We were lucky to catch up with Kimara Verret recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kimara, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
At 27 years old I relocated from Florida to Michigan. I was a licensed Barberess for two years in Davie. My clientele had just recently surpassed my expectations and I was doing very well for myself. My life partner and I had been together in a long distance relationship for four years at the time. Before getting my barber license in 2018, I had already planned to move to Michigan. COVID had just paused the world as we knew it, so our plans were unexpectedly delayed. Nonetheless, I had to find a way to execute on my plan to move out of state. I moved to Michigan in May 2021 during Memorial Day weekend, with my savings account. Thankfully, a job opportunity at an upscale salon that was considered one of the most established and well known barbershops in the Detroit area. For a few months, it was just that. Suddenly, things didn’t quite pan out the way that I thought they would. I had to remove myself once I realized what glittered gold on the outside, was completely different on the inside. I realized that I would have to learn how to pivot, which essentially meant starting over again. The following months were centered around isolation and finding strength to carry on. Living in a city that has gloomy weather for several months during the year made this more difficult that I could expect. But, through the grace of God, my faith kept me going. I gave myself a timeline of a year and a half to rebuild my clientele in Detroit. I then took another leap of faith and invested in my own studio in downtown Ferndale.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kimara Verret. I’m Haitian-American. Born in Haiti in 1994, I moved to Miami in 2004 at 10 years old. Growing up, I wasn’t always disciplined. Now, at 30, I am a 6AM routine girlie that includes prayer, meditation, and exercise. My diet is mostly vegan. On a “cheat day”, I will occasionally have wild-caught fish. Living in the United States, I’ve learned that consuming vitamins is essential to one’s good health. I also find therapy to be fundamentally important. I strongly believe that gut health needs to be prioritized as the gut is the first brain. I am a barber and have been in the industry for 6 years. I’ve managed to stand out by being extremely professional and consistent. I immerse myself fully into my work by providing services sculpted specifically for men who value on self-care. My services typically last about 1 hour and 15 minutes. This includes a haircut, beard sculpting, hot towel treatment, and a facial with a 4 to 5 step beard and skin care routine. My clients consist of NFL coaching staff, business owners, politicians, and many more influential people in the City of Detroit. FilthyFadeGang is a brand for people who enjoy being pampered, want exclusivity and to be part of a private club. This is simply because of the services that I provide with attention to detail and the aesthetic of my studio space.
I think I was always a business person at heart, because I started my first business in the 1st grade. My mother used to travel to the United States to buy our school supplies because we didn’t have the cool barbie pencils, binders and other stuff in Haiti. She would buy them in bulk to bring back home to our family. I would sell school supplies to other kids at school for $1 a piece. I eventually ended up getting in trouble at school for this.
In 2016, I got into a terrible car accident that really shifted the trajectory of my life. Living young, wild, and free in Miami at 22. It started to push me to figure out what it is that I wanted to do with my life, and to find my purpose. In 2024, I still don’t have the answers but, I can share a few stories that have gotten me to where I am now which feels like the right path.
In 2018, my intuition guided me to barber school. I didn’t understand it at the time but, I know that I liked to work with my hands. I figured I’d do well. Plus, I like the idea of having a business that I could scale at a price per unit, so it made a lot of sense. One morning, everything clicked for me when I got a sense that I needed to go the school to finish final paper work. After I arrived that morning, I found out that it was the last day of registration and of course, I was financially ill-prepared. I was devastated. The woman who helped enroll me advised that they had a grant program but, it would be nearly impossible for me to get an approval on the last day of registration. Nonetheless, she filed the grant paperwork on my behalf and told me to take it to the kiosk to see if I could still get approved. If not, she apologized and offered to help me try again next semester. I wasn’t very optimistic but, I tried anyway. I approached the woman at the kiosk and handed her a piece of paper with a request for the grant. A few minutes later after she sent my application through, she laughed at the irony of the amount requested being the same amount left in the program pool for that grant. She told me I was approved. I couldn’t believe this had happened. I was brought to tears of joy.
What I am most proud of at this moment in my life is my drive and willingness to grow. I’ve been a barber for over 6 years now. I started the first year in a very small, “mom and pop” style barbershop while still in school. During my second year, I received an opportunity to work in a 5-star upscale barbershop in Davie, at which I stayed for two years. I then moved to Michigan and began working in a well-known barbershop for 1 year and half. Fast forward to 2022, when I became a business owner. In 2024, after being a business owner for two years, I decided to take another opportunity to learn how to manage buildings and eventually own a Salon Suite business. Although I enjoy servicing people, I’m learning that the behind-the-scenes aspect of owning a salon business peaks my core interest. I love numbers and I am excited to see where this journey takes me next.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I started saving towards the end of 2020 when things started to open back up and barbers became essential. I knew I had to save, obviously, because I was moving to a different city. In addition to that, my overall goal was to have something of my own. I was saving about $100 a week, sometimes a bit more if I had a good week. By the time I had to move to Michigan in May 2021, I had roughly $5,000 in my savings account. I gotten what I considered to be the biggest break at the perfect time. This happened just before I moved. A car hit the bumper of my Jeep and I was able to file an insurance claim. This afforded me an extra $8000 right before I left Florida. I continued my saving strategy for 1 year and a half until I had enough capital to start my own business.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I personally think referrals are still the most efficient way to grow your business. Word of mouth can still be more effective than traditional marketing. The key is to do such an amazing job that people feel obligated to send you more clients that they feel would be suitable for your business. I also post my work on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.filthyfadegang.com
- Instagram: Kimaraverret
- Twitter: Kimaraverret_
Image Credits
@Flemi.jpg Sarah Fleming