Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists
Owner: Teto Wilson
Business champion: Katie Walter
Type of business: Barbershop specializing in hair cutting, styling, coloring and hair care/repair, hair graphics, beard trimming, razor shaving, etc.
Website: wilsonsimage.com
Facebook: Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists
Address: 2124 West Broadway Avenue, Minneapolis MN 55411
Phone: (763) 245-8922
Teto Wilson may be in the barbering and hair care business, but he wears a lot of hats. He founded Wilson’s Image Barbers & Stylists in 2007, and his success in his flagship business has led to other entrepreneurial ventures in personal care products and apparel. Teto is also a North Minneapolis community leader, scholarship fund founder and MBGA advisory board member. A Facebook review summed up what Wilson’s Image means to the neighborhood: “I cannot praise Teto and his staff enough for the wonderful community hub they provide … This is not just a fabulous place to get a haircut but a beacon of light in the community. Teto and his staff are warm and thoughtful and give amazing haircuts. Bonus is being able to support Black-owned business.”
Quotes:
“I've had a lot of success in business, from my barbershop to Image Renewal Organics, Image 73 Apparel, and, most importantly, Wilson's Image College Scholarship. This North Minneapolis community has supported me all the way. One of my main goals in business and in life is to be more transformational than transactional. Helping people attain their own success, whatever that looks like for them, I want to help if possible. MBGA has provided amazing access to professionals from many various backgrounds to assist me in ways that I wouldn't have otherwise had access to. I'm thankful to this talented group for being willing to use their skills, connections and resources to help advance not only my business, but the businesses of many other minority leaders.”
—Teto Wilson
“I’ve learned so much from working with Teto, particularly about how much success you can have when you move with intention toward goals that matter. I tend to want to hyper-focus on 1-2 important things and pursue them doggedly. Teto’s approach has been to be open to possibilities, say yes to opportunities when they meet the right bar and move lots of things forward purposefully. He’s doing amazingly well. I have a whole new respect for the entrepreneurial mindset. This experience has opened me up to ‘going with the flow’ in my own business. In terms of how MBGA can help Teto going forward, we’ll continue to pitch in when he identifies a next step for his business and needs support to take it. This might mean giving ideas for his business plan or parlaying positive press into commercial opportunity via online sales.”
—Katie Walter
What’s next:
Teto is planning to purchase a commercial space to house his barbershop. He is also working to build the Wilson's Image College Scholarship fund so it can offer full-ride scholarships to inner-city African-American scholars. It had great fundraising success after a WCCO-TV news story featured the scholarship fund and showcased some of the recipients.