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

Alright, Camil thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?

If I could do it over, I would have become a Barber sooner. It’s no secret. I tell people this all the time. While I don’t regret serving 20 years in the accounting field, I can safely say, “I love being a Barber”. The idea of barbering first came to me in my mid-20’s as I was going through lay offs with a major investment company. My older brother is a barber and influenced me a great deal but I wasn’t ready to take up the responsibility of other people’s hair and skin health and care. So, I applied for another accounting job and continued on in the field. Fast forward a decade later. I’m living in Atlanta as a full-time employee and artist in my spare time. After serving as an accounting manager for a company for several years, I found myself under the whispers of a company merger. During this time, it became more and more important that I give myself a chance to live into my full potential as an artist. I decided to pivot and enrolled in barber school, which ended up being a great decision for me.

Starting sooner might have allowed me the opportunity to realize that art, barbering and business successfully intertwine several of my interest and goals. I imagine my skill level, knowledge and vision into the hair industry would definitely be more pronounced today if I started sooner. Additionally, I may have been able to get ahead of some industry trends and innovations – possibly becoming an industry pioneer of some sorts. My brother and I might have joined forces and delved into shop ownership – who knows! All of these possibilities are still on the table, but it would have been a plus to get here sooner.

However, those are the positives! What about the negatives that accompany going back in time? I wonder if I would have operated at the high standard of service and professionalism that I do today. I wonder if my lived experiences to that point could have allowed my perspective to be a value-add when conversing with clients. I wonder if I would have created a welcoming and comfortable shop environment. I wonder if my attention to detail and creativity at that time would have set me apart from other barbers.

Fact is, I can’t turn back the clock. I’m proud of myself for taking the leap when I did. I believe I started at a time when I could fully respect and appreciate all that goes into being a professional Barber and servicing my community at a high standard.

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 am COME.iLL Cutz, a licensed Master Barber in the State of Georgia. I own the COME.iLL Exclusive Shop located in Pearl Salon Suites-Greenbriar in Atlanta. My goal is to create a safe and relaxing shop experience for my guests. I take great pride in creating a welcoming atmosphere with a comfortable and artistic ambiance highlighted by a eclectic music selection, an evolving art exhibit and complimentary healthy snacks and refreshments. When I welcome you into the shop, you can trust that you’ll enter a clean environment, that you’ll have my undivided attention as my only guest and that you’ll leave refreshed and with a dope cut.

I am extremely proud of the strides I’ve made as a barber and shop owner, both personally and professionally. It is an extreme honor to create, network and build relationships with such amazing people. It’s a cool feeling doing what you love, knowing that you are also assisting someone else in reaching their goals. The point is to send you excited and confidently into your endeavors, looking and feeling like it’s already yours!

Centering my guests is the most important factor to my success. I’m constantly researching and acquiring new knowledge so that I can appropriately anticipate and invest in my guests’ needs and desires, as new trends emerge. This routine has helped me remain focused and grow a successful business as a Barber.

My services range from designer haircuts to starter locs and maintenance to hair replacement services. I retail amazing black owned hair and skin care products from Gentleman Black and Influance, to help my guests maintain their appearance and well-being between appointments. The paintings in the exhibit are original works for sell and twice a year I release new COME.ilLL apparel.

I want every guest that visits my shop to expect to be treated with the highest level of professionalism and experience the highest standard of service while in my care. My aim is that my guests appreciate and feel that the the 45 mins to 1 hr time frame spent with COME.iLL Cutz is worth it’s value.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing clientele is professionalism and consistency. A large percent of the time, people appreciate a business’ timely response to their questions and advance notice of when you’ll be on vacation, for example, so they can plan accordingly. Word of mouth referrals flow to the businesses that are known to be consistent and reliable. Your social media may work very well in attracting new customers to your business, but professionalism and consistency are the keys to growing a solid clientele.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Becoming a Barber feels like a natural progression as an artist, considering hand and eye coordination. And every guest that sits in my chair is, at least metaphorically, a blank canvas. I believe it is my reputation as an artist that helps solidify my reputation as a Barber. My guests typically range from professionals and artists to athletes and scholars and they expect me to provide the best experience and look to help them achieve their endeavors. My job entails much more than simply giving a haircut. It’s encouragement and a time to de-stress. It’s sometimes talking through a thing and other times allowing the space to think it through. Every guest is different. The ability to listen and pick up on non-communicated cues helps me meet the individual needs of each guest. I believe it’s my positive vibe and attention to detail that helps a great deal in why people chose me to be their barber.

Contact Info:

• Website: comeill.com
• Instagram: come.ill_cutz
• Facebook: Come.ill Cutz
• Linkedin: COME.iLL Cutz
• Twitter: @comeillcutz
• Youtube: COME.iLL Cutz
• Yelp: COME iLL Cutz