'YouTube taught me how to run a barber shop at 16'

Amaar dreams to open up barber shops across the city before expanding in the UK

Two years ago, Amaar started learning how to cut hair after his mother kept "banging on" at him to find a hobby.

He spent his free time watching YouTube tutorials, learning skills at his friend's barber shop and cutting his father and brother's hair in his bedroom, even if they were reluctant to let him at times.

The 16-year-old honed his skills and has been running his own shop, Fade Fusion in Stirchley, Birmingham, for more than a year, an achievement he described as an "amazing journey".

"Having people leave the chair with a massive smirk on their face makes me happy and I've made a lot more friends from cutting hair," he said.

All of his friends love to support the barber shop, visiting Amaar to chill out and have a good laugh while they get a trim.

"They all love this place and come down for haircuts, we all have close bonds and they help out as well," he said.

Amaar balanced cutting hair while studying for his GCSEs before going full-time

The barber shop was a complete surprise from his father, Burhaan, who decided to convert one of his buildings into a space where Amaar could work from.

"I'm very proud of him, my father runs his own business and I've been self-employed since day one, so it looks like he's going in the same direction," Burhaan said.

Burhaan has watched his son grow over the years, he continued, and the 16-year-old is now the only person who he will let cut his hair.

Amaar thanked his father and said he would not have been anywhere like he is now without him.

"I owe a lot to him but I've also built this from the ground up," he said.

Amaar now works alongside his friend Ollie as the pair hope to "go places"

Amaar is working at the barber shop full-time over the summer with his friend Ollie, and from September he will combine work with a barbering apprenticeship.

Reflecting on how far he had come, Amaar said he felt proud of what he had accomplished but was always ready to improve.

He has got big dreams for the future as he aims to take the barber shop city wide and open up more branches across the UK.

"I would like to cut a lot of footballers' hair and other barbers that I look up to on YouTube like VicBlends," he said.