A former policeman in Hull who quit the constabulary to become a barber has launched his own studio and product range and won a top award – all within a year of making the radical career move.
Grant Percival, 31, made the move into haircare last summer, after spending a number of years as a constable with South Yorkshire Police. He has previously told us how he never felt fully invested in the police force and had been on the hunt for a career he could be passionate about.
After starting out as a barber’s apprentice, working part time hours as he learned the trade in between his police work, he took a leap of faith to become self-employed by taking a chair at Space Male Image’s Cottingham shop. Within four months of starting work full-time as a barber, Grant, who lives in Cottingham with wife Harriet, 27 and sons Rocco, six, and Luca, one, was celebrating after being shortlisted in the UK Hair & Beauty Awards (HBA) 2026, as rising star of the year and best new talent, identifying him as a top talent in the UK.
Now Grant has journeyed to Manchester for the grand final of the awards – one of the biggest platforms in the UK hair and beauty industry which attracts thousands of entries from professionals across the country each year. And he revealed how he was left stunned when his name was read out as the overall winner in the rising star category.
He said: “Standing at the AO Arena and hearing my name announced as the 2026 Rising Star winner was genuinely surreal. To think that around 12 months ago I had only just committed to barbering full-time, and now I’ve taken the top national spot in the HBA Rising Star category, is something I’m incredibly proud of. And, of course, I got to bring that trophy back home to Hull!”
The win has topped a remarkable year so far for Grant, which has seen him make the move from working for Space Male Image to opening his own private barbering studio in Hessle, called Precision. He has also created and launched his own haircare brand, called FLYK, and has also seen his clientele grow and grow, every week
He said: “It’s been an unbelievable 12 months — from taking a chance on myself and going full-time in barbering, to opening my own studio, launching my own product brand and now being crowned Hair & Beauty’s Rising Star 2026 and taking the UK No.1 spot. My client base has grown massively and I’m now regularly booked months in advance. I’ve opened Precision, my own private barbering studio in Hessle, and I’ve created my own haircare range.
“Our first FLYK launch sold out within its first week, and we’re now preparing for the next major step, with the website about to go live and FLYK becoming available for online sales across the UK. Setting up Precision was, for me, about ambition.
“I’d only been in the industry like 13 months and I was doing really well. I had a huge client base and I was building a bit of a name for myself. Obviously I got nominated and I felt like I could probably take the next step.
“I wanted a private studio, something very different to what there is now because there’s so many shops. There’s loads of barbershops, and they’re all the same, and I wanted to create somewhere comfortable.
“You want something that you can create and have more autonomy over. Whilst I was working at another place, you can’t be sponsored, or have your own brand, or have any control over what’s going on. Since opening it’s been amazing. I’m so happy that I made the move.”
Grant, who is building up a strong following on his Instagram page @thebarbergp said he launched Flyk as a hair care brand to challenge the industry’s status quo. Collaborating with a UK-based manufacturer, they took his vision and refined it, testing samples and reshaping designs until he had a seven-product line-up that included clay, hairspray, salt spray, and his own cologne. The website is set to go live soon, but the products are already selling well, with the first batch selling out within a week.
Now, with a thriving shop, a sold-out product line, and a national award to his name, Grant is catching his breath. He’s training an apprentice and developing education courses for others, laying the groundwork for future expansion. For the next few months, he says he’s happy to stay exactly where he is.
He added: “There’s there’s a lot going on in the back in the background and I think with the award as well, that’s just like set me apart from anyone else in the industry right now. There’s expansion planned, whether I keep this place as an education centre and move to another premises is an option. But everything’s been happening very quick so maybe I need six or seven months in my own space.”
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