Cutting through campus: How Chris 'Cutts' Hedbavny built a community, one haircut at a time

 HIGH POINT, N.C.- At High Point University, where ambitious students juggle their studies, social lives and all the frills of college life, there’s one thing most of them can agree on: a good haircut can do wonders. And nobody knows that better than Chris Hedbavny, or as the campus knows him, Chris Cutts. He’s not just the guy who gives a fresh fade or cleans up that unruly mop of hair. He’s the guy who’s built a community in the most unexpected way—through a simple haircut.

Chris’s barbering journey didn’t start with an entrepreneurial spark; it started out of necessity when COVID-19 stopped the world. With barber shops shut down, Chris stepped in to help out his family.

“My dad had some random clippers in his bathroom, so he asked me to cut his hair,” Chris Hedbavny said. “I cut it and it wasn’t bad, then I cut my brother’s and I was like, ‘Oh, not bad.’”

​​It was a casual start—just helping out his dad and brother with no plan to take it further. But Chris had a knack for it, and when he arrived at HPU, he saw an opportunity.

“I had an idea that if I cut people’s hair at school, I could make some beer money off it,” Hedbavny said. “So, I created an Instagram right when I got to school, named it Chris Cutts, bought a beginner barber kit and it kind of just spread from there.”

On the back patio of Sigma Nu’s former house at HPU, a steady hum once filled the chapter room and lingered to the floors above. It wasn’t just the typical sounds of a frat house, but the unmistakable buzz of clippers. What began as favors for a few fraternity brothers turned into a small business, and before long, students from across campus were lining up for a cut. Chris was the guy you trusted to clean you up before a date, a job interview or just a big night out. 

“I was Chris Cutts' first ever haircut here,” said Paul Stillman, fellow HPU student. “He’d talked about how he cut his own hair during COVID and his brother’s, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ I wanted to impress some girls and asked him to cut my hair outside our fraternity house. He gave me a mullet, posted it on social media and that’s how it all started.”

The mullet, in all its ironic glory, became a symbol of Chris’s laid-back, let’s-not-take-life-too-seriously vibe. However, the mullet isn’t his specialty. Chris’s specialty is making people feel like they’re more than just a head of hair; they are a part of something bigger. 

“I cut Paul’s hair and I posted it on my Instagram, and he reposted it,” Hedbavny said. “Someone who followed him worked for the marketing company of Babyliss Barbers, which is a well known barber brand that makes clippers and hair products. She reached out to me when she saw that post and said, ‘Hey, if you show off our products, we'd love to sponsor you and send you some new stuff.’ So she sent me a big box in the mail with a couple hundred dollars worth of free equipment to start cutting.”

With new tools in hand, Chris’s business exploded. 

He now averages around ten cuts a week for $25 each, making his back porch at his Centennial apartment a lively gathering spot. His clients? Freshmen, seniors, students from different organizations, and even the occasional faculty member. Although Sigma Nu is no longer active on campus, Chris has continued to thrive and set up shop on the back porch of his Centennial apartment, drawing in people not just for a cut, but the camaraderie.

What people really kept coming back for wasn’t just the sharp cuts or the laughs—it was the sense of being. In a world where it’s easy to feel like just another kid on campus, there’s something special about finding a place where you can sit down, chat about life and leave feeling better—inside and out. And that’s exactly what Chris has built at HPU. 

"It doesn't even feel like a haircut," Stillman said. "It's like hanging out with a friend who just happens to be holding clippers. You can be your full, authentic self with him. That’s why all his customers feel so comfortable.”

Chris’s barbering business blew up almost overnight, but he’ll tell you he’s just a regular guy who wanted to help his friends look good. Except he’s not. He’s the guy who figured out that something as simple as a haircut can change your entire day. Or your week. Maybe even your semester. 

“My motto is confidence builder,” Hedbavny said. “I think when you have a good haircut, you walk around like you’re the man and feel good. I love giving people confidence and allowing them to have that in themselves to go on with their day.”

​​But despite his success, Chris keeps things grounded. A business major with a sales internship each summer, he’s clear that this is a side hustle for fun and extra spending money, not a career goal. In the end, it’s the people he’s met and the connections he’s built.

“I’ve got some really curly hair, so it’s a very specific cut,” Stillman said, nodding toward his own head. “Chris has never gotten me wrong. My grandma loves it, my mom loves it, my friends love it—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

That’s the thing with Chris: you don’t go to him because you’re expecting magic. You go because you know exactly what you’re going to get. And that, it turns out, is magic in itself.

But it’s more than just the skill. It’s the fact that Chris has figured out something a lot of people never do: it’s not the clippers that matter, it’s the conversation. Chris has a gift for making those feel like the most important person on campus for those 30 minutes, and when people walk out of his makeshift barbershop, they don’t just leave with a fresh look—they leave with a smile, a boost of confidence and the sense that they’re part of something special.

“I think it’s cool because I get to meet all different kinds of people,” Hedbavny said. “I get to cut anywhere from freshmen to seniors, different organizations, girls, boys, whatever it is. I just have a good conversation and deliver a good cut.”

It’s more than just a haircut—it's an experience. On a campus where everyone is chasing the next big thing, Chris has created something simple but powerful: a community. 

"I think that's why Chris is such a popular figure on campus," Stillman said. "People see him as this superstar on social media, but then you sit down and realize he's just a normal guy like the rest of us. He wants to make people happy, make them feel confident. And that’s exactly what he does."

There’s a reason Chris’s business has blown up: he knows what people want. Not just a great haircut, but someone who understands what it’s like to be a normal student navigating the ups and downs of college life. In a world where we’re all trying to make sense of who we are, find our place and build connections, Chris has figured out that something as simple as a haircut can make all the difference in someone’s day. 

“I'll cut anybody and have a good conversation with anybody,” Hedbavny said. “It's cool being a junior now and just having random freshmen reach out to me and be like, ‘Hey, I saw you on Instagram, can I come get a cut?’ And I'm like, sweet. I love being able to meet all different types of people and build that relationship.”

Chris’s social media following may be impressive—he’s got the look, the tall, blonde, all-American guy with charisma that jumps through the screen—but that’s not what keeps people coming back. It’s the fact that Chris, with all his swagger, is just as much a part of the campus as anyone else. He’s relatable, laid-back and genuinely cares about his customers.

“He literally is the typical frat barber,” Stillman said. “That’s why people relate to him. He’s just an average Joe, but at the same time, he’s not. There’s something about Chris that just pulls people in. Maybe it’s the confidence he gives off, or maybe it’s just his aura. Whatever it is, people want to be around him.”

And in the end, that’s what Chris Cutts is really all about. A good haircut is great, but feeling like you’re part of a community? That’s priceless.