We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kenneth Orange Jr. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kenneth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Let’s just say that when I realized what life was really about, that’s when the idea came about. What I mean by that, is we can have plans for other things when God already has plans for us. I thought that I was going to be a high school band director. I enrolled in Alabama A&M University in the fall of 2004 pursuing a B.A. in Music Education with a concentration in Instrumentation. With that being said, my beginning years as a college student weren’t the best due to my lack of focus and personal issues during that time. To be a bit more transparent, I barely went to class, hardly completed any assignments, and all I did was smoke marijuana. Along with all of that, I was marching in the band and that was the one thing that gave me any type of peace about myself. One afternoon, I was given the opportunity to cut someone’s hair for the first time with no prior experience. The cut turned out to be decent, so from that day forward I started cutting hair out of my dorm room. As time goes by, I began to develop a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and I switched to pursuing a B.S. in Psychology. That is how I was introduced to the ideal that would change my life. I finally graduated and eventually followed what God had showed me to do. I was given the idea to open my own business as a barber along with encouraging others to better themselves and establish a relationship with Jesus Christ. I said all of that to highlight this point, That no matter what we believe we want to do in life, know that God has already written out a plan for our lives that’s far greater then we can ever dream of.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I am a military brat born in Fort Hood, Tx and raised in Birmingham, AL. I am married to the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the entire world D’Ann Orange for 9yrs with the rest of our lives to go. We have 3 amazing and extremely intelligent children that along with my wife have blessed my life so. I’ve attended Alabama A&M University studying Music Education 2004, later switching my major to Psychology. I then transferred to Oakwood university receiving my B.S. in Psychology in 2013. I made my entrance into the barbering industry spring semester of my freshmen year at Alabama A&M University in 2005. In June of 2018 by the grace of God, I established Blessed Kutz Barbershop which then became Blessed Kutz Barbershop LLC in 2020.
Blessed Kutz Barbershop LLC is a Christian based establishment that caters to all ( cultures, male, female, the young and the elderly). What sets this business apart from the others, is customer service and the desire that everyone walks out the door ready to be the best they can be in life. Everyone has a story and needs some kind of encouragement along their journey. The atmosphere is conducive for the need of each client that books a service and ensures they are
comfortable and relaxed so they can receive the best experience. Services provided are: Haircuts, Shaving Services, Facials, Scalp Detox, Beard Detox, Ingrown Hair Extraction, Color, Eyebrow Arching, Eyebrow Tinting, Design Cuts, etc.. I also sell products such as: Beard Oil, Conditioning Butter, Hair Spray and Beard Wash. Other products are currently being developed. All products are 100% natural.
What I am most proud of, is that I waited for Gods vision and not my own. As stated prior, we can have desires and dreams to fulfill, but Gods plan has a better narrative. Doing it God’s way was the best decision I’ve ever made. There is no telling what things would be like if I went a different route. All Glory belongs to God!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe that every customers experience at Blessed Kutz Barbershop LLC is what built the reputation. Customer Service is definitely a top priority along with the skills to get the job done. Everyone is treated with the same level of concern and respect inside and outside of the business. Everyone is important.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for me is making sure that my passion shows in my work. When you step through that threshold you don’t see just any barbershop, you see passion. I always tell people that If you don’t see their passion, you might want to turn around. I am a person that’s passionate about what they do, and will give their absolute best every time. My passion for my business is what my customers see and that causes them to spread the word out to others. Almost everyday someone new reaches out inquiring about the services.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blessedkutzbarbershop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blessedkutz_barbershop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blessedkutzbarbershop
Image Credits
Blessed Kutz Barbershop LLC