Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Villegas.
Hi Antonio , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from North Carolina, and my journey to Sugar Land really began with an opportunity and a leap of faith. In 2019, after making a connection through Instagram, the owner of a barbershop in the Sugar Land area reached out and offered me an opportunity to come to Texas and work. At the time, I had no real connections here, but I knew that if I wanted to continue growing, I had to be willing to step outside of what was comfortable.
I came to Texas initially for a two-week trial. On the final day, the owner asked whether I had decided to stay. The truth was, I still didn’t know. I didn’t have an apartment or a house, and I told him I would give him my answer by the end of the day.
That afternoon, I went to lunch with one of my coworkers who happened to be going through a transition of their own. During that conversation, an opportunity came up for me to take over their apartment. Suddenly, the biggest obstacle keeping me from staying had been removed. When I returned to the shop after lunch, I told the owner, “I’m staying.”
That decision changed the direction of my life. What began as a two-week opportunity eventually became home. I built relationships here, established my clientele, grew Tone The Barber, and years later opened Summit Barber Club in the same community that gave me an opportunity when I first arrived. Looking back, Sugar Land wasn’t necessarily a place I chose from a business plan it was an opportunity I chose to believe in, and I’ve been building here ever since.
I’m known as Tone The Barber, and my journey into barbering began in 2014 after I was laid off when the company I worked for lost its contract. I found myself having to start over, so I began working while also attending barber school.
What really drove me was that, in the beginning, I wasn’t very good at cutting hair. Instead of allowing that failure to discourage me, it became an obsession to improve. I couldn’t accept the idea of something defeating me simply because I wasn’t good at it yet. That mindset pushed me to keep learning, practicing and developing my craft until something I once struggled with became one of my greatest strengths.
When I moved to Sugar Land in 2019, I began intentionally building my personal brand, Tone The Barber. In 2021, I took another step and branched out on my own into a small private suite. Over the next several years, I continued building my clientele, sharpening my skills as a barber and learning how to market and build a recognizable brand.
Eventually, I realized I was ready for another challenge. That led to Summit Barber Club. The name “Summit” represents the idea that there is always another level to reach. I believe everyone has a mountain they’re climbing in life. There are challenges, setbacks and failures along the way, but you continue climbing, growing and pushing toward something greater. That philosophy reflects my own journey from losing my job, to struggling as a new barber, to building Tone The Barber, and ultimately opening Summit Barber Club. The summit represents the pursuit of becoming better, while understanding that the climb never truly ends.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. In many ways, the struggles are what shaped both me and the Summit Barber Club brand.
My journey started in 2014 after I was laid off when the company I worked for lost its contract. I decided to go to barber school, and one of my first major challenges was realizing that I simply wasn’t very good at cutting hair. I hated the feeling of failure, but instead of walking away from it, it motivated me. I became obsessed with improving my craft and proving to myself that being bad at something didn’t mean I had to stay bad at it.
In 2019, another challenge came when an opportunity brought me from North Carolina to Sugar Land. I came to Texas with no real connections, no established clientele and not even a permanent place to live. What was originally a two-week trial turned into a decision to take a leap of faith and stay. From there, I had to rebuild—developing relationships, growing my clientele and establishing Tone The Barber in a completely new market.
By 2021, I took another risk and moved into my own small suite. For the next several years, I focused on becoming a better barber, marketer and businessman. Eventually, though, I realized that being successful behind my own chair was different from building something bigger than myself. Opening Summit Barber Club in 2025 brought an entirely new set of challenges. Now I wasn’t only responsible for my own success. I had a business to operate, customers to serve, a brand to build and other barbers who were trusting Summit as a place where they could grow their own careers.
There have been long days, financial risks, slow periods, uncertainty and plenty of moments when I’ve questioned whether something was going to work. I’ve learned that growth usually doesn’t happen as quickly or as smoothly as you imagine it will. You have to continue showing up when the excitement wears off and the results aren’t immediate.
That’s actually a big part of what Summit represents to me. Everyone has a mountain they’re climbing. There are setbacks, difficult stretches and moments when you wonder whether you’re going to make it to the top. I’ve learned not to view those moments as signs that you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes they’re simply part of the climb.
My story started with failure, and that failure created the determination that eventually brought me here. That’s why one of the principles behind Summit is that there are no shortcuts to the top. You keep learning, you keep improving, and you keep climbing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Summit Barber Club is a barbershop in Sugar Land, Texas, built around quality, craftsmanship and the belief that what we do goes beyond simply providing a haircut. We specialize in exceptional haircuts, seamless fades, beard sculpting, hot towel shaves, kids’ haircuts and complete grooming services, but ultimately, what we’re providing is confidence.
What sets Summit apart is our commitment to quality over quantity. We want every service to feel crafted for the individual sitting in the chair. Whether someone is preparing for a job interview, a graduation, a wedding, a proposal, the birth of a child or simply wants to feel their best walking into the next chapter of their life, we understand that sometimes a haircut is connected to a much bigger moment. Whatever mountain you’re climbing, we want you to look and feel your best while you’re climbing it.
I’m especially proud of what the Summit brand has come to represent. The name wasn’t chosen simply because mountains look good on a logo. “Summit” represents the pursuit of becoming better. Everyone has their own mountain to climb, personally or professionally, and reaching the next level requires discipline, consistency and the willingness to keep going when the climb gets difficult.
That philosophy extends beyond our customers. I want Summit to be a place where our barbers can build successful careers, develop their own clientele and continue growing in their craft. When the people around the brand are succeeding the clients, the barbers and the community then Summit is succeeding.
Our goal is to create an elevated barbershop experience without losing what has always made barbering special: relationships, conversation, community and pride in the craft. We’re building something that people can identify with beyond the services we provide.
At Summit Barber Club, where craftsmanship reaches its peak isn’t just a tagline; it’s the standard we’re working toward every day. The climb never ends.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The biggest advice I would give someone starting out is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You’re probably not going to be great when you first start, and that’s okay. When I started barbering, I wasn’t good at it at all. That feeling of failure frustrated me, but it also became one of my greatest motivators. Instead of running from what I wasn’t good at, I became obsessed with getting better.
I would also tell people that talent alone isn’t enough. You can be extremely talented at what you do, but if nobody knows you exist, it’s going to be difficult to build a business around that talent. Learn how to market yourself, build relationships, communicate with people and provide an experience that makes customers want to come back and tell someone else about you. Social media, Google, networking and advertising have all been important in my journey, but none of those things can replace consistently delivering a quality service.
Something I wish I understood earlier is how much patience growth requires. When you see successful people or businesses, you’re usually seeing the finished product, not the years it took to build it. There were times when I wanted things to happen faster, but I’ve learned that sustainable growth is usually built little by little. One customer becomes ten, ten become a hundred, and eventually people begin recognizing the brand you’ve spent years building.
I would also tell someone starting out not to be afraid to bet on themselves. Moving from North Carolina to Texas without an established clientele was a risk. Going into my own suite was another risk. Opening Summit Barber Club was an even bigger one. I didn’t have every answer before making those decisions. I just knew I was willing to work for the opportunity on the other side of them.
Most importantly, don’t allow failure to convince you that you aren’t capable. Sometimes being bad at something is simply the beginning of becoming great at it. Stay teachable, stay consistent and don’t compare the beginning of your journey to someone else’s success.
There really are no shortcuts to the top. Learn to appreciate the climb, because the person you become along the way may ultimately be more valuable than the destination itself.
Pricing:
- Haircut $40
- Haircut & Beard $60
- Haircut, Beard & Shave $70
- Kids’ Haircut $40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://summitbarberclub.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summitbarberclub?igsi=eXE1YnFndG5maHJt&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Summit-Barber-Club-61578062694740/
- Other: https://booksy.com/en-us/679855_summit-barber-club_barber-shop_36670_sugar-land?do=invite%2523ba_s%253Ddl_1
