SLYOU Magazine Issue 1 | Page 76

The Story Behind Inventor Joshua Esnard’s Cut Buddy Story and Photos by Stan Bishop Growing up, Saint Lucian entrepreneur, Joshua Esnard, felt compelled to come up with a way of getting his own haircuts by cutting out the middle man. Thus began the inspiring story of a thirteen-year-old boy whose dream of becoming an inventor would one day cut through the heart of the business world. Esnard is inventor of The Cut Buddy, the first hair grooming tool that allows you to edge up and shape your beard and hairline perfectly without errors. His rise to fame and success speaks to the indomitable spirit of Saint Lucian entrepreneurship and never letting go of dreams. Born and raised in Entrepot, Castries, his father used to cut his hair flat -- much to young Joshua’s chagrin. By age thirteen, the youngster who longed to sport the coolest hairstyles at school to impress the girls, had gotten sick of it. He ended up cutting his own hair because his father wasn’t going to pay a barber to do it. Joshua soon cut out some shapes from his father’s document folders and came up with a prototype and a clever idea: “I said, ‘If I put this thing on the side of my head 74 SL-YOU | Business, People & Lifestyle and run a razor against it, maybe it will stop me from pushing my hairline back.’ To my surprise, when I actually tried it, it resulted in a perfect curve. When I went to school, people thought I had gotten my hair cut by a barber.” He used that small piece of plastic for fifteen years to cut his hair: before dates, job interviews and other important meetings. He only went to the barber about three times during that time. However, he sat on the golden opportunity of making what would later become the famous Cut Buddy a business idea for the next fifteen years! www.slyoumag.com | July-August 2019