‘Welcome to Selva Cuts’: Student barber grows his business, inspires others

David Selva, a sophomore business major and entrepreneurship minor, can be seen on a skateboard navigating between classes and hair appointments for his barber business, Selva Cuts. 

Over his two years of experience, Selva has built a loyal customer base of both students within his friend groups and strangers. 

His older brother was a barber, which inspired him to start cutting hair. Selva’s first haircuts were performed on himself, using the all-knowing source, YouTube, for instruction and the pair of clippers and barber tools his brother gifted him as equipment.

Although his brother now resides in Nicaragua, Selva continues to draw on his brother’s interactions with customers; he recalled how his brother would share meaningful dialogue with every customer who passed through. 

In his own business, Selva said that he makes a point to build similar connections with his customers. He sets up an inviting atmosphere by saying “Welcome to Selva Cuts,” before he begins cutting hair. 

“I want them to walk out happy and just say, ‘Yo, I had an amazing conversation with my barber,’” Selva said. 

On Selva’s business Instagram, his first post, captioned “Smooth fade for my guy Chris Preciate the support🤞🏽,” features Christopher Williams. Williams is now one of Selva’s good friends and was one of his first customers on campus. 

Selva and Williams's relationship dates back to Selva’s freshman year, but at the time they only knew of each other through their Johnston scholarship. Then, the day before William's 21st birthday, he was returning to his dorm when he saw Selva carrying his barber tools back from another appointment. Williams said he needed a haircut, so the two arranged one. 

Williams is now a senior and has watched Selva improve his craft and grow his business since they first met, reinvesting his profits into new equipment. 

“He's seen all that progress, and, you know, he's proud of me,” Selva said. “I'm proud of him.”

To Selva, these kinds of bonds with family, friends and customers are priceless, and so is his cultural heritage. 

A proud Nicaraguan American, Selva holds his culture close to him. As a child, he lived in Nicaragua for the first 10 years of his life and later moved to the United States. 

His experiences have shaped the way he views his business and his mission. 

Selva was recently admitted to the Kenan-Flagler Business School. That same day he was invited to an event by the school to celebrate Latino Heritage Month. The most exciting part was being able to bring his flag to represent his culture, he said.   

“My roots will always be part of me, and, you know, always remembering that’s not just for me, I'm doing it for all those kids in Nicaragua that wish they could,” Selva said. 

Over the past summer, Selva went to Nicaragua on a fellowship for the first time since childhood. He volunteered with World Vision — a Christian humanitarian aid organization — which allowed him to advise and help upcoming youth with entrepreneurial ambitions. 

During that time Selva worked with six children who aspired to be barbers. He was able to utilize some of his scholarship funds to buy the group their first clippers.

In addition to encouraging these six children to pursue cutting hair, Selva also motivates his college peers.  Tim Sulton started TS.Fades — a barber business — this semester and he said it was helpful to see Selva doing the same thing in his own way. 

The two contribute insights or tips to each other’s work and support each other as two campus barbers and also as friends.  

“That's something that's just, you know, it's an experience that you connect with your client, that is just a unique experience,” Sulton said. “That's a shared interest between me and Selva.”

Selva’s culture and ethnicity have also changed the way his customers view his business. 

“It's nice to have somebody who has hair like mine cut my hair,” Williams said. 

Williams added that there is a better understanding of how to cut Black hair when you have experience living with that hair. 

Selva also uses his diverse skills outside of campus, especially when he is back home in Wilmington. He even had the opportunity to give a first haircut to his friend’s son. 

Selva said he would like to have more opportunities beyond campus and grow his business. 

“I'm trying to take Selva Cuts as far as it possibly can, and I have faith that it will be a place that will allow barbers from everywhere to have a platform, to be themselves, to push forward and always be kind to other humans,” Selva said. 

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