An Inverness 20-year-old has “achieved his dream” after opening his own barbershop.
Josh Martus passed a two-year training course in just six months after his lecturer decided he was ready.
Three years after first picking up the clippers, he has opened Martus Studio on Bow Court.
The barbers offers a range of men’s grooming services, including fade cuts and beard trims.
New Inverness studio a ‘dream come true’ for barber
Josh began cutting his own hair in lockdown and decided to take his new-found passion to college.
He said: “I decided I didn’t want to go around without a haircut and restrictions meant all the barbers were closed.
“I started cutting my friends’ hair when lockdown rules eased – my mum let me use half of the kitchen for my setup.
“After getting a bit of experience, I decided to go to college to get my qualification for future.
“The course was meant to be two years but I finished it in six months – my lecturer thought I was ready to go full time.”
Josh spent a year-and-a-half at Inverness barbers At-ik 57 but knew it was the right time to take the next step in his career.
He added: “One of my family members told me about this studio being available.
“I felt I couldn’t pass on this opportunity at the age of 20 – it was always my dream to own my own place.”
Martus Studio is ‘the beginning of something big’
Josh has seen customers follow him to his new location and is already dreaming of a big future.
He said: “All of my clients have been loving the new studio – since I moved I’ve had continuous clientele. There has been a lot of positive feedback as well.
“I’m absolutely loving having my own place – it feels like a sense of freedom. I can be my own boss and focus on producing more content for social media.
“I’ve got lots of great future plans – I would eventually like to have a bigger unit with multiple chairs.
“I’ll also be looking at introducing new services – this is just the start to something big.”
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