Our founder Sam Garcia — known across the industry as The SMP G — joined The Scalp Solutions Podcast for episode 90, a conversation between working SMP artists about the craft, the business, and what it takes to build a career in scalp micropigmentation.
About the episode
The Scalp Solutions Podcast is hosted by the team at Scalp Solutions in New York, and episode 90 puts Sam in the guest chair. As the show puts it, Sam is “a renowned barber and cosmetologist, specializing in scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP) in the Fort Worth region” who has “catered to thousands of clients, many of whom grapple with hair loss challenges.”
It's a rare long-form look at how an SMP career actually gets built — not the highlight reel, but the path: the barbering roots, the move into scalp micropigmentation, and the teaching career that followed. You can also find the show on Apple Podcasts.
So — how do you become an SMP artist?
If the episode has you thinking about the career itself, here's the honest picture, based on what we see training students at our academy:
1. You don't need to start as a tattoo artist
SMP students come from everywhere: barbers who want to offer hair-loss solutions, tattoo artists adding a specialty, estheticians, cosmetologists, nurses, and career-changers with no needle experience at all. What matters is steady hands, an eye for detail, and the patience to build a natural hairline dot by dot.
2. Real training is hands-on — not just videos
Online courses can teach theory, but SMP is a physical skill. A proper course puts a machine in your hand and a live model in your chair. Our SMP Academy courses run over multiple hands-on days and include a full kit, an SMP machine, live-model work, and certification — plus the parts most courses skip, like color theory and the marketing needed to actually get clients.
3. Your teacher matters more than your certificate
A certificate proves you attended. Your results prove you learned. Train with an artist whose portfolio you'd stake your reputation on, and who is still doing client work — Sam has trained over 1,000 students and still takes the chair every week. Read more about him on our story page or in the press.
4. Know what you're getting into financially
SMP is one of the stronger earning paths in the beauty industry, but it's a business, not a lottery ticket. We broke down the numbers in our guide to SMP training in Texas.
Train with Sam — upcoming classes
- July 26–28 — Dallas/Fort Worth, TX · 3-Day SMP Course
- August 16–19 — Dallas/Fort Worth, TX · 4-Day SMP & Tattoo Course with @jptattoos
- August 29 — San Antonio, TX · SMP Look & Learn with Faded Culture Academy
- September 14–17 — Dallas/Fort Worth, TX · SMP & Master Cutting Class with Los Cut It
- October 10–12 — San Antonio, TX · 3-Day SMP Class + Marketing
- November 29 – December 2 — Chicago, IL · SMP & Master Cutting Class with Los Cut It
Seats are limited to keep classes hands-on. See the full schedule on the academy page, or text/call 817-350-4414 to reserve a spot.
Prefer to listen on the go? Find EP. 90 on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
