9 saint francis magazine | spring 2024 education and his cutting skills, he opened Diligent Hands Barber Lounge at 5525 Coldwater Road. The barbershop’s name comes from the Bible. “Proverbs 10:4 states, ‘A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich,’’ Groves said. “My whole life has been faith-driven, and I enjoy having a faith-driven business. “People always ask me about ‘Diligent Hands,’” Groves said. “I could have called it ‘The Groove’ or something like that, but I wanted it to have a deeper meaning. I think it sounds elegant as well, and I haven’t heard of another barbershop named that.” Groves, 24, searched for the right spot for his shop before settling on its location, which is near Walmart and attracts a nice share of foot traffic. The design is modern, with a black, white and gray color scheme. Groves aimed for “sharp and classy,” and succeeded. His father Keith played a major role in the shop design, Groves said. Diligent Hands employs five other barbers. Groves keeps urging his father and mother, LaTonia, to move to the Fort Wayne area, but they have remained in South Bend, where Groves grew up. Groves and his fiancée Brooke Herron (BS ’21) have a son, Ezekiel, and live in Fort Wayne. Herron works as a public accountant at Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM). “I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” Groves said. “My major was science entrepreneurship before I switched over to business administration. I really enjoy the city of Fort Wayne. It reminds me of South Bend but a little bit bigger. I built a clientele while in college, so why would I leave? It allowed me to open my own shop.” Groves’ entrepreneurial skills extend beyond the barber chair. He owns a seasonal fireworks business (Groovy’s Fireworks) and an apparel business (God Does Blessings). He also delivers motivational speeches for middle school and high school students, urging young people to take advantage of opportunities and to strive toward their dreams. There’s little time to slow down for Groves, who keeps pursuing his entrepreneurial dreams. “As soon as I graduated college, I walked across that stage and told myself, ‘I’m going to go for it.’” Groves said. Saint Francis helped spur his desire to be a business owner. “Every presentation I did in college was about my barber shop,” he said. “The assignment and the willingness of the professors to help me with my goal and my vision are what got me to this point. I created my LLC sitting in the classroom, talking with professors about how to do it. College was the incubator that allowed me to get to this point. If you put everything into it in college, you will benefit from it. Saint Francis was a huge part of making this all happen.” Photography courtesy of Justin Groves (BS ’21)
