Tugay Zeyrek is a hairdresser who works in his dad’s salon in a small town in Germany – and he cuts the hair of football stars and even music icons like Jason Derulo. When interviewing him I noticed quite a few things that we all can learn from him in order to achieve the extraordinary:
Have love and passion for an extra boost of energy (which you will need as you will read further down)
Tugay literally beamed when talking about his profession and story, and he was full of enthusiasm for what he is doing.
Never be big-headed but stay down-to-earth
During my stay at the salon, Tugay walked over to his regular customers, normal people without big names or big wallets, had a chat, called them by their names, and made sure they felt welcome and were happy with the service in the salon.
Keep on connecting
“When I was seventeen I already started to write to star managements but no one ever replied. Then I started to participate in hairdressers competitions and became world champion with the German Team. Eventually, a friend introduced me to a football player who played in the national team, and then one thing led to another.” Connections are key! I`ve heard that dozens of times and I can tell from my own experience that most of my jobs came through some sort of connection or referral. However, we need to get out there and actually make those connections. It is not a passive thing – waiting for a connection to show up – but it requires massive action: to show up for our connections and to get out there, let people know about our goals, and grab any opportunity to connect.
Do not give up and be bold
“I have often punted on getting into concerts, I climbed over fences, ran from security – all these kinds of things. Even when you have agreed with a star to meet them, the security may think you`re a crazy groupie. When I was meant to meet Jason Derulo at his concert, none of the security took me seriously. But I refused to give in until I finally managed to find a way past the security crew.” Ever since Tugay has cut Jason Derulos` hair several times!
Be ready anytime and say yes to the extraordinary
„For the MTV Music Awards in Bilbao, I drove 16 hours in my car. I cut the celebrities` hair, then drove back 16 hours. Often, stars call me up: Can you be in Berlin or whatever city tomorrow morning to cut my hair? And I will hop straight in my car and go! You need to be ready. Life is too short to be average.” Achieving extraordinary things requires extraordinary action. Makes sense doesn`t it? So don`t let chances go past. Let’s take every chance we can get and be ready!