If you want to become an entrepreneur, Harvard Business School suggests a viable business idea is the first step. “It’s not enough for your idea to be interesting—it should also fill a market need in an innovative way,” Catherine Cote writes. With that simple philosophy, Zayden Mirchandani ’27 has excelled.

In a boarding school environment like Blair, he has found a strong unmet demand for hair care services. Students need haircuts, and sometimes coordinating a trip off campus with an advisor or waiting until the next break to go home isn’t practical.

So, Zayden decided to bring the barbershop to campus.

Founded during the second semester of his sophomore year, Blair Academy Cuts began as a small idea between friends. With a suggested donation of $15 per haircut, the group offered students a convenient and affordable option without the hassle of traveling off campus or paying high salon prices. But from the beginning, the goal was never profit.

“We don’t need the money. We’re not trying to run a business,” Zayden says. “We wanted to donate to a powerful cause.”

The club committed to doing research and chose the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research, as the recipient of its proceeds. For Zayden, the connection between hair and confidence made the partnership especially meaningful.

“Hair is tied to identity and confidence,” he explains. “People get haircuts before big events because it helps them feel like themselves. Kids with cancer lose their hair, and that can take away part of their confidence and identity. If we can use haircuts to raise money for research and help create a better future for these children, it’s the perfect cause to support.”

The idea quickly gained momentum. What began with four student barbers—Zayden, Liam Green ’26, Niklas Chadha ’28 and Non Jurangkool ’28—has evolved into a highly organized club that has already raised more than $3,000 for the foundation.

As advisor to both Zayden and the club, Dean of Faculty Life Leucretia Shaw has watched the organization grow from its earliest stages and has been impressed not only by the club’s success, but also by the maturity with which students approached the responsibility.

“They took it seriously enough to take classes and train to cut hair,” Mrs. Shaw says. “They saw a need on campus and found a way to meet needs on both sides of the endeavor. That’s pretty remarkable.”

As the club developed, students expanded both their services and their reach. Ryan Kim ’28, known among students for his expertise with perms, helped introduce new styling options that broadened interest within the community. Lohgan Shepherd ’28 brought experience with hair coloring, helping attract more female clients and expanding the club’s audience beyond its original scope. During the summer, Zayden tasked himself and other members to enroll in women’s haircutting courses as they continue to grow the organization and offer more inclusive services to the Blair community.

Despite the club’s growing popularity, he intentionally keeps the group small. Unlike many student organizations, Blair Academy Cuts has only a handful of members, each selected not only for technical ability, but also for personality and professionalism. “We want people who are passionate, outgoing and community leaders,” Zayden shares. “It should be someone you’d feel comfortable going to to get your hair done.”

That trust, Mrs. Shaw notes, is not easily earned.

“They gained the faith of the community with something as important as their appearance,” she shares. “They understand they’re helping people present themselves the way they want to be seen.”

The experience has also become an unexpected lesson in leadership and communication. Haircuts, perms and color appointments can last anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour, giving students the opportunity to connect with classmates they may never have otherwise met.

“You end up talking to people you normally wouldn’t,” Zayden notes. “You make new friends and branch out of your normal groups.”

Like any service-oriented endeavor, the work also comes with challenges. Students have learned how to navigate difficult conversations and understand differing perspectives between barbers and clients.

“It teaches patience,” Zayden admits. “Hair is important to people and part of their identity, so understanding what they want matters.”

Through it all, Mrs. Shaw says Zayden’s leadership has remained steady and genuine.

“He’s organized and dependable,” she remarks. “He doesn’t do things in a pushy way. He’s the kind of person where you want to match his effort because he cares so much.”

Beginning his senior year filled with college application stresses, Zayden is still focused on building Blair Academy Cuts to continue its legacy beyond his time on the hilltop. Looking ahead, he envisions additional fundraising through products like combs and scrunchies and offering services to a wider audience at the School. For a club that began with a simple observation about student life, the impact has already extended far beyond the barber chair.

“These students are doing all of this for a worthy cause,” Mrs. Shaw concludes. “It’s genuinely selfless of them to give their time and talent for the greater good. To accomplish so much in the first full year is highly commendable.”