We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris De Anda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I’m not a huge risk taker. I’m very conservative and cautious when it comes to taking risks. Most every time I have taken a risk, it has been the best decision. For example, before I was a full time barber, I was cutting hair in my garage as a hobby. I always wanted to cut hair as a career, but I felt keeping a regular job was safer. My last job before becoming a full time barber, I was working for Meta as a Data Analyst. The pay and benefits were excellent but I wasn’t happy. I felt overworked and overwhelmed. I finally decided to take a risk to leave Meta and come to LA to go to barber school. I was already in my 40’s and I was starting a new career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career started off in Accounting. I worked for Wells Fargo Corporate in the accounts payable department for 15 years. Wells Fargo decided to cut my whole department and sent our jobs to India. I was devastated by this because I was so comfortable there, that’s all I knew for 15 years of my life. It ended up being a good thing. A good friend of mine got me an interview at Meta and I was hired. Meta paid me almost double what Wells Fargo was, plus transportation to and from work, free breakfast, lunch and dinner and many other perks. After a couple of years, I realized that Meta wasn’t for me. I had always been interested in cutting hair and would watch YouTube videos anytime I had free time. I would practice in my garage on my friends and family who were brave enough. After I had enough of Meta, I decided I wanted to cut hair full time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My best friend lives in San Francisco. I
would take her to the beach, the beach’s in SF are too cold to hang out at. I would also take her to Korea Town to Bulgogi Hut, that’s in my opinion that’s the best Korean bbq in LA. For dessert, we’d go to Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave ice in Los Feliz.
I’d take her to see the Hollywood sign and maybe to Disneyland which is my most favorite place.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout should go to my business partner Jorden Halem. I started working for him in his barbershop when I was still in barber school. Jordan helped me so
much it’s hard to put into words. I know if I ever have any questions or need any advice, he will always have the perfect solution. I trust him and look up to him more than he will ever know. I thank god that I met him.

Website: https://Www.circa33barbershop.com

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