Teenager Cully 'Guts' Summers started his barber business at just 12 years old but he was confident right from his first haircut.
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In an Instagram video showing his first job, Cully cheekily commented "saved his life" - a little joke about how much the clip helped his mate's appearance.
The one-liner has since become the slogan of Gutz Cutz, a barber business complete with socials and merch which Cully runs from a studio in his family's home.
As he starts Year 9, Cully from Winmalee in the NSW Blue Mountains already has more than 1200 followers and 22,000 likes on his Gutz Cutz TikTok, with his most recent video garnering more than 190,000 views.
He said the motivation to try his hand as a barber came from browsing through the same sorts of videos he now makes.
"I started watching videos online, thought I needed a new hobby," Cully said.
"I thought it looked satisfying, just watching people shave people's heads, and I kinda got interested. I got a few clippers for Christmas, and just started from there."
Early hustle
Now working with a suite of hairdressing tools, Cully cuts hair for school friends and footy mates alike at a competitive rate of $10.
His mum, Bec, said Cully has even helped her save time and money on the family's regular trips to the barber.
"I was paying for these kids to get their hair cut once a fortnight, so that was adding up. So it's great now, he cuts everyone in the family's hair - except mine," she said.
"The local parents love it, because it is a bargain and they've got multiple kids."
Cully's TikTok and Instagram videos are edited with help from his older brother Harry, who said: "Cully is definitely the barber out of us two, but I can say he's not super interested in the business side... but I kind of like editing the videos and stuff as well."
Gutz Cutz has also branched into merch, starting with samples from Blank Canvas in Emu Plains.
Looking ahead
One of the channel's more famous social videos showing Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses trying on a Gutz Cutz cap - a special moment for Cully, who is a "big fan" of Moses and has aspirations towards sport himself.
"My main option is probably to be a footy player, but if that doesn't work out then I'll definitely be a barber," he said.
Today Cully is continuing to learn every hairstyle and technique he can from online content creators. He's also challenging himself wherever possible, such as by assisting as a barber for World's Greatest Shave at his school, Winmalee High School.
