t want to work for people anymore. I gave them my notice, so I set up a chair in my living room at home. It was just a mirror, a chair, and a station. I was happy as.”

As his client numbers grew, he realised he’d need to move into a space that was a little more appropriate. “I hit up the BP on Ngatai Road and asked if we could put a cabin on their property. They accepted and it instantly went off. I was turning away 10 to 20 people a day. It was crazy.”

Shortly after, Spencer and his mum, Debra, heard about a unit in the Brookfield Shopping Centre coming up for lease. “I had a couple of thousand dollars in the bank which I used to start the business. The whole thing was such a huge risk,” says Spencer.

And so Barber Spence was born. “I had no clients in the first week, and then bang! I had enough to pay the lease, pay the boys, and it started building. We somehow got out of that scary moment.”

A large part of Spencer’s motivation was becoming a positive influence that others could look up to and be inspired by. He recently won the Sir Edmund Hillary award at the Graeme Dingle National Excellence Awards.

“I love helping others. All my staff are young – our barbers Rhymis and Lyric are both 20, our barista Kella is 20 and Harmony our tattoo artist is 21. I love showing people that anything’s possible for people my age.” Earlier this year, Spencer expanded his offering by adding Barbarista coffee shop next door.

Online, Barber Spence is gaining a following on social media with the boys’ humorous content, and has even captured the attention of Stan Walker, who commented and ended up giving one of Spencer's special needs customers backstage tickets to his show.

“That post really popped off!” laughs Spencer. Though plans to open in Hamilton and Rotorua are mere thoughts for now, Spencer knows he has the power to make it happen. Right now he’s focused on making his Brookfield business a positive place to be for both his employees and his clients. “I just like to make everything fun,” he says. “I want to make this the best place it can be for my team. That’s real success to me.”

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