We recently connected with Kelly J Glusovich and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly J, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I was approached by Nick Raskind in 1993 at my store, who at the time was a partner in Brooklyn Headhunters Brand. I ran a little flavor spot called Hi Post in LES, NYC and we sold clothing, cool items and we cut hair. We sold Echo (original spelling), PNB Nation, Milk Crate Athletics, Non-Stop Hip Hop, SOHK and others. We had been selling Headhunters for a few months when Nick asked me if had more Hi Post items other than the 2 t-shirts I had for sale. I had not. He asked if I could put a line sheet together for 3 different ideas and he would shop them to customers (buyers) he had a relationship with. I put together the 3 line sheets consisting of t-shirt, tank top, crew neck sweat shirt and a hoodie.

I met with Nick a week and half later to show him the ideas. The 3 concepts were named; BIG TIME, OFFICIAL and HUSTLER. He smiled and took the sheets with him. We talked a few days after and his buyers were most interested in the Hustler line. We immediately sent into production. We worked with a New York based sports clothing manufacturing company, Empire Sporting Goods. This was the door opener to fashion for me and my humble venture called Hi Post. I partnered with Nick to get my goods made and to learn more about this new world.

The line produced was slick and appropriately flashy for 1994 New York. Silver dazzle fabric was the standout color-way for this season. Deep purple and Hunter green were the other color-ways. A basketball jersey, a v-neck wind-shirt and shorts for all colors were the first produced. Sweat shirts came after for fall/winter. We had a blast.

In that time, we had the good fortune to be worn by a few notables; Heltah Skeltah, Smooth da Hustler, The Arsonists, Everlast, etc.

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

I am a creative since forever. I have been drawing, painting, building since my hands could do such. I was raised in an extremely creative environment. My mother was a singer/pianist and my dad a writer and musician as well. Their friends were also creatives. I have been immersed in creativity my whole life.

Nearing high school graduation, I sought acceptance to Pratt Institute, in efforts to 1) attend college, 2) survive the streets, 3) learn graphic design all while avoiding math. I was mistaken as I entered a world of measurement and I got quite familiar with picas. After a rough first year, I was able to get my act together, still play varsity basketball and graduate.

It was a lark that prompted me to open Hi Post. It seemed like a fun and worthy combination; clothing and cuts! I looked for help and mutual investment, as I had never been in business before. I found no one willing to jump in with me, so I did it myself. I encountered endless pitfalls as I learned many things the hard way. I also had some of the greatest times of my life and met some real solid individuals.

The prime lesson I learned and still must remind myself to apply is to not take “no” for an answer . Your loved ones will urge you away from your dream. It’s not their fault. They have their own lens and set of life experiences which will shape their outlook. However, the only person writing your book and plotting your path is you. Write that book as ‘you’ would. Do not take “no” for a final answer. Persistence wins people over; perseverance wins the round and peace of mind wins the whole game. Arriving there is the adventure and journey.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Funding my business in times of need have been challenging and have never quite happen the same way twice. I have secured investment in only one instance. This was many years ago. I have partnered with some individuals and a few companies, where we split cost and profit. This is a nice co-op when both parties have the same mission and ideals in common. The method by which most of my funding happens is through my job as a high school teacher. I became a teacher about 7 years after I began my entrepreneurial journey. Timing was such that I needed medical benefits for my children. so during a short span of burn-out in fashion and barbering, I started subbing at a middle school in lower Manhattan. I later interviewed for a full-time position and was hired. This granted me a new stability as well as a way to fund my dreams and projects. That was 2000. It is 2023 and I still fund my own projects in fashion, barbering and charity fundraising.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

My partner in Hi Life Barbershop and I purchased a small shop in Burbank called Cutz Deville, sometime around 2013. We bought it furnished with little to update before we could open. It was hard to effectively staff, as we did not have a strong personality or a ‘draw’ in that location to start a good momentum of clients coming in. This was a big lesson to learn in the barbering business. We struggled to keep it running and it hardly broke even. After a year of inability to gain enough traction to justify staying open, we put the shop up for sale. This was also the only way to reasonably escape our rental agreement. We were lucky to find a buyer who purchased the shop and is still thriving today under a different name.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.officialhipost.com
• Instagram: @hipostimages
• Facebook: Kelly J Glusovich
• Linkedin: Kelly Glusovich
• Twitter: @hipost1
• Youtube: @hipostimages
• Yelp: Hi Life Barbering

Image Credits
@shutter_ed (Edward Rivera) photography/video @fotosbyjavi (Javier Torres) photography