Darius Davie + Matthew Sears

Stacy Shoemaker Rauen: Hi, I am here with Darius Davie and Matt Sears of the Groom Guy. Hi. Thanks so much for joining me today. So Darius, let’s start with you. Where did you grow up?

Darius Davie: Sure. I grew up in New York City. I am a Brooklyn native and was born in Atlanta originally, but majority of my life in New York City and from between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

SSR: Which borough? I lived in Williamsburg forever. Always have to ask.

DD: Oh yes. So Sunset Park, Brooklyn. My family had a house there that I essentially grew up in my whole life, but the city raised me, so Manhattan was my backyard growing up.

SSR: Super fun. What were you like as a kid?

DD: I was active, I would say, a lot of energy. Being in such a place like that, that’s so metropolitan and full of life, I myself, I just attached to it. So I always wanted to find a way to get into something and just kind of move around a little bit. So that creative spirit was definitely harvested being in the big city.

SSR: Were there any early memories of hospitality or anything that might give you a sense that at some point you would be in this industry?

DD: Absolutely. I mean, I’m growing up in a city that’s packed with skyscrapers and huge hotels. So I remember specifically looking at massive estates from the Chrysler building to seeing how large the Empire State Building was, to walking into the Waldorf Astoria and just seeing these places that look magical, these hotels, and then also to design, seeing toy stores as a kid. So all that kind of collided into one, which made me realize I want to do something creative and artistic. And obviously I have this huge architectural backdrop behind me in New York.

SSR: So did you end up going to school for anything related or tell us your early career?

DD: Funny enough, I was in the arts. Being in the city, I always say being in performing arts is like in Texas is to football, which is really competitive. The culture of it is enormous. It was there that I learned that it was okay to be unconventional and let your thoughts live. So from myself, from being into the arts, started to dabble into design. Funny enough, I also had an early career in hair in high school and throughout college. I was taking care of some of my buddies and doing their hair as well. So that gift was kind of there and that ability to want to design in some respect also was there too. It was just a matter of connecting it with where I was at that point in my life.

SSR: Yeah, amazing. Okay. All right. So pause there. Let’s go to Matt. Matt, tell us where you grew up.

MS: Hey. Yeah, so I’m from Bushwick, Brooklyn. Brooklyn native. Spent my whole life in New York City, moved away to college in Florida and I’m actually living in Miami right now, but the roots are always going to be Brooklyn. That’s home.

SSR: Yeah. What were you like as a kid? Any kind of inkling to what your future would hold?

MS: Oh man, as a kid I was always in mischief, but that led to my curiosity. I’ve always been like a break something and fix it kind of personality and that led me into my passions with my career now. So I’m… Start of my career, I’m more of in the computer engineering space, so outside of what I do at Groom Guy, I work at another big financial service company, won’t name drop here, but that’s where a lot of my personality comes from. I like solving problems, I like being strategic and I like being very analytical.

SSR: Yeah, love it. Which college did you go to in Florida?

MS: I went to FIU, Florida International University in Miami, and now it’s full circle to be back in Miami now. So it’s amazing seeing the difference of life being a college student and then now coming back as an adult with money. And I think I like the city way more now than I did in my early twenties.

SSR: Yeah, I’m sure. Even though Miami is not cheap anymore.

MS: Not at all. Not at all.

SSR: It’s seen a little bit of a renaissance, but that’s great. All right, so how did you two meet?

MS: Oh man, Darius was my first friend in life. We met in prep school at four years old, Brooklyn Preparatory School, Christian Life Center. They had a prep school in Brooklyn, 1400 Linden Boulevard. Me and Darius were friends in pre-K. There was a lot of boys in the class, but me and Darius, we just hit it up… I guess being energetic and like I said, I was always in the mischief, so Darius is always my right-hand man. So whenever I was-

SSR: Was he trying to be the good guy, like “Don’t do it?” Or was he like-

MS: No, he was “Come ride along with me.” I was like, “Come on Darius, let’s do this.” He’s like “Let’s do it. I like it.” So he always supported the crazy things and my schemes as a kid. We’d always get caught, but from that young age, we’ve been able to build this brotherhood and now we’re both 33. So you think about that time that’s passed, I’ve known Darius… Like we’ve known each other through so many different phases of our lives, and it’s just fitting that we’re now at this point where we build Groom Guy.

SSR: And how did the idea come about? What were you two doing individually that you decided to come together? Because we talk a lot on this podcast it’s easy to have an idea, but then to actually take the leap into really making it become a reality is the… It’s the rub, right?

DD: Sure. We were still cementing ourselves in our respective careers. So whether it was in, where Matt has alluded where he was and is and then I was still having a career as a hairstylist and still trying to venture out what I wanted to do in the beauty space, but we still kept in touch because we were still very much friends. So to his point that evolution and everything was still there, but Groom Guy, we always like to say was born out of necessity. I wanted to find and frame something that could build and assist where we would like to see particularly the men’s beauty space going. The conversations started to change a little bit more back in 2015. And prior to that I was also a writer, so writing for different men’s lifestyle publications and providing insight in the men’s beauty space. And so Groom Guy initially was a resource hub, a website built for that.

So different personalities, different journalists and editors would kind of reach out to look to us to see what was the next either trend or looking for a product review or some type of helpline. But it wasn’t up until that time, 2017 or so where I started to kind of sketch and put a blueprint together of saying, “Well, how do we take this off the camera, off screen and into an actual space? What can that physically look like?” And so just started to draw that out, that idea. Did a little history on the barbershop cultures dating back as the early 19 hundreds and before we knew it was in the middle actually of the pandemic where we were able to test this concept. And it all kind of came to life in the early part right then and there, with our first hotel in Washington D.C that gave us an opportunity.

SSR: So before we get to how you got into a brick and mortar space, how did you want to rethink the barbershop experience?

DD: I think I wanted to ask myself the hard questions of what’s working right now and then essentially what’s not? So when we started to look at creating more of the intimate spaces and settings, I started to ask how and why do the chairs do most people sit in, how do they feel good? Why do they feel good? What’s the fabric that they’re using? I started to see how I can ignite all these different senses that maybe in traditional spaces we didn’t think about.

Now we can start to carve out in these, what we like to call, self-care sanctuaries. So from how things smell to, as I said, some of the fabric that was used, all of the tools and settings, all those placements, I really wanted to be intentional as to why we built these spaces out. And then I also took little bits of history. I would try to go back into the books of what did old classic barber spaces look like? And then what are little things, nuances that I can take from that and then kind of move that into this space? So whether it was a scent that was used 40 years ago, is that a scent that we can still use today? From the mirrors that we chose and why. So it was a little bit of research there that allowed me to find an identity of who we are.

SSR: And I love the name. How’d you come up with a name?

DD: It’s like when you’re at home at night and you’ve got a good glass of wine and maybe your favorite show and you’ve got a dry erase board here. Sometimes it doesn’t hit you then, it hits you afterwards. It hits you… And for me, I thought about all the great brands. I thought about some of the legacy brands that we all know, and I wanted something that was easy, that was identifiable, that didn’t require too much to say, but it would stick. I thought about your Polos, your Nikes, all these amazing brands that are still here with us today. And Groom Guy just stuck, which is the identifiable marker that said, “There’s something elegant about this, there’s something modern about this.” And it was easy.

SSR: And alliteration always goes a long way.

MS: Always alliteration goes a very long way.

SSR: All right. So you have this idea, how did you then make it a reality? Were you reaching out to hotels? Did the Yours Truly come to you, or were you looking first for a standalone, or was it always the idea to bring this into a hotel?

DD: It was always the idea, I think to find ourselves integrated in the hotel space. I think that was one of the identifiable pieces that we wanted… That signature thing that made us stand out.

It allowed us to also leverage partnership very early from the very beginning to be a brand that could find others that we can essentially help be a problem solver too. And so yeah, at first it was cold trying to figure out the best hotel within the DMV area, and there wasn’t much to choose from. But thankfully I had a client… Because I was still a hairstylist. I had a client who was in real estate and he offered to set up an introduction with a hotel that he thought could be a good fit. And one thing led to another on the introduction and the presentation. And before we knew it, we were set with an agreement to be there for only four months. It was a contract for just four months to be inside Yours Truly DC. That was a new hotel at the time in 2020, brand new hotel.

SSR: And did you extend past four months or was it only four months?

DD: Well, that’s the thing, right Matt?

MS: I think we’re going on four or five years now.

SSR: There you go.

MS: So one four month partnership agreement or one temporary lease led to three locations in four years. Three locations in four years.

SSR: Great. That’s great. And why do you think it has resonated so much or allowed you to go from four months to four years?

MS: For me personally, I think there’s a shift happening. I think as the importance of the wellness market grows, hoteliers and hospitality groups, they’re starting to understand the importance of having wellness offerings within their amenities. But also it’s tough to get a wellness program off the ground and it takes significant investment, time, money. So I think now when people see the success of Groom Guy and how we’ve leveraged our [inaudible 00:13:40] men’s grooming, entertainment, experience, and now hotels are more keen to partnering with Darius and I and the team that we have because wellness is the new farm to table. So everybody… Whether hotels are cutting down on cocktails or putting them on mocktails, whether they’re having more trainers coming, whether they’re doing yoga, whether they’re having more vegan options or meditation, there’s always some kind of way to bring wellness to the communities. But specifically I know they want to target men and women. So something as simple as a haircut, if you redefine it like we’ve done, it becomes a no brainer. And hotels, they want that. And I think that’s when we come into the picture.

SSR: Well, and I think too, hotels are trying to figure out how to be authentic. And I think something for everyone doesn’t always fit, but a barbershop does have that mass appeal while being somewhat still intimate and thoughtful the way that you guys have presented it.

MS: And it fits the mold. One of the things that me and Darius talk about, especially when we figure out hotels we partner with, you can be in an establishment, a hotel like the Yours Truly, and be like a hotel lobby space where you have the life and electricity of a restaurant and a bar, and you could fit perfectly right in there as a place for the guys to come in before they go on their night out or just before they kind of jump into the vibe after the haircut. But then you could also position yourself in the space of the spa and you could become that landing zone to bring men in for these other services. So to your point, it’s still authentic and it just draws men in from all different backgrounds, but importantly it draws in the guests as well as the community.

SSR: And Darius, from your experience as being a hair stylist, what did you take from what you were doing and apply it here? And then also for both of you, did you grow up in barbershops in New York? Were those kind of your inspiration in how to change it, modernize it?

DD: Sure. I think for me it started with knowing the… From the intimate factor of what we were doing, there was something unique about being able to establish someone’s loyalty in 45 minutes of a service, very much like food. And when I started to find that people were returning back to me every couple of weeks, or maybe even if it’s once a month, I realized it was a key element there, that sense of loyalty that most people, other businesses, in this case, hotels, are probably looking to find, but in the most authentic way. So when I was able to reposition it and see and study the psychology too of the service, it made me really understand, okay, we have tremendous value to whether it be a hotel or anyone else on what we’re doing because we’re answering a couple of different questions. And then we’re also kind of like frontline reporters because we’re able to have direct feedback on what’s going on. So we’re checking the temperature of the guest and their experience in the chair.

There was something magical about that, and I grew up in the barbershop very much so. One that I can remember specifically as a young man, being in those spaces and hearing the banter and catching ideas and glimpses of what it seems like it is to “be a man” in these spaces. So it was definitely a community hub and to some degree still very much is.

SSR: A hundred percent. And wait, I wanted to go two different places. Sorry. Okay, so you have Yours Truly. And then you mentioned the other two. So you’re in the PGA Resort and Spa in Florida, and then also now you’re opening up at the Salamander also in DC. Why those two hotels? Did they come to you? Did you find them? Is it more kind of an organic growth or are you targeting certain places that make sense to you or a mixture?

MS: I think when we first started out, we were just trying to figure out where we could lay our stake in the ground and provide the most value. So the good success of D.C and the relationships with Brookfield got us into the PGA. So we had this opportunity… It was actually pitched to us, so we got this opportunity to go down there. We did a walk through, we saw the space and we was like, “This is amazing. This is really how we branch out.” Because most barbershops and most businesses, they would stay local to the city they’re familiar with, let alone going from D.C to Palm Beach [inaudible 00:18:14] the PGA National Resort. So me and Darius, we understood the challenge at hand. I think the challenge kind of drew us more too. We laughed in the face of danger. That’s our little slogan. So I think we saw the opportunity to go to PGA, and from there we leveraged PGA to get into Salamander. So now I think that we’re like three, four years in now, I think now we kind of understand the cities and we’re Groom Guy. If we do a self care sanctuary, what cities will be ideal for us? But the first three locations, it was all organic growth.

SSR: Got it. And what’s kind of your hope for the brand? How many do you see in a realistic world? You’ve done four in four years, call it. Do you want to double that? Do you want to quadruple that? Is there hope that you’re in every city in the market?

MS: Well, me and Darius, we love building Groom Guy, we love self-care sanctuaries, but we also understand that we do… There’s a certain level where you just don’t go past in regards of your footprint, the real estate footprint. So we have a few more cities where we think a Groom Guy could work, but we want to maybe cap that number… Darius might disagree, but maybe we want to cap that number around maybe six to seven locations. And I think after that, we should really move into our other value adds, so outside of locations, the training. So Groom Guy training because we really believe in the next generation of barbers, and we really want to really tie in this Groom Guy culture and bring it to stylists globally. Also, products. One of the things we do… These hotels, they’re trusting us as their advisors on the products, whether shaving, hair balms, pomades. And we think it’s a great opportunity for the Groom Guy products to fill the shelves in the space.

And lastly, we understand every hotel isn’t going to have the appetite to build out a self-care sanctuary, but how do we tie in these events? How do we go to members clubs and how do we have creative programming where we talk about men’s self-care, innovative new products, and kind of tie in everything wellness under the umbrella? Go ahead, Darius.

DD: No, I was just going to echo your point. I think it’s right. It’s being strategic about what the next placements will be. So with six or seven, I think that’s a great point to kind of look at and say, All right, this is… In these cities that make the most sense. This is the best place for us to now harvest and foster building up the talent, because as we all know, we need that in order to really sustain.” So creating that bridge for the working professionals, those that are in beauty and as well as in hospitality.

SSR: Looking ahead too, do you ever see yourself expanding more, adding components to the barbershop? I know you said product and training, but almost creating bigger wellness, or do you want to stay smaller, more intimate?

MS: I think the intimate spaces make sense for us because you know what happens with big barbershops? When the seats are empty, which they are going to be at times, people become intimidated. But when you have a two, three chair space where you got one stylist or maybe two stylists who have a decent book of business, people will see that, they want to get a part of that versus the six to eight chair location where there’s just two guys and you see the empty chair swinging, it’s not as appealing. So I think the intimate space for us is where we want to carve out our niche. We want to keep it intimate, we want to stay in luxury hotel spaces, boutique luxury, but luxury and ultra lux. We just want to keep growing in that trajectory and see where it goes. Yeah.

SSR: And do you still continue the media component, Darius, that you mentioned? Are you still being kind of a hub for content and resources for the industry?

DD: Absolutely. I mean, products go hand in hand with what we do. So what we found is that we have been, once again, a new form of a resource hub for product brands who will… Either sending us or we’ll have some type of agreement where we are highlighting them or we are testing our product, giving direct feedback from our styling team, our barber team. So that’s been really helpful for them. And for some, they’ve never been in the hospitality space, so this is the first opportunity for them to see what that looks like and get their feet wet to know if and when they want to continue that. So absolutely, very much so, product is tied into what we do.

SSR: Yeah, I love it. So how do you two work together? Who does what and what are each other’s strengths and weaknesses? Oh, he’s a fun one too.

MS: I think it’ll be really fun if we say each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think Darius has any weaknesses. So I will say Darius’s strengths, and he’ll say my strengths. Because I’d hope you don’t think I have any weaknesses, I’d hope so.

DD: No, no.

MS: So Darius, he’s a creative man. He’s visionary. Darius sees the big picture. He can walk into a space, he can see a… It could be a gray wall, it could be a dead space, but he knows how to bring life to it. He knows who we need to bring into place. He knows the vision. He’s a great ability of bringing other people with him. He’s lively, he can talk with the best of them, but he knows how to bring people with him. He has a good vision for leadership, and he’s creative. The creative vision, you need that. He’s a visionary. And I think that’s… Because think about it. Groom Guys started off as a sketch on a napkin. Now we’re in some of the largest million dollar renovations luxury spas on the East Coast.

So Salamander is the largest luxury spa [inaudible 00:24:12] nations capital. And we have our location there. But this would’ve never happened if Darius didn’t have the vision and to move forward with it. So the vision and the courage, and I’d say that. He’s never afraid to just go in there like, “Hey man, we’re going to knock this door down.” And I’ll be like, “Okay,” just like childhood days, whatever, let’s do it. Let’s go for it.

SSR: And there’s no weakness? Come on. There’s not one thing?

MS: I wouldn’t call it a weakness. I would say, Darius… You know the creative guys? The creative guys, when they go into the board rooms or when they want to grow, they want change the world, which is good. But then for me, somebody who’s a little more analytical, my thing is how’s it going to make money? I want want to change the world too, believe me, I do. I want to change the world, but I’m like, “All right, how are we going to make money off this?” So I wouldn’t call it a weakness, it’s just the creative heart. With the creatives, they have big minds and they also have big hearts.

SSR: Yeah. Got it. All right, you’re up, Darius.

DD: Oh, so good. How do I go from that? It’s interesting. Matthew has an ability to be such a driver. He can take something that’s literally from ideas that I’ve given out of clay and then say, “You know what? We’re going to shape it and this is the pieces that we need. And then also I’m going to let you…” He has a great ability at translating things too, for someone like myself, that I may not understand. So whether it’s dealing with some of the biggest deals, negotiations, I’ve seen him do that and go head-to-head with the best of them as well. But for him, he knows how to go all the way to the line to push something. And he’s tremendously dedicated and focused, probably the most focused person that I’ve known. And it’s taken us extremely far because I can have an idea and have a vision but Matt has an amazing job at setting the map and knowing what points and objectives we have to reach in order to even get to that vision. And that’s incredibly powerful and impactful for us and great contribution to our success. And to the point too about weakness, I mean, it’s hard to pick because he’s been able to deliver so much.

SSR: You guys are too nice.

DD: I have to seen things in multiple different colors, but sometimes I try to get Matt to see it with me and I’m like, “Hey, there’s a rainbow.” And he’s like, “No, it’s this [inaudible 00:27:04]. It’s one color. We need it to be one color.” And I’m like, “No, look, look at all the colors in the crayon box.”

MS: Yeah, I will say that I do not have an aesthetic eye at all. I’m not the aesthetic guy at all. And that’s why for me, it’s so cool even being recognized. I had no idea about this field or this profession. So when Darius just putting me in this, I’m like, “Wow, this is interesting.” Because who would’ve thought, Matthew, I’m one of the most analytical black screen guys ever. And then to be in these places where we’re talking about wall colors and drapes, and I’m like, “Okay, this is cool. All right.” But it’s opening me up and I’m like, “Okay, this is nice.” And I’m enjoying the ride.

DD: And same for me because I need it too. When we’re looking at P&Ls and and we’re looking at Excel sheets, I’m like, “Okay, wait a minute. There’s only one man I know that can break this down for me.”

SSR: Well, since there’s two of you, we’re going to do a quick little rapid round. Okay, you ready? So what has been a memorable hospitality experience that changed your perspective of travel or hospitality or something that’s just super memorable and why? Darius go first.

DD: Okay. Something that has changed. Let’s see. Okay. For me it was simple. Going to Florida and experiencing myself in PGA was pretty exciting. I never would in a million years would’ve thought that we would’ve gotten here at this point relatively quickly. And then to have the line of support that we did, which was incredible. It was V Star and Venus Williams herself. That was amazing.

SSR: All right, Matt, you’re up.

MS: For me, it was the HD Awards last year, being the HDAC winner, that’s when it really hit me about how real this is. Because for me sometimes I’m just so much in the weeds and we’re like, “Okay, next, next, next, next.” I don’t always take the time to reflect, but when we were sitting in the Four Seasons at the award and they called our names and growing up on the stage, that was the most memorable hospitality moment. I was like, “This is real.” I don’t know if you look back at that clip, I was just standing there listening to Darius. I think I was in awe. I was like, “This is really happening.” I gave you a hug. I’m looking at the crowd and I think my mouth was just moving because I was like, “Oh my God, I don’t know what’s going on.” Somebody told me after, I was like, “It looked like you wanted to talk, but you just couldn’t get the words.” And I was like, “I couldn’t because I just couldn’t believe it.” But that was the most memorable hospitality moment thus far.

SSR: Yep, love it. Okay. What’s one thing people might not know about you?

DD: That I used to sing classical music as a kid in the arts.

SSR: You did?

DD: Yeah. Growing up in New York, I was an arts kid. I was an actor, singer, dancer.

SSR: Do you still sing?

DD: In the shower. I can give you a good album at home, but not professionally, no.

MS: Darius could always act and sing. He was always the singer in class. I remember being a kid, Darius would definitely sing in class. I vividly remember Darius doing his Michael Jackson impressions and all the teachers was dancing, clap along. They loved it. They’re like “Go Darius.” He was the man.

Things that somebody know about me. So I’m an avid wine enthusiast. I have my WSET level one, so I’m always open to talk about wine, climate, soil, region. I just love the art and drinking wine. So if we’re not doing work at Groom Guy, building this out, you can always find me at a wine bar and I love just having a good conversation or a chat over a glass.

SSR: Love it. Okay. What has been the most challenging part of starting your own company?

MS: You can go first, Darius.

SSR: Rapid round. Just kidding.

DD: It was getting people to believe. The challenges part is trying to get people to see outside of the barbershop walls that we all know of. We hear the term ‘barbershop’ and we can think of… Some of us probably think of what we grew up in, but it’s really trying to get people’s imagination and foresight to say, “Hey, this is bigger than what you have known.” And that’s been a challenge for us, but one that’s fulfilling.

SSR: And probably more nos than yes. Right?

DD: Oh, a thousand percent.

MS: Nos come every day I think.

DD: We’re built differently. Yes.

MS: Yeah, man, my skin is hardened. This is a thick armor you have to wear at Groom Guy, very thick armor on the front lines. And I think the Darius’s point, yes, having people see a vision and then when me and Darius go into these boardrooms, we pitch. It’s only me and Darius. And we have to really articulate to these longstanding hotel companies, hoteliers, why we are luxury and kind of our definition of luxury, spaces, experiences that ignite all senses, and an abundance of warmth and authenticity. So I think once we get that across the board, I think it kind of de-arms the hoteliers and then now they’re open to play ball with us.

But that has been an uphill challenge. Because we look the part, we play the part, but when you really have to convey this and then you got to talk about your splits and how this is going to work and money and investments, that has always been uphill battle. But we don’t shy from a fight.

SSR: What is your favorite part of the process?

MS: I enjoy hiring. I enjoy hiring and having more people join the company.

SSR: I’ve never, by the way, heard anyone on this podcast ever say hiring. You might be the first one in 120 something episodes. I have to look back, I can fact myself, but I’m pretty sure-

MS: I enjoy hiring. You know what it is? Because it’s been one of the toughest things… One of our biggest challenges is hiring because you have to find the right personalities to be inside of these luxury spaces. But once we find a stylist and they fit the mold and they’re willing to be a little malleable and grow with us, it’s the bond. It’s just unbreakable. And I just love building with the staff. I’m excited. When they have issues, they come to me, they come to Darius, let’s get it resolved and let’s do it together because it’s been me and Darius most of the time. So now that we have more people behind us, it warms in my heart. I’m smiling right now because I’m thinking about the staff, thinking about the team and more people who will of course join us in the future. Hiring man, this is great. It shows growth, that’s why.

SSR: And hiring is one of the hardest things. Like you said, finding the right person, people and personalities, and then managing them too.

MS: Once we figure that out, we’re unstoppable. Once we figure the hiring part out, we’ll literally be unstoppable.

SSR: That’s why you need your own school, so then you just hire the people.

MS: Exactly. This is why we’ve got to get out there. More contracts to teach and like I said, bring in and foster the next generation of stylists.

SSR: Groom Guy Beauty School.

MS: Yeah, that’ll be amazing.

SSR: All right. Darius, your favorite part of the process? I’m guessing it’s the design part, but-

DD: It’s absolutely the design part and then taking something from that we look at as a canvas, and then collaborating with great designers too in that process. So yeah, that’s one of the most exciting parts. From the rendering to what’s on screen to actually bringing it out in real life. Yeah.

SSR: And are you collaborating with designers that are already working on the hotels or are you starting to be able to bring in your own designers or a mix?

DD: It a general mix, but typically what happens is we work with the design team that’s been working on the hotel all together.

SSR: Which has been some pretty amazing people, like you said, V Starr and-

DD: Those are all-star playmakers in the design world that… We didn’t have formal training, but I get to work with them is magical for sure.

SSR: Okay. Is there one thing you wish you knew before you started that you know now or is ignorance bliss?

DD: I wish I had a little bit more on just understanding the process of the operational side, how long things take. Sometimes you can kind of calendarize things but not… Understand that those… You can do that as much as possible, but there’s so many cooks sometimes on one given project, even in a two chair space, that you have to be flexible. And sometimes I came in the beginning kind of harsh knowing that, oh, it’s going to be set this way with hard dates only to realize there’s so many other setbacks and I wish somebody told me that in the beginning.

SSR: Got it. 

MS: It’s funny, it’s a little bit of an inverse because coming from a big corporation, I understand what it’s like to come and… These hotels are very siloed and corporate America is one big silo. We all have our jobs to do, our pots to hit, our carrots to chop. So for me, one of the things I wanted to… Which I wish I knew a little bit more… But I know this is now why Darius brought me into the company. I wish I knew a little bit more about the hair cutting process, about cutting and being a stylist. I do not have that background. And that’s one thing I wish. So I wish I kind of… Well, hopefully I can take the time to kind of learn that process a little more. But that’s one thing I wish I knew, I wish I had a little more.

SSR: Well, Darius should just cut your hair and talk you through it. Let me solve that problem for you real quickly.

MS: I remember when we got PGA and I know Darius is in D.C, and we were going in between hiring and staffing, it hit me, I was like, “Oh man, Matt, if I only knew how to cut hair, you could just be here and cut.” It could have been me… And I was like, “Okay, I’ll cut in Palm Beach. Darius would cut in D.C and then we’re good.” That’s one of the things, but maybe it’s a skill I’ll pick up in the future.

SSR: Yeah, you can dream, dream big. All right. Just kidding. So the last question is always the question that is the title of the podcast. So what has been your greatest lesson or lessons learned along the way? Besides that you have to learn how to cut hair. It’s not acceptable.

DD: You definitely want to continue to walk before you run and you can’t be on this journey alone. You have to find collaboration and partnership is key if you really want to get ahead with the right people and keeping that at your forefront because you are… And things naturally are on the path to growth, but keep your values close to you because that’ll just help you make those decisions as well as being in good company, which I’m grateful to have with Matt.

MS: Yeah, as Darius said, definitely collaboration. Bring others with you. As much as the success goes and come, don’t fail alone. So if we go down, we bring everybody with us. I’m just playing. But also, you know what it is? It’s taking pride and taking a sense of ownership. When we go into these hotels and we meet with these GMs or these spa directors or whoever’s in the management role, when we can take ownership of not only just bringing in another stream of revenue, but take ownership of the headaches, the problems, I think it brings more value and it really fortifies that relationship between the hotel and the brands. So even if it’s something that’s not necessarily in our wheelhouse or purview, if we can kind of take ownership of it because it might relate to Groom Guy or something that might affect us, I’ve learned that. Instead of just saying, “Hey, we’re a vendor, we’re a third-party,” if you can step in and take ownership for that, it goes a long way. And it shows that you speak the language with these managers and these brands.

SSR: Well, thank you both for taking the time to speak with me today. It was so great to catch up with you both and can’t wait to see the next Groom Guys come alive and hope to see you in real life soon.

MS: Yes, thank you for having us.

DD: Appreciate it.