We were lucky to catch up with Matt Southerland recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Civil Grooming has a mission, to bring awareness to each individual’s sense of purpose, and to foster diverse community through grooming.

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.

I got into the grooming industry by becoming a barber in 1998, I was 18 years old. I started as an apprentice in a small town called Lynchburg, VA. I stood out like a sore thumb…myself being a Bi-racial (identifying as Black) goth/metal scene kid, working in a very old school, conservative, White clientele barbershop next to a Waffle House.
Although it was a short stint, I did learn foundational barber techniques that I still use today.
Later that year, I entered a Black barbershop where I eventually received my barber’s license, and life mentoring that molded my character.
After 11 years of barbering in VA, I moved to the D.C. area and attended the Aveda Institute where I discovered the power of hair products. I loved the transformative power of applying a dime sized amount of product to hair, and that’s where my dream to birth my own product line came into play.

After graduating from Aveda, I moved to NYC, where I worked at some of the top men’s grooming destinations including Person’s Of Interest in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn.
While at Persons Of Interest, I came up with my brand “Gent Grooming”, the tag line was “Let’s Be Civil About This”.
The tag line came from a random thought I had as I was shampooing a client: A political cartoon where a man is pointing a long barreled revolver at another man. The man with the gun in his face sticks his finger in the barrel, smiles, and says “Let’s Be Civil About This”.

I did a trademark search and there was a high risk of potential trademark conflicts, so it was back to the drawing board for a brand name. I began to observe how brands often have their name in the tag line, so I thought “Civil Grooming, Let’s Be Civil About This”, and it was a winner.
I found a lab to work with where I bought my product in bulk, and manufactured the products in my studio apartment,
A year later, I sourced my product from a new lab, and expanded the line into most of what’s available today.

I ran the business on my own for 4 years, then became burned out and eventually shut it down. I never thought that would bring it back, until 2020.
There was a need for connection, the world was disconnected, there were social injustices like the murder of George Floyd, and grooming was in high demand since barbershops and salons were shut down.
I then saw an opportunity to resurrect Civil Grooming and bring it back in a time where grooming, loving one another and kindness were desperately needed.

End of 2020, my wife and I moved to Tampa FL., where I eventually met my business partner, Walter Scott. Walter was the missing link that I’ve been searching for, myself being impulsive and creative, Walter is more logistical natured. Although our approaches are different, we have harmonious and exciting idea exchanges.

We’ve been setting our roots deeper as we go, and our flagship brick and mortar shop is about to open. Classic barber services and our premium products will be available to serve the diverse Tampa Heights neighborhood, and visitors from beyond.

The shop will also be the headquarters of our online store, so the essence of the barbershop will live in each product as they are shipped across the world,

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela is one of my favorite books. It gave me a clear example of how I would like to approach social impact. Mandela was non-violent, but was not a push over, and did emphasize self defense from oppression. He was gentle yet firm when he needed to be.
He was kind, and inclusive.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Cutting hair started as a side hustle. I was cutting friends and relatives in my bedroom.
As I kept going, my cuts became better and my mom ended up finding a barber apprentice position that she found for me in the newspaper. Anyone who has ever had a haircut by me or has used Civil Grooming products has her to thank. If it weren’t for my mom, the barbershop and hair products wouldn’t exist. My mom has recently passed, yet her spirit will live on as the mother soul of Civil Grooming.

Contact Info:

• Website: Civil grooming.com
• Instagram: @civilgrooming

Image Credits

Patrick Fischer
Zach Mayo