We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephen Richmond a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stephen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

The major difference between FUZZ and the rest of the hair and beauty industry is that we are an on-demand, house-call service, so we come to you rather than the other way around. We had this idea when, after the lockdowns lifted, my clients more often than not wanted me to come to them for their haircuts rather than venturing out to the salon. Visiting people in their homes enables us to develop a more personal relationship with our clients, building deeper trust and a better understanding of their personalities and lifestyles. This connection helps us to deliver a more bespoke, high-quality service to our clients, whilst enabling them to relax in the comfort of their own home. While the traditional salon setting works perfectly well for some, we built FUZZ to cater to those clients who prefer the type of relationship that in-home styling delivers.

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 started out in Santa Cruz as a hairstylist, where I worked for a few years before moving to LA, where I became an apprentice at Chris McMillan Salon. I learned a lot from that experience and found that I wanted to learn even more, so I worked in London and New York, gaining experience in some of the world’s best salons. But what I found, especially after the pandemic, was that I could provide a better, more personalized service to people in a space of their own choosing. I wanted to offer something new to the hair industry, so I started this business with my brother to bring a more client-driven experience straight to the people. My favorite part about being a hairstylist is getting to know my clients and providing them with a hairstyle that makes them feel most confident. Through listening to them, I was able to find that my passion for hairstyling extends beyond the salon.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think that there is always a certain fear of failure and a fear of the unknown that comes with putting yourself out there and starting something new. As pandemic lockdowns were ending I was already navigating that ominous feeling about what could happen next, but I knew that I wanted a fresh start and I wanted to finally start this business I had been thinking about. Through listening to my clients’ needs I knew that there was a renewed demand for mobile hairstyling, but I had to unlearn the sense of doubt and fear that comes with starting anything new. Sometimes you have to suspend your expectations about what could happen, and just put something out there and see what happens. It was my clients who really encouraged me to go after my dream, and ultimately it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I co-founded FUZZ with my brother, Matt, who is a branding and UX designer. We had never talked about starting a business together until the idea for FUZZ came about. Matt had just finished his degree and when I approached him about the idea, he immediately offered to help me figure out everything that needed to be done and we got to spend a lot of time together working on it. We had lived in different countries for the last three years, so it was a really fun way to reconnect. I’ve also been incredibly lucky to have such supportive friends, who have helped me with all things from photography to copywriting, to even hand-printing FUZZ tote bags. It really took the village to create this, and I am endlessly grateful to the friends, family, and clients who have supported me along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fuzzmobilestylists.com
• Instagram: @fuzz.hair
• Other: Tik Tok: @fuzz.hair

Image Credits
Matt Richmond