While a trolley bus system has not been used in Utah for 75 years, an antique bus will soon be gracing the streets of Provo. However, unlike its public-transit predecessors, this bus will be used for something other than transportation: haircuts. Behind this trolley transition is Afton Ellis Long, who is creating a mobile barbershop out of an old trolley bus and uses the support of the entrepreneurship program at the BYU Marriott School of Business to streamline her road to success.
Ellis Long, a senior from Alpine, Utah, has been a hair stylist for several years but did not catch the entrepreneurial spirit until she arrived at BYU. When she first started her classes, she was unsure which major to pick until she met with an academic advisor. “He looked at my completed courses and saw that I had done an entrepreneurship class,” Ellis Long explains. “After some discussion about my thoughts on that class, he suggested I look at applying for the entrepreneurship program. His guidance at that point ended up being the right thing for me.”
Entrepreneurship hit home for Ellis Long because she had always wanted to own her own barbershop. After finishing cosmetology school, she worked for a few different shops near her hometown but quickly realized she would prefer to be her own boss and enjoy the freedom that would come with running her own business.
However, Ellis Long wanted to do more than simply open a traditional barbershop as she knew she wanted to make her business as unique as possible. The idea for housing her business on wheels originated from her brother, who suggested she start a mobile barbershop to meet customer needs by offering haircuts wherever customers were. Ellis Long loved how a moving shop could help her stand out while also being a valuable business asset.
“After I decided to pursue the idea for a mobile business, I initially planned on buying a van, but when I came across a trolley bus, I knew I had to buy it,” Ellis Long says. “After finding the bus, I could see exactly how I’d create the perfect vibe for a classy, modern, and unique barbershop experience. I knew my idea would be innovative and original since you rarely, if ever, see a trolley bus driving down the street these days.”
In the entrepreneurship program, Ellis Long experiences firsthand how the program’s classes support startup ideas and business endeavors. “As students, we do group projects and brainstorm ideas to use in our businesses,” she says. “These activities have helped me find a direction of where to go with my trolley bus as we think about what could work and what could fail. These exercises have also helped me save valuable time because otherwise I would be trying these ideas on my own and subsequent failures would delay the business wheels from rolling.” Ellis Long also plans to use her mobile barbershop business for her senior capstone project during her final semester.
In addition to support she receives from the entrepreneurship program from an academic standpoint, Ellis Long also finds inspiration in a community of fellow entrepreneurship students through Women in Entrepreneurship (WE). The student group meets monthly to receive and provide mentorship, share ideas, and create an uplifting community for all women at BYU interested in entrepreneurship. “The group is awesome. We learn tips and best practices about business and entrepreneurship while having fun together,” Ellis Long says.
Because she loves the group so much, Ellis Long also serves on the WE student leadership committee, planning events with the desire to help everyone enjoy the group as much as she does. The leadership committee focuses their events on alumnae who mentor students, creating uplifting insights and experiences. As upperclassmen, Ellis Long and her fellow committee members also help students that are new to the group and entrepreneurship.
“One cool and inspiring part of being in the group is meeting with returning mentors,” Ellis Long continues. “At our first activity this year an alumna visited and shared her experiences and inspired us. Her personality and accomplishments with her business showed me what I could be like one day. I saw that she was successful in so many ways, and I thought, ‘I want to be just like her.’ Coming back one day as a mentor myself would be awesome.”
While Ellis Long’s entrepreneurial road may be unique, she still feels like a part of the broader BYU Marriott student and alumni entrepreneurship community because they all share common goals regardless of where their paths may take them. The support of her classmates, especially those in WE, helps her continue to feel the entrepreneurial spirit that led her to the major and her trolley bus.
“Being surrounded by students who are all on the same path with wanting to start their own businesses is inspiring,” says Ellis Long. “I enjoy seeing everyone in the different stages of business growth, which motivates me to keep driving forward with my own ideas. The entrepreneurship community here at BYU Marriott feels like home to me.”
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Writer: Mike Miller
