Donald D. Conley II, a native and business owner of Compton, CA has always been taught to be the best at what he chose to pursue. In a city of violence and oppression Donald was raised in a household where his mother showed him the results of staying committed to excellence. As a teenager he began to shift directions and made mistakes that would inherently have him enlist in the US Navy immediately after high school where his tour took him around the globe. 

 

While still a teenager he picked up a hobby that would eventually become his passion and then ultimately his career choice. Cutting hair to Donald seemed to come natural being as his family owned a salon.

 

After serving his country for 4 years, he worked in the purchasing department of one of California’s largest banks. Boredom soon set in and the decision was made to take a chance and rekindle his love for barbering. 

 

In 1998, Donald became a licensed barber and set out to begin working at shops in the surrounding areas. He worked in countless shops and for a number of reasons he never found one to call home.

 

In the summer of 1999 he relocated to the bay area due to personal reasons but focused solely on honing in on his craft. He began attending Hair Shows and volunteering in post secondary schools to share his passion for barbering. In 2002, he partnered with a seasoned professional in northern California to operate his first business. The shop was the first multicultural salon in the area serving nearly the entire community. 

 

In 2012 Donald, Joined the staff of Federico’s Beauty Institute as a Barber Instructor. In this role he worked with individuals with various skill levels to create competent and superior barbers for the program. In 2014, he was forced to leave his position and return to Compton to look after his mother who struggled with early onset dementia.

 

Donald created a space for him to continue to cultivate his love for barbering in his garage where he entertained guest and created looks for film and video as well. Shortly after he wrote his first children’s novel entitled, “My Dad Is Just A Barber” which took the barbering community by storm shortly after following up with “The Bullheaded Bully”. In 2017, after proving himself a staple of barbering he was asked to join what most consider to be the top tier of barbering educator; Team Andis. He also serves as BarberCon Educational Host, an ambassador to LayRite product line and Compton College’s board of post secondary schools.

 

Never forgetting his commitment to excellence has allowed him to open doors far beyond his view as a young man. Barbering has taking Donald on the red carpet, countless television grooming experiences, several campaigns and working with A-List types, have become the norm. He is also a leader in his community being tapped to be one of Comptons first TEDXCompton Blvd. speakers entitling his speech, “Just A Barber” 

 

In 2018 he opened the doors to Barberizm The Shoppe where he adopted the motto “Bringing High-End to the ‘Hood”. He now operates a business that mentors as well as nurtures Compton’s youth. 

 

“The plan is to show everyone from my city that we can do better it doesn’t matter what you’ve gone through or are going through you can change your own narrative if you choose” -DDC2