West Central Wisconsin is in a ‘pickle’
Waupaca Foundry nears finish line on its $100-plus million investment
October 12, 2026
RHINELANDER – Four years sober as of Sept. 2, 2026, Josh Newman, owner of Cutz With Connection in Rhinelander, said his latest move proves you can hit rock bottom and still succeed.
“You just have to really want it and make the effort to change your life – no matter how difficult it is,” he said.
Since his journey first appeared in the Sept. 2, 2024 issue of The Business News, Newman said the past two-plus years have brought growth, happiness and hard work, with some hard times thrown in for good measure.
With his life in order and things going well, Newman recently opened his own barbershop storefront at 123 W. Rives St.
“It’s been a journey and surreal the entire time,” he said. “It’s been a lot of believing in myself, being resilient, working hard and persevering through any kind of feelings or hard times. On really hard days, it would be easy to go back to my old life, but I don’t want that. I constantly find what I’m grateful for, and that keeps me going.”
Being in full control of his own life now, Newman said there isn’t a better feeling in the world.
“Life is still hard, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s more about ‘normal’ struggles – everyday struggles many people go through,” he said. “As crazy as it sounds, I used to get high on drugs or alcohol because life was hard, and it was an escape for me. I don’t like being stagnant, and I’m always searching for something else. When I stop and try to smell the roses, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed, so I try to keep moving forward.”
Using his past to propel his future
In and out of prison for the better part of 10 years due to substance abuse and the choices he made, Newman said he now cuts hair and helps those who might be going down the same path he once did, focusing on helping them improve their lives.
“It’s how you use your past to make improvements in your future,” he said. “I was a troubled kid, but now I can say I learned from it.”
Expelled from Rhinelander High School during his sophomore year, Newman said he then attended Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy – an alternative education military program school at Fort McCoy designed to help at-risk youth reclaim their lives – where he received his high school diploma.
“While incarcerated, I’d get my haircut every few months and befriended the barber,” he said. “I started asking questions and shadowing him. It gave me the idea to become a barber.”
Eventually, Newman said he graduated from Nicolet College’s cosmetology program, and before he knew it, the addiction was replaced with a passion for cutting hair.
Cutz With Connection
After cutting his teeth in the barber industry for a couple of years and keeping clean, Newman said he formed Cutz With Connection during spring 2024.
From there, he said he always knew he wanted to open his own storefront, so the early October opening was the next step in his journey.
“I’m located on W. Rives Street in the same building as Tilly’s – a popular downtown café and restaurant,” he said. “It’s a three-chair barbershop, and I have another barber renting a spot as well. Just like so many people helped me get to where I am, I’m helping her on her journey into her barbering career. She’s already established and has everything, but I’m giving her that freedom to start making some money and get more established.”
With how the location became available, Newman said he has known the chef at Tilly’s since the seventh grade and has been cutting his hair for a while.
He said the chef reached out to the owners of Tilly’s and explained that Newman was looking to expand Cutz With Connection with a storefront.
A phone call and meeting later, Newman said he jumped at the chance to move into the building.
“My books were filling up really fast – a little bit more than I could keep up with,” he said. “The landlords have been great to work with and are very welcoming. They had read some of the articles about me, so they were very eager to bring something different into the building.”
With the space being a former salon in the past, Newman said that meant it was in “pretty good shape” and didn’t need a lot of work.
“I think it was a tattoo shop at one point, too, so it already had the existing plumbing and HVAC system required,” he said. “I received a loan through the entrepreneur fund through the State of Wisconsin to pay off my student loans, worked my credit from ‘crap’ to decent, got a new car, etc.”
Being responsible “for once,” Newman said through his consistent work and dedication to improve his life, he has paid off old debts and is excited for what’s to come at Cutz With Connection.
“Other than installing my barber pole and a little bit of electrical and plumbing work, the space didn’t need too much,” he said. “It was like it was almost meant to be.”
Self-reflection, self-awareness
Now that he’s establishing himself in the community that he has called home for his entire life, Newman said it’s “wild” to look at where he came from and where he’s heading.
“When I was abusing drugs and alcohol, there were no goals for me – none,” he said. “I didn’t care about myself, I didn’t care about my well-being and I didn’t care about anything.”
The more he pushes forward, the more the past doesn’t seem relevant anymore, Newman said.
He said he doesn’t live as a guy who struggles to not get high anymore.
“I’m a business owner now, and I changed my life,” he said. “I’m a role model for my community, and I want to be a part of my community I took from for a long time. I was expelled from Rhinelander High School, went to military school, got out and continued to run a crappy life here. Most of my ‘dirt’ was here, so I feel all my accomplishments are way more recognized.”
Currently in a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend in California, Newman said he thought about possibly traveling west to the Golden State – even getting his license in California – but for now, he’s perfectly content being a “Hodag.”
“For now, I’m going to spend the next six months grinding away, cutting hair and maybe hosting some events,” he said. “I definitely thought about moving to California, but the demand for what I’m doing here – a men’s barbershop – is increasingly growing. I specifically focus on taking care of guys.”
Newman said he hopes to get back into giving motivational speeches in the future, but with a girlfriend and a new storefront, he’s focused on that for now.
“I’m going to be delivering a speech for the Department of Corrections at their state assembly in May, so that’s pretty cool,” he said.
For more information or to book an appointment, follow Cutz With Connection on Facebook.
