We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kari Bosen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kari below.
Kari, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
As cheesy as it sounds, I was listening to a One Tree Hill rewatch podcast hosted by the main 3 women of the show. In one of their early episodes, they were talking about their hair and how they had to fight to get it to be accurate for the scene/storyline. That got me thinking about how important hair really is to an individual and how we feel like imposters if our hair isn’t how we like it. In 2020 I decided to color my hair pink. I’d never done fashion colors before, but it seemed like a fun idea. While it looked good, I did not feel like myself. A couple years later, I got my hair done. I wanted some highlights, low lights, and subtle pops of purple. What I got was something reminiscent of a witch wig you get at a Halloween store. Every day when I saw myself in the mirror, I started crying because it was not what I wanted and it did not look good. I don’t think people realize how much our hair truly is part of our personal identity.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Kari! In 2024 I started a private barber studio called Identity Barbering Lounge in Nashville, TN. My goal is to provide a comfortable space for clients to come in and get a custom haircut that is tailored to each individual, while keeping a touch of femininity in a male dominated field. I take pride in my work, and my eagerness to do haircuts that challenge me. My clients are real life displays of my work, so I do my best work so we both look great!
I always want clients to feel welcome at my studio, and to know that they will leave with the exact haircut they came in wanting. I do my best to build relationships with all of my clients, so it feels like old pals chatting while they’re getting their hair done. It’s important to me to know my clients, because without them I wouldn’t have the career that I do and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to start my own business.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I unintentionally chose the worst possible time to start a business. It seems crazy to think that there is a “good” time to start a business. There probably isn’t a good time, there will always be challenges or things that could hold a person back. What I can say is that there is definitely a bad time to open a business. About two weeks before I opened my studio, I learned that I have a benign brain tumor that has been growing in my head for my entire life. Within the first month of being open, I had appointments and imaging to determine whether or not I had to have it removed. After 5 weeks it was confirmed that I did not need brain surgery, which was such a relief. However, a month after that I got a torn ACL and ended up having to have surgery on that. I had a lot of challenges within a few months of being open, but I kept my head up with a smile on my face and successfully made it through my first year. I always knew that the first year of a new business was the most challenging, but mine was particularly difficult. If I can make it through all of that and still come out on top, then every other year will be smooth sailing!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Gaining new clients has certainly been a challenge for me. Nashville is very saturated with hairstylists and barbers, so what can make me stand out among competitors? Word of mouth is a great way to build a clientele, but realistically that isn’t going to get you an overwhelming number of new clients. The most successful thing I have done that has gotten me new clients is simply creating a Google Business page, and having clients leave reviews. Having all 5-star reviews is appealing to people who are looking for a new barber. Ensuring that my work looks great every time a client comes in is why I have the 5-star rating, and that has helped to bring in new people.
Contact Info:
