Building Legacies in Las Vegas: A Conversation with Marcus Allen of Masterpiece Barber School
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Hi, my name is Leah Crawford. And I'm Rhonda Nolan. And you're listening to the let's talk with Leah and Rhonda show for all the beautiful entrepreneurs out there. This is for you. Good, heavy Saturday morning in Las Vegas. Well, good morning Las Vegas. That's what Rhonda would say. Hey, this is Leah Crawford. I am the host of the let's talk with Leah and Ron to show today I have a special guest with me. As a host, Mr. West night Mr. West night is in the building with me. He's going to be hosting the show with me and me and him are going to talk to because we have another very special person in here with us, Mr. Marcus Allen. So Mark is is I guess one of the most creative people I know. He has a Barber College barber shops. Motorcycle Club. You name it. He's doing it. Amazing person. Awesome personality. Marcus say hello to everybody. Hello everyone. Marcus Allen. Marcus, Marcus Allen and west. Okay, you finally made it in here with me. Hey, Wes. Hey, I know Marcus. I know me. You talked before. I mean, we talk all the time. But for everyone that doesn't know you who was Marcus Allen. Wait, who is Marcus?
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Well, Marcus Allen is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada. been here 52 years.
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They all love how often do you live somewhere else for a minute though. When you went to Barber College blue light you visit
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extended visit just visit. My home was Las Vegas and I love Las Vegas. Las Vegas been very good. And it's been a very blessing to me. I grew up in the West Las Vegas. West Las Vegas. We wouldn't have we didn't have to do summerlands In the lakes and like desert shores and all this new neighborhoods and parts of Las Vegas. We didn't have that we just have Las Vegas North Las Vegas West Las Vegas and downtown Las Vegas got it got it and the strip of course it's true
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and the strip right so growing up so you've seen a change? Oh,
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I see big tremendous change so I'm remember when you grew up Martin Luther King and it was actually was Highland at the time. Right. And right there, Cheyenne and Martin Luther King. Highland actually ended right there. Oh, wow. No roads at all. Just Dirt. Dirt, right. Nothing
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put up the warning sign. And it said yes.
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The one side as far as you can go. Yeah. turnback
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farm was back there. But the pig farm was way, way, way back. There wasn't
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a road that led from Martin Luther King, which was now Martin kings. And it wasn't a road that led over there to the pig pig for him. You have to go more so north of the freeway, okay. Somehow get off because they have all
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the actions that they have now. Oh, wow. They're gonna have a thought about that. Yeah,
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they didn't have that. So you had to get out by going Cheyenne and Ben somehow work it down. Lozi which is almost a dirt road.
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I was gonna say it's gonna turn the agricultural road at some far. Yeah, yeah.
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Oh, wow. So I guess seeing the change over the years. But how do you feel being a native now with all these implants?
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I feel very popular because I moved to my town I motivate town.
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Very well. Game. They came here for about 20 years. I can say that. In
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a moment. We we all moved the lead as you tell me you moved to my town. I did. I did. And I'm happy I did.
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But we got to understand why people move in and things like that. Because you go back into the cowboy days everybody came west because of the goal. So everyone had to have a reason why they want to go to where they need to go and where they want to go. So Las Vegas, Nevada had been a great tremendous asset to a lot of people lives and have have helped them grow the lives and the businesses right here and they grow along with the city as the city grew. You grew with the city. Yeah, it wasn't already established.
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All right. So one business you have is the Barber College I love coming in there and seeing just all the young people learning, I guess because you love I mean, you're your Master Barber. So the fact that you were able to start the school, tough talk to us about that you know about the school what it means to you to have that school.
Unknown Speaker 4:55
To be an instructor Greg terminology is registered barzmann and stable about a lot of people We get it mixed up with Master Barber. But actually all my license is registered Barber
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was registered barber barber so even if you're a regular barber you're registered barber
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know your regular Barber, your apprentice barber when you go back and retake the test out 18 months and then you become a registered barber so
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okay yeah, say we learn something so what's a regular barber and then as a registered apprentice bar apprentice apprentice Barber,
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yes new apprentice for 18 months under registered barber under a registered barber to open up a shop. And once you do that, you go back and take the test. Once you pass the second test, you become a registered barber you're now allowed to open up your own shop.
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Now let me because because barber shops, what is the importance of barber shops in the communities? The
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barber shop is really the cornerstone of the community. I mean, I just had, I met a guy last night and he was telling me about my shop and he say he lives up in Southern Highlands, he lives in southern Ohio. And he brings his son all the way over to my barber shop. I'm like Anita Martin Luther King. And he says Son love it because he loved the atmosphere of his Issei does barbershop atmosphere reminded him of the movie a barber shop. Okay. He got he saw it on TV, but then his son actually got to experience in person. And I look forward to going back like Hey, Dad wouldn't going back to the barbershop they had, they had some pretty good jokes and they have everything had a good time. I
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can only imagine. I met some of your bar, I met some of the barbers in some of your shop.
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And it's rated PG, right? It's
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right. It's right. But you want to know what though, is a different way to look at life. It's an easy way to look at life. So the name of the barbershops is masterpiece. Where did you get the name? Why masterpiece? Why
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masterpiece? Well, my first thing was fast and fresh. I was gonna because I was cutting pretty fast and I always had put out a fresh cut. Okay, so that was gonna be my first name on my shop. And then I was sitting in front, Heron limited, which is one of the Heritage's barbershop other community. On the window, it said masterpiece, and I said, Wow, I took a house that my grandfather built in the early 60s, and converted into a barber shop. So my father legacy lived on he built something for a reason he built his house to live there, but not knowing that what it really was gonna turn out to be. So I say I created a masterpiece from something that my grandfather had built years ago. And
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your grandfather's house was the house on Lake Mead? Yeah, the one that faces like me, that's the best of this masterpiece, original master Master. Oh, okay. The original masterpiece barbershop. Okay. I love this. Okay, because your family's been here. You're like, second third generation here. Well,
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my grandmother and grandfather moved here. But my mother and father was actually born and raised here. Oh, wow. My dad is 78 years old right now. Oh, wow.
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He's been here for seven years. I mean, just a couple of years. Just a couple of years, just a couple of years. But your family has been in that community for a very, very long time have deep roots in that community? Oh, yes.
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Most definitely. My grandmother, the one that actually moved here. She was the first woman pastor in the state of Nevada.
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Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, wow. And the church and such the church's legacy lives on. So when you come home pastor,
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that next day, God still working so easily. You have to get you ready. So a couple of changes,
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is getting ready to multitask. So you can do a sermon and cutter at the same time.
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And but that's what he does, though. I mean, you have to watch him. I've been to the school, I come to the school to get my son's hair cut. And you have to watch him interact with the students to really see the magic that's created in the barber in the barber school. And just his attention to detail, pushing them because of him. I now know what NRS governs my industry, because he was in the quiz. And then one day they're talking and he's quizzing them. And he's like, You have to understand the Nevada revised statute that governs what you're doing at all times. And the student you know, they were playing along with it and then I said something on the last set something but he shot it back do you know which one governs yours? I was like, but I can tell you that I can tell you I wrote it down. I know now is 628 How about that? So I know I need to know. Right? I wrote it down I said because the next time he asked me I will make sure I can answer the question but what I love about being around Marcus is iron sharpens iron in a major way because he's when I add awake I'm like I don't know what Marcus is doing now he'll call me up like you Okay, he's doing something he never cease to amaze me because you got five projects going on at one time. Okay, all right, because we got Matt the original masterpiece and then you have the projects I got going oh no, no, no, no, just the ones that's completed the barbershops that are open.
Unknown Speaker 9:47
Oh yeah. The original masterpiece right don't make me Margaret King. We call it to chop chop. So the reason why we call it original masterpiece that was the original masterpiece so it wasn't a theme to it, but I was one of the first ones actually started sending themes to barbershop Okay. In a second was masterpiece Chop Shop was more so like garage saleing and things when I was the first one that came up with the two boxes because then the tools, I like cars so I have two boxes for my tools that work on cars. So I'm a barber I have tools in my toolbox to work to cut hair. So there was my tooth. So where is that barbershops shining them are looting. So
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while Cheyenne and Martin Luther King, if you are in the cars and stuff like that, that's the barbershop you want to go to? What's the next one? The
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next one is up on? Smoke ranch and rainbow. Okay, smoke ranch and rainbow is the one. That's the Raiders edition. That's what I did right before they announced that the Raiders is gonna come in because I know once the governor said, set up a special assessment session for a special session that in no way he's not doing this. But that was right before Christmas to he did that. Yep. I'm between Thanksgiving I think right before Thanksgiving. It was
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before Thanksgiving because at this, you know, I'll work with the state legislator. And when they call those special sessions, we got to do a whole bunch of stuff on our end because they can't collect money. They can't do this. We got to go to a blackout period. Okay, so then you made the third one the writers the writers edition. Yeah. So it's all right is a whole bunch of rageous paraphernalia. All right. I love it. I love it. So that's three is there not and we got? Well,
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I had the one on Simpson like me and I shut that one down because I wanted to actually own some property and put it another barbershop I was trying to run I don't want to be more more of a rental of a barbershop. So I went and bought the purchase of Lanois actually can put another barbershop so what that will take the place of number three. So
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this is the original chop shop and the Raiders. So that's three.
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The fourth one is the one the fourth one is the one in the making in the making
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now and when I tell y'all this one that's in the making can blow your mind. Because I've seen it I've seen it so I've been there and where it's located, how it's located. It's going to be amazing. This next one is going to be amazing. But not only that one love because he he said he loves cars and motorcycle so one love you have the motorcycles and the car club correct yes all right so let's talk about it why why one love one love Wow one love it's so funny because you're gonna laugh at this because I just bought this jumper to have one love one and I was like, Lord have mercy. Why? I was like okay, but it was a pretty jumper. You had a quick Well, I don't know if I'm going to click because you know, y'all it's a whole lot to get. You gotta get no no, no, I'm not. I'm not there yet. But, but But it's one love. My sorority Yeah, correct. Did
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you correct me on that? No, you correct?
Unknown Speaker 12:42
Yeah, Rorty Realty. Right. Okay, so one love. Let's talk about why the name one name,
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one love came from my cousin. It came in a kind of negative way but a positive way. We was part of another club that we wasn't satisfied with the way things was turning out. When I was in barber school, we say that we need to go home because we just want to go take it to another level on the cars and actually invest a little bit more money into our cars and make a little more for more so beautiful, full than what they was instead of just doing something together. So we had to separate ourselves from other individuals and make ourselves more superior. So when we did that, we didn't say hey, we need a name to go with it. It didn't. My cousin Ben he actually on his barbershop ACFA Dr. Martin Luther King Alexander it's a great he hit he hit the blood No Oh anything with the money at the time had to be a joint and I was smoking then the president of the club wasn't smoking but he hid the joint and say oh man, one love
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so just that simple that's what
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I was gonna say it's already like a Bob Marley
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What's so funny is the jumpsuit that I have. It's the it's the red the yellow the green all in the middle is that one as Bob Marley so alright so one love you got I mean but you guys I've been a summer year events. Very nice. Very respectful. The food is amazing every time you know if y'all don't know he can talk to on top of that. But one lob um, how long have you guys been around?
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We've been around one wow, one love been around. I think we're gonna 30 year anniversary. Wow, we pass out 30 year. So we pass our 30 year anniversary. Oh man. We've been around for a while. Now. The car club have been around and then we formed a while I founded the motorcycle club in oh nine. Okay, I founded two motorcycle clubs. During that time I've found that one club was balls hauled. We didn't like the way things one there and then we went back home to what love so I found that one love being out there.
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All right. So if you see the motorcycles and if you see the motorcycles around town and they got the one leg on the back, you hear the founder on a radio here this morning mr. Marcus Allen, Mr. Marcus Allen. So what The with the Barber College with the Barber College. What made you to the barber? I mean, yeah, this is real life. So he has a barber shops and then I mean the barber school because it's not a college to barber school, a lot of barber school with
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a bar school came along because I had all the shops so I had three shops at the time, okay. And I realized as barbers who's getting out of barber school, and actually passing the test and become licensed barbers as printing is working on that register bar, which I wasn't registered barber at the time, that they still needed some old training that they wasn't getting the proper training. I thought that they really had shithead guy while he was in barber school, and I found them inside of my shop and I'm actually giving them this training they should have got from barber school that they paid for. So I saw a lack in the industry that we need to get another barber school, not another barber school, but just a barber school, right, not putting no barber school down because I'm not talking about the barber school that was first hitting the table about I was not the first barber school in Faisalabad. I was actually the second barber school instead of badmouth a third barber instructor in the state of Nevada. So I'm not putting none of the barber schools out of Barber structures down because most of the barbers who came into my shop came from out of town from other barber shop I mean barber schools Okay, so when I saw that the training needed I'd say is room for me to actually instead of me open up another barber shop, I want to go open up a barber school and spread my knowledge that I have learnt over the years in my experience I have learned over the years with the barman profession to pass, oh, who I can leave a legacy behind with the techniques in the learning facility, not whether or not so much learning facility. But all the things I had learned as over the years been a barber for over 25 years. I learned a lot and a lot of things have management of a barbershop. A lot of people can cut hair, but a lot of people can teach or how to cut hair. A lot of people can cut hair, but a lot of people ain't no barber shop owner. They think as an end cut so many hairs, they now only ready to be a barber shop. Or they want to sit out there and say I cut so many heads. I'm ready to teach this class, right different from cutting hair. And actually teaching this right here is different from cutting hair and actually managing the shop.
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Got it. Okay, so how do you like I mean, because you get a lot of students that come through there.
Unknown Speaker 17:02
Yes, I have multiple students. I haven't graduated. I didn't put over 3000 students into the workforce. over the eight years I have been there now. Yeah, you know, your class sizes, the class size range from 60 to 40 to 60. Sometimes we didn't have almost 200 at once. Oh, wow. Yes.
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Yeah, no, that's huge. That's right.
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I was gonna say yeah,
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so we are doing like classes. Okay.
Unknown Speaker 17:27
Man, like, I'm just trying to think of how you're organizing all this. But no,
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you gotta but you gotta hear how you organize it though. Because it's because the day students were what color
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the day students were the blue and the nice students were the reds, so
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he can tell with your day or night soon. We'll want nobody left right. Okay, and but let's okay, but let's delve in deep if someone is interested in being a one that they want to cut hair, what are the qualifications even to be to register for the school for
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the Tim Barber school in the state of Nevada you have you only have to be 16 and a half years old. But you have to have a GED GED or something equivalent to a high school diploma. So that puts you right back up to 18
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Unless somebody goes and they want to get they test out okay.
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They able to start barber school 60 And pretty much that's it that's the publication of a valid ID GED high school diploma
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Nevada ID so here he says valid about oh, you said that was about him. Okay, so a valid a valid ID and a high school diploma or equivalent? Yeah, so high school diploma GED, six and a half years 16 and a half years so and that's it. And then you just well, what's the contact number for the phone
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number for the school is 702438287 you will be talking to miss joy.
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Do it again.
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702-438-2871 more time 702
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Are you saying this?
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Because you okay. My radio I mean, we
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we already? Oh?
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Oh 243828
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singing it you might as well sing it right because it's masterpiece. barber school. Right? Yeah, Masterpiece barber school. What I love is is is consistency. Because it's the masterpiece barbershops, the masterpiece barber school. And if it's something that you're interested in, it's a it's a it's a healthy invite. It's actually a cool environment. Because it sounds cool. It is it is because he has the classroom setup on one side. And then he has the barber chairs, you know, they're actually in there cutting hair. They're actually cutting pears while they're while they're learning. My son goes there every other week and gets their cut.
Unknown Speaker 19:42
Yeah. And I've seen him come in with you every now and again. He always has a good haircut he always
Unknown Speaker 19:46
has, because it's so funny because I've seen students, you know, fumbling over here. You know, and but I've seen him he's aware and able to step in and say Nope, this is a teacher moment. Oh, Let me show you what you've done what you can improve on. And let's grow from it. Yeah. And the haircuts are a lot less expensive to, you know, a lot less affordable.
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Affordable. Yeah. cheap and affordable, they
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are affordable, they are affordable. Anything you want to share what has been your biggest inspiration? Because, I mean, you're doing a lot of stuff. You got the Barber College, the barber school, the barber shops, you had the car club. You got some other projects going on? What inspires you? How do you do all of this, and it's just you? Well,
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like I say, I'm a native of Las Vegas, and I grew up in West Las Vegas. So during the time I grew up, I ran across some very negative paths on Mines. I mean, it's like I was having to destroy my community. So now I spend the rest of my life just building my community, putting it back brick by brick that I tore down brick by brick by years ago. So I have to invest into myself. First. It says that when you get on the plane, put the mask mask on yourself first before. So that's not being stingy or tight or being self centered. That's more so securing yourself before you go help someone because you can help them better when you're more secure. Got
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it? Got it? Well, I can tell you, Marcus and I have been friends now for over a year. Maybe we offer you a couple of years here a couple of years now. And our first interaction wasn't wasn't pleasant. It wasn't no was it? It wasn't. But he was standing on what he thought his principle principles.
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Thanks for 3643.
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And I invited him into my office. I said, you want to know what let's talk about, oh, unless unless I was working as a liaison for a State Senator. Okay. And we sat down. And we talked, we actually talked for about three hours that day. And he we got to laughing and joking. And I realized that he just I mean, he wanted to understand and needed to understand the changes that were impacting his industry. All I see an impact in his industry. And he is one of those that when legislative session is going on, if they put 643 He is on the phone. Oh, he's on No, no, no. He's there. What day is this coming forward? Who When? When is it going in committee? When is it going to the floor? Who's voting on it? How do I need to move? Who do I need to talk to do I need to write something? And what I can say is in voting, because I know this year, we're going to be voting. I mean, we're voting this year. I'm not gonna ask you where you stand. But I am going to say, are you pushing the students to register to vote
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almost wondering about that politics and NRS code and state laws and what rules, rules and regulations that regulates the barbering? I always keep that's the one thing I teach my barbers because I don't want my barbers not just my bars, but my students, I want to teach them that because once they get into the shop, they need to know what harms are hurt by helps their business, do allow, allow can simply change and change everything. So I don't want them to get lost and say, Oh, I'm just a barber shop. I don't care nothing about it. No, I take them to the State Building. I'll take them to the state meetings over there. And this is a field trip. Yeah. Because I want them to understand how I work because we know the building was actually there. They didn't pass by the 100 tiles. And you know, we didn't know what it was. And enjoyed every bit every day they learn something they actually get the firsthand experience on how laws has come has come a bill had become a law change.
Unknown Speaker 23:27
But it is though, right, because you know, people don't know you got to do a BDR first and after you do a BDR has to go before the committee and then the committee has to pass it before it goes to the floor, then it has to go. I mean, it's a whole it's not just IT star, you know, I said it today. It's a law tomorrow. It's a process and they have to send out notice. So what I can say is Marcus, I want to thank you because every time I call you to do anything you always show up.
Unknown Speaker 23:51
I want to thank you for every time I call you up right there on
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the spot because and he hit me and I noticed something he was like, Hey, honey, I would like you. What do you need? What do you need? What's going on with tone of voice? Yeah. How can I help you today but I want to thank you. I appreciate you. You've been listening to the less awkward Lea and Rhonda show. I am Lea Crawford. My co host today is Mr. Wesley Nice. Hey, Wes. All right. So thank you. We will talk to you next week on the let's talk for Lee and Rhonda show Peace and blessings Las Vegas. Thank you
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