Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mike Halmon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mike, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

It started for me as a kid, I always had a passion for music. Growing up music was an outlet for me, whatever I was going through or dealing with I would find a song that could relate and help me get through the situation I was dealing with. Growing up I would hear the stories of singers, rappers, groups etc. being taken advantage of by record labels. Basically. signing artist to bogus deals paying them pennies on the dollar of what they were making the record label they were under contract with. That always bothered me and had me feeling like I wish I could do something about it. Reason being these artists and their music was such an outlet and did so much for me they shouldn’t be taken advantage of making labels rich off the music the artists were making.

When I got to high school, I met Sergio aka DJ Spinatik who was just getting started on his career as a DJ. He would DJ house parties on the weekend, and I would help him out. We would load up my car with all his speakers, crates of records, turntable’s etc. and be rolling in my gold 2-seater (Fabolous voice Serg lol) to wherever the party was at. It was during this time my passion for music grew and the genre of music I listened to expanded. I also realized there were other ways to make a difference, help people and make money without actually being an artist that could sing or rap. You could be a DJ, Producer, Engineer, Hype man etc. and still make people feel good and make money while doing it.

After graduating high school, I was working in the family business. One evening after work I came home, and my little brother said he wrote a rap and wanted me to hear it. He turned on a Snoop Dogg beat and started rapping. He was getting ready to head off to college that Fall 2008. After seeing his passion for music and finding out he had been performing at school during lunch and at talent shows, that Summer I bought what is now RnR Records first set of recording equipment.

Once this was done, I started thinking about music and what all it’s done for me over the years. Not to mention the multiple ways to create revenue streams from the music industry. That’s when the idea of RnR Records was created. I wanted to be a label like no other. I wanted to create a label where artists have a voice. Where they are not taken advantage of and are compensated fairly for the work and music they create.

This started my journey of building a team that was here to make money and accomplish things together. Not find good artist and ultimately make money off them but in turn make money with them. I wanted to create a space where artists could come record music at an affordable price, work and vibe with likeminded individuals, get advice, guidance and/or direction from people that truly has their best interest at heart.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In all my business ventures I look to make money but more importantly I look to see how I can benefit and assist others in being successful or achieving their goals. I have businesses in the music industry as well as education, beauty and health.

American Institute of Beauty is a full-service Cosmetology school offering programs in Barber, Cosmetology, Full Specialists, Massage Therapist, Nail Technician and Esthetician. At AIB we offer education that allows individuals the opportunity to start in one of the above-mentioned areas of the beauty industry. We are also a Title IV school which means we are able to offer Financial Aid to any student that qualifies to get grants and loans in order to pay their tuition. We are actually in the process of opening our 3rd campus which we are excited about as we will be venturing into the Health and Wellness side of education.

Salon Mimado is a beauty salon my wife and I opened just prior to Covid. After many years of convincing my wife finally listened to me, took a leap of faith, and we opened her own salon. She’s such a talented colorist, stylist, and artist I was getting tired of seeing her give away a large percentage of her income to another salon owner. She’s also one of very few stylist in the area that is Great Lengths certified. Great Lengths is a well known high end hair extension company. She actually does the Cold Fusion hair extensions which is much better for the hair than using heat. This is something she takes great pride in because of how much healthier and better the cold fusion extensions are for her guests hair.

RnR Records and RnR Studios is the label and Studio that I opened. I did this with the intent of helping aspiring artists find a place to record music at a reasonable price and get advice, guidance, counseling etc. regarding their music career. My partner Bundy and I are always trying to help the next man in anything we do and this is no different. We’ve built a team of engineers, producers, and artists that are all about working together as a team. The majority of our engineers started off as interns and stayed because of the “Good Vibes” they’ve felt since day one.
I honestly need to give a HUGE thank you to Nawlage. He’s a known artist and has assisted Bundy and I get the studio up and running since day one. His name truly suits him because he’s been our go to since really starting the studio aspect of the business. He was there when we built the first booth in Bundy’s garage giving us guidance and counseling on the moves we were making. Now he’s our studio manager and basically runs the day to day operations of the studio. If it wasn’t for Nawlage Bundy and I wouldn’t be where we are today.

I say all that to say that it makes me proud anytime a student graduates from AIB to start a career in the beauty industry or open their own salon, shop, or spa. When my wife is able to make a guest feel brand new with fresh hair extension, a new cut or color at Salon Mimado it warms my heart knowing she made someone feel good or better about themselves.
When artists come to the studio and they love the vide, they love the engineers/producers working here and they compare us to studios that have been around much longer than we have, it brings me joy to know that we are already offering the same level of service and quality of work and we’re just getting started.

In all my companies I think the thing that sets us apart is we truly care about our customers. We are here to make money which is the goal for any business. However, we don’t put the money first. It’s about the consumer and ensuring they are happy customers so they turn into repeat happy customers. This is something I learned from my father and grandfather as I watched them start and run our family business of beauty supplies for years as a child.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Advice that I have for building, managing and maintaining a good team is to lead by example. In any of my businesses there’s nothing I would ask a team member to do that I wouldn’t be willing do myself because I’m the owner. I’m willing to mop floors, take out trash, clean toilets etc. whatever needs to be done for the betterment of the company. When you’re the head and people you are leading see you doing things that they don’t expect to see an owner or higher ups doing, it makes them want to work that much harder and assist you in getting the task at hand done.

I live by the phrase “Team Work Makes the Dream Work”. I wouldn’t be successful in any of my business ventures if it wasn’t for the awesome teams I’ve built within each company. I treat people with the respect. Regardless of the message being delivered I do so with respect. When you treat staff in that manner, I feel they truly enjoy their job and feel appreciated because they feel like they are a part of something and belong to it. They’re not just a number on a roster. When you make employees feel good about themselves, their work, and where they work the employer gets much more out of the employee.

When you have happy satisfied employees it’s a breeze to have high morale in the workplace. Reason being people actually want to get up and come to work. It’s not something they dread coming to on a daily basis counting down to when it’s time to leave before they even walk in the door. That to me is a key factor in managing a team and maintaining high morale.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are actually two books that have really assisted me with all my successes and allowed me to have the business mind and Entrepreneural spirit that I have. The first book I’ve been reading since I was a child and feel like I’m still reading and learning from which is the Holy Bible. I have to thank God first and foremost for ALL that I do. He provided me the ability to do start these businesses, run these businesses, and most importantly maintain these businesses. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be the business man I am today.

The second book is one a school owner John Turnage recommended to me in my early 20’s called “Lead for God’s Sake”. It’s a book about being a leader from God’s perspective and understanding that you can’t do it all on your own. It lets you know to never be judgmental because you never know what someone else is going through. Also to stay humble and never forget where you came from.

I feel these books have really helped mold and groom me into the business man I am today. They keep me humble and remind me that just as quickly as God can bless you with something he can take it away even quicker. It also reminds me that nothing I do is because of me it’s ALL because of him I’m just here on earth doing Gods work.

Contact Info:

• Website: aibschool.edu
• Instagram: @rnrstudiosfl
• Facebook: @aibbeautyschool
• Linkedin: @rnr_records
• Twitter: @salon_mimado_
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@RnRstudiosFL