Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bria Riddick. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bria, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
A beautiful story about a risk I’ve taken is actually the one I’m currently living through now!
In 2017 , I was just getting started cutting hair and I absolutely loved it. After about a year of cutting God gave me a vision to start a brand called “ Girls That Fade” that would be a beacon of light for women in the barber industry and that would one day grow into a barbershop/ school helping women to further their careers in an industry not designed to benefit them.
For years I knew that the idea was super dope but I was so afraid of actually stepping out & doing it because it was unheard of !
I just kept being afraid that a barbershop full of women was not going to work out.
However, at the time I was working at a Sport Clips in Virginia Beach and I ended up getting promoted to Manager as if God was preparing me for my future. I quickly became the youngest highest paid manager in the area and our store had kept the same team for the longest time since the store had opened.
Being that I was so young it was definitely challenging but it also was inspiring and helped me to build the confidence I needed to believe that my vision could work!
After, about 3yrs I went into what I considered to be a “ Real Barbershop”
I was the only woman working in the shop and the barbers in there were extremely good at cutting hair .
I took it as an opportunity to learn so I watched them and eventually boosted my cutting skills and started getting booked more frequently.
I worked there until December of 2019 and I had made the decision that I was busy enough to try going into a salon suite and starting my own business. I was TERRIFIED!
Right after I made the announcement and moved into the suite, Covid broke out and we all got shutdown. Luckily the suite owners didn’t charge us suite rent the entire time and I just had to stay positive that the shutdown would be temporary.
We stayed shutdown for 3 months and eventually were able to reopen.
Upon reopening my customers came back happy to be able to get groomed again and expressing how important their hair was to them .
That made me realize that my customers valued me and that the only person holding me back was me .
After working in the suites for 3/4 years I got the opportunity to buy a turn-key barbershop. The opportunity literally fell into my lap and I felt like it was God letting me know it was time. I had no business credit , no experience with ownership, no savings or anything but God’s favor carried me &
I have now been operating the shop for two years. Even though it is challenging at times & can be a big financial investment I am happier than ever and proud to be the owner of Girls That Fade Upscale Grooming Lounge located in Virginia Beach, Va! The vision isn’t complete yet but it’s in the process and I’m so thankful!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a 31 year old serial entrepreneur with my main source of income coming from being a barber specializing in fades and detailed grooming services .
I have two beautiful kids ages 9 ( My daughter & 3 ( My son) .
I curate events, educate, and dabble in public speaking.
I chose to go into this industry after graduating cosmetology school and challenging myself to try everything I could do with my license and see which one I enjoyed most. As you can see barbering was definitely my happy place !
The problem I solve in the barber industry is creating a space for men that are always on the go to completely relax and let their guard down for an hour.
Being that we are all women we use our gift of nurturing to completely transform & uplift the souls that sit in our chairs and that’s what separates us from everyone else.
When I step back and see the interactions between the clients and my barbers it makes me proud that I pushed through and never gave up on my vision.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I am really big on constantly growing my brain so aside from reading I like to listen to podcast and one podcast that has literally taught me so much is the “ Blessed & Bossed up” Podcast by Tatum Temia.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
PAY THEM.
A lot of people like to downplay the cost of art.
Art is so important in every form .
Whether it’s art that’s formed with paint, a sculpture, an instrument, a tool, food or hair , just make sure that you pay them what they are worth because artist control the culture , we control fashion and without artist the world would be so boring .
So pay your favorite artist what they are worth and then some because entrepreneurs don’t get benefits and we put all of our time , effort & energy into our work
. Give a creative an encouraging hug to keep going !
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.girlsthatfade.com
- Instagram: @_girlthatfades
- Facebook: Girl That Fades
- Other: [email protected]
