Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Reginald Williams, the owner of High Society. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation; we’ve shared it below.

Reginald, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Sacrifice. There are many factors that play into success, but ultimately sacrifice is the key. You have to be willing to give to get. This can include money or even your time. Either way, you will have to make the necessary sacrifices to get ahead.

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

I established High Society in 2015. Since then, life has changed for me in many ways. In addition to owning High Society, I am currently a teacher, academic advisor at a university, and doctoral candidate. While juggling these different roles can certainly become challenging at times, the pride and joy that I take in building High Scoiety as a brand and business is unmatched. As the owner of High Society, I aim to provide a safe and sanitary establishment for our staff. Giving them these elements allows them to primarily focus on what’s important: their craft and their clients. In addition to that, I try to foster a growth mindset in each and every member of our staff in order to ensure that they are all working towards their professional goals.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When High Society was first envisioned, its purpose was to be a barber shop. On the other hand, while I was going through the steps necessary to officially open, I received a lot of interest from hair stylist, as opposed to barbers. At first, I intended to stick to the original plan, but as I continued to get interest from different stylists, I reconsidered the entire plan. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I should switch to the “hair studio” business model and offer both barbers and stylists. It’s a funny twist of fate that the very first professional who worked in High Society was a hair stylist. This design is the one that is still used — and will continue to use indefinitely in the future. I am happy that I was willing to adapt to these new circumstances. As I’ve progressed through my career as a business owner, I’ve encountered a number of circumstances that have required me to maintain a flexible mindset. Being able to maintain an open mind has been one of the factors that has contributed to the success of both our brand and our company.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

This is a good question. I say so because I had to adopt a unique strategy in order to establish a reputation in this market or industry. I am not a cosmetologist, nor am I a barber. I have no prior professional experience in the industry. That made things very challenging at times because I had to become a “student” of the industry to learn about different aspects. Fortunately for me, I had prior business ownership experience and a degree in advertising and marketing. Due to these elements, I was able to run High Society profitably and continue to educate myself about the business. I also place a lot of value on relationships. I have a great deal of transparency and honesty with High Society’s professionals. We collaborate, and our culture is highly inclusive. In addition to making us a desirable team to join, this reputation has also enabled business relationships to flourish, even outside of High Society.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.highsocietyatl.com/
• Instagram: @high.society.atl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highsocietyatl/

Image Credits
Dezirae OzMarie Photography Lexi Productions NDO Digital Media Group