ASU Trailblazer: Shayne Brown · Angelo State University
Source: http://www.angelo.edu/live/news/19682-asu-trailblazer-shayne-brown
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:21
ASU Trailblazer: Shayne Brown · Angelo State University
Skip to Main content
Home
/
Alumni Association
/
ASU Trailblazer: Shayne Brown
ASU Trailblazer: Shayne Brown
Class of 1996, B.B.A. in Marketing
Twitter
Facebook
Email
Copy Link
Shayne Brown worked multiple jobs to put himself through Angelo State – and he has never really kicked the habit.
A San Angelo native and first-generation college student, his choice to attend ASU in the first place was basically a no-brainer.
“I knew from a fairly young age that I wanted to go into the business world, and ASU was already well known for its business school,” Brown said. “It just made sense to build the foundation I knew that I needed to be successful at ASU, and at the same time, ‘grow up,’ expand my view of the world and see what opportunities made sense to me as I moved forward.”
“The camaraderie amongst my friends/fellow students at ASU developed relationships that have endured to this day.”
At first, any forward movement for Brown was a bit slow as he worked three jobs just to be able to afford to attend ASU part time.
“I would get up in the morning and go to class until about 11 a.m. or so, then go to my first job for a few hours,” Brown said. “Then I’d go to my next job from about 5-10 p.m., and then I’d go to the club and D-J until 2 a.m. I just did what had to be done.”
“My time at ASU was a time of self-discovery and hard work, though not always smart work,” he added. “I suppose if I were to sum it up in a couple of words, the ‘persistence’ and ‘determination’ that I rely on every single day were honed during my time at ASU.”
Shayne Brown gave presentations on his entrepreneurial activities and philosophy to ASU business and accounting students in fall 2025.
But it wasn’t completely all work and no play for Brown. He did manage to cram in a bit of fun on campus.
“The football games were always a blast, as well as supporting the women’s basketball and volleyball teams,” he said. “Putting the books down entirely and playing some sand volleyball at the court by where the High Rises used to be is also a favorite memory. The camaraderie amongst my friends/fellow students at ASU developed relationships that have endured to this day.”
After graduating from ASU with his Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing, Brown worked in financial services as a broker for nearly a decade before pivoting to pursue his passion for building and creating as a real estate broker and developer. Then, his career took off in a completely new direction.
“I just happened to have these bad haircut experiences over consecutive months,” Brown said. “I thought that I could come up with something better, a place that would be customer focused and where guys would want to come and to pay the money for the services we offered. That was really it.”
“I’m very proud of the education I got at ASU and how I’ve been able to use it to help get me where I am today.”
Brown’s foray into the world of men’s grooming services started with a Diesel Barbershop in his home base of San Antonio. While his earlier pivot from financial services to real estate was certainly not out of the ordinary, his move into barber shops and men’s grooming seems almost bizarre. But there is a logical explanation.
“My mother was a cosmetologist, and I grew up around hair salons and barber shops,” Brown said. “So I was very comfortable and familiar with the business. But I don’t actually cut hair. I’m not a cosmetologist or a barber. I just want to deliver a certain type of experience, and I know how to do that. I’m not in the haircutting business – we’re in the customer service business.”
“I like to talk about connecting the dots,” he added. “Would I be doing this if I didn’t have the financial services background – probably not. Would I be doing this without my real estate background that allows me to negotiate my own leases – probably not. Would I be doing this if I hadn’t been a D-J in college – probably not because I curate the music in all the shops. So the transitioning from financial services to real estate development to personal services was a more natural journey for me than it may seem on the surface.”
There are now over 30 Diesel Barbershops throughout Texas and other states. Brown also owns Henley’s Gentlemen’s Grooming shops in San Antonio, Cowboy Up Men’s Salons in Dallas, and the Outlaws & Gents Grooming Co. that sells men’s grooming products across the country. Plus, he’s still a real estate developer and calls himself a “serial entrepreneur.”
That drive that helped Brown work his way through college and build his vast business holdings was on full display earlier this year when he returned to campus and related his story to ASU business and accounting students. Just like when he first chose ASU, coming back was a no-brainer.
“It was great, and I’d love to come back and do it again,” Brown said. “ASU was great to me. It probably took me too long to get through school, and I wish my grades had been better, but I was just trying to survive and get a degree. I’m very proud of the education I got at ASU and how I’ve been able to use it to help get me where I am today.”
Skip to Main content
Home
/
Alumni Association
/
ASU Trailblazer: Shayne Brown
ASU Trailblazer: Shayne Brown
Class of 1996, B.B.A. in Marketing
Copy Link
Shayne Brown worked multiple jobs to put himself through Angelo State – and he has never really kicked the habit.
A San Angelo native and first-generation college student, his choice to attend ASU in the first place was basically a no-brainer.
“I knew from a fairly young age that I wanted to go into the business world, and ASU was already well known for its business school,” Brown said. “It just made sense to build the foundation I knew that I needed to be successful at ASU, and at the same time, ‘grow up,’ expand my view of the world and see what opportunities made sense to me as I moved forward.”
“The camaraderie amongst my friends/fellow students at ASU developed relationships that have endured to this day.”
At first, any forward movement for Brown was a bit slow as he worked three jobs just to be able to afford to attend ASU part time.
“I would get up in the morning and go to class until about 11 a.m. or so, then go to my first job for a few hours,” Brown said. “Then I’d go to my next job from about 5-10 p.m., and then I’d go to the club and D-J until 2 a.m. I just did what had to be done.”
“My time at ASU was a time of self-discovery and hard work, though not always smart work,” he added. “I suppose if I were to sum it up in a couple of words, the ‘persistence’ and ‘determination’ that I rely on every single day were honed during my time at ASU.”
Shayne Brown gave presentations on his entrepreneurial activities and philosophy to ASU business and accounting students in fall 2025.
But it wasn’t completely all work and no play for Brown. He did manage to cram in a bit of fun on campus.
“The football games were always a blast, as well as supporting the women’s basketball and volleyball teams,” he said. “Putting the books down entirely and playing some sand volleyball at the court by where the High Rises used to be is also a favorite memory. The camaraderie amongst my friends/fellow students at ASU developed relationships that have endured to this day.”
After graduating from ASU with his Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing, Brown worked in financial services as a broker for nearly a decade before pivoting to pursue his passion for building and creating as a real estate broker and developer. Then, his career took off in a completely new direction.
“I just happened to have these bad haircut experiences over consecutive months,” Brown said. “I thought that I could come up with something better, a place that would be customer focused and where guys would want to come and to pay the money for the services we offered. That was really it.”
“I’m very proud of the education I got at ASU and how I’ve been able to use it to help get me where I am today.”
Brown’s foray into the world of men’s grooming services started with a Diesel Barbershop in his home base of San Antonio. While his earlier pivot from financial services to real estate was certainly not out of the ordinary, his move into barber shops and men’s grooming seems almost bizarre. But there is a logical explanation.
“My mother was a cosmetologist, and I grew up around hair salons and barber shops,” Brown said. “So I was very comfortable and familiar with the business. But I don’t actually cut hair. I’m not a cosmetologist or a barber. I just want to deliver a certain type of experience, and I know how to do that. I’m not in the haircutting business – we’re in the customer service business.”
“I like to talk about connecting the dots,” he added. “Would I be doing this if I didn’t have the financial services background – probably not. Would I be doing this without my real estate background that allows me to negotiate my own leases – probably not. Would I be doing this if I hadn’t been a D-J in college – probably not because I curate the music in all the shops. So the transitioning from financial services to real estate development to personal services was a more natural journey for me than it may seem on the surface.”
There are now over 30 Diesel Barbershops throughout Texas and other states. Brown also owns Henley’s Gentlemen’s Grooming shops in San Antonio, Cowboy Up Men’s Salons in Dallas, and the Outlaws & Gents Grooming Co. that sells men’s grooming products across the country. Plus, he’s still a real estate developer and calls himself a “serial entrepreneur.”
That drive that helped Brown work his way through college and build his vast business holdings was on full display earlier this year when he returned to campus and related his story to ASU business and accounting students. Just like when he first chose ASU, coming back was a no-brainer.
“It was great, and I’d love to come back and do it again,” Brown said. “ASU was great to me. It probably took me too long to get through school, and I wish my grades had been better, but I was just trying to survive and get a degree. I’m very proud of the education I got at ASU and how I’ve been able to use it to help get me where I am today.”