Eric Hanspard of Team Barber has one mission–to help beauty professionals see their craft as a visual art and a business. As an award-winning barber himself, Hanspard knows the ins and outs of running a successful business, and he doesn’t keep this knowledge to himself.
Hanspard is the President and Founder of Team Barber Educational Foundation. For 12 years, Hanspard has traveled throughout Indiana and worked with beauty professionals across the Midwest to both continue their training and create a culture of support.
“I’ve traveled the state of Indiana,” Hanspard said. “I’ve gone from Evansville to Fort Wayne to Kokomo to South Bend to Northwest Indiana. I have visited 70% of the beauty and barber institutions in the state of Indiana since 2014.”
Not wanting to keep these connections to himself, Hanspard began the Crossroads Beauty Show in 2014–an event that reaches beauty professionals from across the Midwest. In line with Team Barber’s mission–the show is an opportunity for beauty professionals to continue their learning and support each other.
To facilitate the 2022 Crossroads Beauty Show Hanspard teamed up with Purdue Federal Credit Union as a way to highlight the connection between the art of this career and the nature of running a small business.
Matt Scheuer, vice president of business development for Purdue Federal Credit Union, sees events like this one as an opportunity for us all.
“We are just happy to support Team Barber and everyone who is a member,” Scheur said. “We're firm believers at Purdue Fed that anytime that you strengthen the financial stability of an area everyone wins.”
“At Purdue Fed we're always looking for avenues of outreach to the community,” Scheur said. “Hanspard reaches and does a great job with getting out in the community and being a small business owner. We take a lot of pride in that partnership.
“The Crossroads Beauty Show will allow a lot of beauty professionals to see both sides of the aisle–the business aspect of our profession and the way it is going visually,” Hanspard said.
An event for the entire family, the Crossroads Beauty Show is more than just a beauty professional competition.
“We have vendors,” Hanspard said. “The show also includes educational speakers throughout the event. We showcase platform artists and have a barber competition. There is also a game truck for the kids as well as networking sessions.”
More than just a partner, Purdue Federal Credit Union will also be on hand to provide in-person financial assistance.
“Purdue Federal does a lot of financial empowerment presentations,” Scheur said. “We’re looking to cater something towards small businesses because everyone there is also a small business owner. Being a small business owner is a completely different mentality. We will be there to help educate people on how to budget and how to bolster your business.”
Averaging between 2,700 and 4,100 attendees, Hanspard and Scheur are proud of the Crossroads Show and have no plans of stopping.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to continue to push hard and have this avenue to keep growing the brand, the state, and the profession,” Hanspard said.
The Crossroads Beauty Show will take place on Sunday, October 9 at the Avalon Event Center. Doors open at 11 a.m. CST and show time is 12 p.m. CST. For more information, please visit Team Barber’s event’s page.
