The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex
From $7 Haircuts to 7.6M Followers: Sly Huncho’s Blueprint to Going Viral in 2025
Sat, 03 May 2025
In this powerful episode of The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex, we sit down with digital marketing phenom Sly Huncho, who built a multi-million follower brand from humble beginnings as a $7-a-cut barber and Army recruit. 🚀 Discover how Sly used consistency, storytelling, and smart content strategy to grow over 6 million followers in under a year—and how you can leverage the same blueprint in 2025 to build your brand organically. 🎯 Whether you're a barber, coach, freelancer, or service-based entrepreneur—this is the episode you NEED to hear. ✅ Key Topics Covered: How Sly went from flipping burgers to flipping content into cash The turning point that made him go all-in on digital marketing The exact strategy he used to grow from 179K to 7.6M followers How to turn your skills into a six-figure income using social media The power of consistency, voiceovers, and emotion-driven content Overcoming self-doubt and using your story to build a community 🔥 BONUS: Sly reveals how beginners can gain 40K+ followers in 90 days with no ad spend. 📲 Follow Sly: @sly.huncho on all platforms 🎧 Subscribe for more success stories & tactical growth tips!“Your Network is your NETWORTH!”Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024Youtube: https://jo.my/ytpaulalex2024Linkedin: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur?Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you:www.ATMTogether.comwww.CashSwipe.comFREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com
Chapter 1: How did Sly Huncho start his journey?
Welcome to the Level Up Podcast. I'm your host, Paul Alex. I went from being a cop to an eight-figure entrepreneur that helps average people like you and me make money every single day. I created this podcast to help you get motivated and to crush your goals. Let's win together. Remember, I have your six. Get ready to level up right now. Hey guys, this is Paul Alex.
Welcome to the Lavella Podcast. Today I have a special guest, guys. He goes by the name of Sly Honcho. He has over 7.6 million followers across social media platforms, guys. We're talking about Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, which is called now X. I mean, absolutely everything. I'm probably missing a couple guys. You know me, man. Old school millennial here.
But anyways, Sly, how are you doing today, brother?
I'm doing good.
good how about you man thanks for coming out dude like you know i come to miami once a week and you know my schedule's back to back to back to back and i was just like bro i gotta link up with sly sly man you've been blowing up bro you've been blowing up I appreciate that. Tell me all the secrets, man.
So, you know what I'm saying? So I started out as a professional fry flipper, first off. So I was working at Wendy's, working at fast food. I'm expecting fast cash because how fast I'm working, but the money's coming in slow because it's fast food. So I was like... I need something different. I need something different.
So, you know, those, those recruiters that come to your high school, like you want to join the army, we'll pay for your college. They got me. What year was that? That was 2017. That's when I graduated high school, 2017. Okay.
So 2017, this is before the pandemic. Before everybody's life changed before Uber eats stocks, just We're skyrocketing, right, because everybody's ordering delivery. So, okay, cool. So you go to the military, and you're like, all right, this is pretty good. No, no, no, no, no.
I'm not like it's pretty good. No. No. You were like, I got to do it? I already felt separated from the start. Really? I didn't like it at all. So I was really doing something that I didn't want to do because I had to do it because I was preparing for college. So I felt like, oh, I got to finish this because I didn't want to pay back the money that they was giving me.
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Chapter 2: What challenges did Sly face in the military?
It happens. You know what I'm saying? Every dog got their day. Every dog got their day.
so uh okay so 2017 you're getting recruited into the army what are your first thoughts like what do your parents say about that man what does your family think about the army donald trump that's the first thing he said oh you gotta worry about donald trump you gotta worry about donald trump but mentally i'm already preparing myself because i know that they're not gonna be paying for college so i'm already self-dependent in my mind like i gotta do this for me because yeah
I'm the only person that's going to be able to save myself. So I already had that mindset back then. So that was a choice that I had to make in order to have a successful future. So that's what I felt like taking the leap. But everybody like, oh, don't do the Army. You don't do the Army. I'm like, shoot. Well, that's what I'm going to do.
Because I was really one of those high school kids that was having those athlete dreams, you know. But...
it didn't work out but what sports did you play I played football wrestling did track um my main sport that I was good at I would say that's kind of I was real well balanced so wrestling 32 and nine football play wide receiver cornerback uh all conference all district all that yummy uh got like 12 varsity letters so all-around athlete but
Just didn't get over the top as far as taking it to the next level. So I had to choose or figure out another way. Yeah.
Yeah. No, that makes sense, man. So with that being said, so you end up going to the army. What was your first impression of the army the first couple months? Like where, where they fly you to man, like, like describe it, describe it.
Okay. So they gave me a scholarship, whatever. So I had to enlist, they gave me the scholarship. So that avoided my basic training date until I graduated college. So that was the finesse. Wow.
I didn't know you could do that.
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Chapter 3: How did Sly transition to becoming a barber?
They're like 50. Really? I was in the Civil Affairs unit. Got it. That makes sense. Everybody there is older, but it's like they kind of abuse and they rank like just because they tell you something. Right. You got to do it. Like, I get that you got to do it. But the way that they saying it and they approach you just because they got their rank or whatever. So it's like disrespectful. Yeah.
They come and they come in at you sideways. But if they was outside the uniform, they wouldn't be talking to you. Yeah. So it's more so it's more so like that.
Okay. So you do that, and then once you go ahead and you're in the military, how long were you in the military for?
Still working on getting out.
Still working on getting out.
Yeah, so they're supposed to put me in the IRR or whatever. And what is that? The Inactive Reserves. Okay. So basically until my obligation was fulfilled, until like 2026, that's when the contract was up. So I've been there since 2017, whatever. And then they put me in the IRR like two years ago, whatever. That's the last time I went up there and spoke to somebody.
But when I graduated college, like around that time, that's when I had to make the choice. Got it. So the choice was choose my entrepreneur journey or choose the military. Right. If I chose the military, I have to go away for three months. And by that time, I was already making six figures in college. It's like a full time barber. So I was risking like.
putting everything that I built to the side, like, damn, I just built all this clientele. I'm making six figures. I even asked the captain that's about to retire, like, how much did you make? He was like $109,000 last year. See, the Army's a good job. I'm like, I just made more than him while I'm in college. So I know the sky's the limit. And at that time, that's when I'm already progressing.
I was already marketing.
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Chapter 4: What sacrifices did Sly make during COVID-19?
So I cut my hair off and I asked my sister to teach me how to cut my own hair because I know I wouldn't be back so often. So she was teaching me, but she's like, you better go to college. You might as well get some extra money. So I'm like, yeah, I'm going to get some extra money, learn how to cut other people's hair. So that whole summer, I was doing $5 lineups, $7 haircuts, $20 house calls.
So... It really just fell into my hands because I was learning just because the path I was on.
That makes sense. That makes sense. So it's almost like it was God's plan, dude. Facts. You know, for you to go through this. And it's so funny. You keep it so real, man. The fact you're like, I didn't want to be a barber.
I didn't want to go to the military. Yeah. You know how it is with your siblings, like, okay, your siblings do this. You don't want to copy your siblings. It was like that at first. And then military, you just got to do what you got to do. You know what I mean? So I was always, you got to do what you got to do to get where you want to be.
So let me ask you this, man. Now that you're towards the end of leaving the military, and now you found new success on being one of the biggest and fastest growing digital marketers on social media, would you do the exact same steps that you did before?
I felt like I had to go through that in order to get where I needed to be. Why? Because you have to go through the grind. Everything's not going to be easy. You got to get through the grind. So the grind is going to teach you all those key lessons, the little things, the little tweaks, the little mistakes.
Because if you just win it from the jump, you're not going to learn how to handle the losses or handle when something goes wrong. So I take the same journey, but I can tweak a little bit of something to make it grow even faster. You know what I mean?
Yeah, and that makes sense, man. So you became a barber. You were in the military. You went to school. You started getting into digital marketing in school. Now, the friends that you had around you in college, are you still friends with them?
I don't really I don't really talk to nobody from college, probably like one person, but it's like one or two people. It's like every blue moon. I don't really talk to
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Chapter 5: What strategies helped Sly grow his social media following?
And then when does all your social media, like, I guess, profiles start blowing up? When do you start getting that momentum? Where was that aha moment where you were like, I got the secret?
So I had two jumps. So while I was in college, that's when I was having to jump. I got to like 60K. That was like 2018, 2019. I was blowing up on social media. But I wasn't getting paid from social media as much as I was getting followers. It was like kind of like a mental block or like something was off because I'm like, I got all these followers, but I'm not making no dollars type stuff.
But it was driving traffic to your actual barber gig.
So I'm like, I want to make money online though. So I was trying to figure out how to make money online, but nobody was telling me and stuff. Everybody keeping the secret. So it's bringing people in as far as clients and stuff, getting all the business that I need, but I wanted to make the social media money. How can I make money easier without having to physically work harder?
So then that's when I discovered the epiphany happened. It was... December 2020, was it December 2023? So I screenshotted all my profiles and it still pinned on my social media. I screenshotted all my profiles when January 1st hit 2024. But I figured out the sauce in January, December 2023. So screenshot all my profiles.
That's when I started really marketing my social media strategies and basically focused on the social media money aspect of things. So I started at like one hundred and seventy nine K followers journey at first. And then the entire year I gained over six million followers. But in sixty nine days, I gained a million followers on two platforms, which is Instagram and TikTok.
Wow. Wow. And what was the needle mover behind that? What was the momentum? What would you say? And obviously, this is not gonna be a free masterclass, guys. No, I'm just kidding. But no, no, no. We're interviewing Sly and the way he thinks. And that's what the level up is, guys. Because you guys have to level up the strategies, the information.
You have to be around hard hitters like Sly to learn this. So what was the main needle mover to that success, man?
I would say consistency, but consistency on a thing that works. So every time I'm creating content, I'm psychologically thinking, what is going to trigger you? What's going to bring emotion out of you? What's going to make you think about the five senses to where you're experiencing the service that I provide within the video?
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Chapter 6: What advice does Sly have for aspiring digital marketers?
So I come I come in wait with the voiceover So you got to start using your voice? Okay, cuz you got think about it like this That's how I like to think of things think about every ad that you see right? Yep. What does every ad have?
A third person talking.
Exactly. Yeah. So it's somebody talking. So that's how I think of my videos. My videos are just free ads. So I started using my voice. I didn't even like using my voice at first. It was a point in time, my manager, I was getting brand deals. My manager was like, hey, they want you to do a voiceover. I'm like, nah, I don't do voiceovers because I don't like my voice.
And I noticed a lot of people out there that don't like their voice or they're scared to get in front of the camera. So I was running away from that. And then when I finally tried that, that's what made my content skyrocket. So. I come in, I explain to the audience what's happening. Oh, he drove seven hours for this haircut. Oh, his top is missing. His hair is thinning.
You got to get the voice, right? His hair is thinning. You know what I'm saying? I'm describing what the problem is from the jump. So I got to hook you in. I got to make you question what the hell is going on.
within the first five seconds of this video if you if you if you question that that's how i know i got you if you sit there and look for the first five seconds i got you and then i'm gonna keep you rolling through the whole video because i'm basically telling the story throughout the whole video wow so you're storytelling
yeah exactly bro i'm over here trying to give this advice on storytelling this guy's the master of storytelling yeah that's all it is i love that man no that that's a great strategy and you're right dude you know what hey my marketing team watching this right now like i'm just saying dude you about to get some new ideas for me because i got i got some ideas now that i've been talking to my boy sly um all right cool man yeah so all right
What do you see as far as like the future for you, man? Like what are you trying to build up now in 2025? I mean, guys, it's about to be May, which is insane to me, right?
It goes so fast, bro.
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Chapter 7: How did Sly turn content creation into a lucrative business?
But now I'm seeing you with a lot of big marketers, man, especially in Atlanta. Like what's the next move for you, dude? Like what are you trying to build up? What type of value are you trying to provide for the people right now?
Right now, I'm building an empire for me and for other people to follow. So other service-based entrepreneurs, I can give them a system that helps boost their social media presence. So that way, they're attracting the future clients that they want, the target audience that they want. Because most of them are dominating in a space. They have a good business. They just need the reach.
Thank you.
basically what i plan to do is launch my own sweets but mega sweets i can't get out a whole i want to buy still my idea but something like something along the lines of those it got a lot of stuff lined up but basically push the limit to where nobody has done or seen anything like this because being in atlanta has allowed me to think different think bigger because being in my hometown you only could think so high because of what you exposed to i would say
So moving to Atlanta exposed me to a lot of different CEOs, a lot of different things that they're doing. It's like higher level thinking like, oh, I didn't know this was possible. So once I got exposed to that, I'm like, shoot, my mind started turning. The engine started turning, you know? Isn't that exciting, man?
Yeah. Once you start getting into different rooms, talking to different people that come from different life experiences, just like we were talking about earlier today, and being exposed to the abundance of wealth.
that someone can build not only for yourself but for your family for the people that you're trying to help absolutely everybody and you know all my clients everybody that I associate myself with I always like to provide value and that's it just like this show right Emilio you know the level of podcast guys we try to bring you guys the best of the best on the show to motivate you but to show you guys that like hey
Everybody starts off like a regular person. I'm a regular person, Sly's a regular person. And we just go ahead and have that grit, resilience, and discipline to go out and just get it for yourself. And you have to have purpose, man. So let me ask you, dude. All right. Now we're going to get deep into our purpose. So what was your purpose to actually like go through all of this?
Like what makes you get up every day excited to go ahead and crush it in the digital marketing game?
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