After Jail and Cosmetology Training, Josh Newman Opens His Own Barbershop in Downtown Rhinelander

SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD

Rhinelander, Wisconsin · Personal services · Reentry to college training to business ownership

Original reporting: Ethan Krinke, WJFW NewsWatch 12 · October 5, 2026

Josh Newman decided to become a barber while he was in jail. Now he owns a barbershop in downtown Rhinelander, WJFW’s Ethan Krinke reports.

Newman struggled with addiction and was eventually jailed, according to the report. While there, he learned about cosmetology and different barbering styles, and committing to a barbering career became part of his release plan. “Since the beginning of my journey, I knew I wanted to own a barbershop — especially in downtown Rhinelander,” he told the station.

In 2022 he enrolled in Nicolet College’s cosmetology program, which led to a barber’s job at The Muse Salon in Rhinelander. He worked there for two years and built a loyal client list. “Once I wasn’t able to accept new clients and keep up the pace that people wanted, I knew I needed to expand,” Newman said.

After a summer of planning, his shop, Cutz With Connection, held a soft opening and has now officially opened on West Rives Street. A former Nicolet classmate, Jessie Cox, is joining him to build her own clientele.

“This is surreal,” Newman told WJFW. “The amount of people that have stopped by, and knocked on the window and that wants to be a part of something that we have created, just means the absolute world to me.”

Newman’s path ran through three handoffs: exposure to a trade while incarcerated, a credential from a local community college, and two years as an employee before he went out on his own. For small and rural places, that sequence matters. A licensed trade with low startup costs can turn a returning resident into a downtown business owner, and a technical college close to home makes that possible. This is our analysis; the facts are as reported by WJFW.

Read the original reporting at WJFW →

Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.

Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Ethan Krinke, WJFW NewsWatch 12, October 5, 2026.

This item was sourced and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed under Location Decision’s editorial standards. Second Shift tracks workforce outcomes to inform our broader editorial analysis. All reporting belongs to the credited journalists; read the original story for the full account.