Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marina Victoria, co-founder, and owner of CADMEN Group of Brands, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Our main business is about personal care: CADMEN Barbershop - men's hair, CADMEN Clinic - cosmetic services, and CADMEN Barber Academy - barber training. Our customers are everybody who wants to use personal care services to look good, feel good, and enjoy a good customer experience.

We think a lot about the customer experience. We ask how the client feels when they interact with our brand when they come into our shop or see our social media feeds. We have created a place where clients come in, and they are not faced with long waiting times but are instead greeted by a clean, bright, open, and welcoming space that they feel good in. The client must feel uplifted, good, and confident in the space. We incorporate that into the atmosphere to create that feeling. We use a lot of whites and bright and upbeat colors to help create a specific good vibe associated with the brand. Many of our positive Google reviews mention the "great vibes" of our locations. Our customers appreciate the environment we create for them and the experience we craft and tailor to suit them.

Tell us about yourself

What first got me started working on my business was that I noticed something was missing in most barbershops; Francis, my then-boyfriend, now my business and life partner, was a long-time barber who began working in his garage at 15. Most barbershops were very old-school and had basic shop decor; they were cash-based, with no booking system, no customer service, and no website. I wanted to create a place where clients would feel welcomed, confident, and upbeat when they were there, that had a great website and social media presence to keep them updated on everything that was going on, to be a part of the community, not just a business. Additionally, on the back end, a lot of barbershops were not being professionally managed or run, and I wanted to be able to provide a stable long-term income to the barbers who are working for me, so they could take care of themselves and their families.

Most barbers were not able to build their credit, get a car, or be eligible for a mortgage; they were also never taught how to do their taxes properly. We wanted to provide great and successful careers and lives for anyone who joined our team. Thinking about where I came from and how far I still have to go keeps me motivated to get up and grind every day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is being able to continually scale up and expand my business, to continue to grow and learn as a business owner whilst being able to provide opportunities for others in my businesses, especially during the 2020-2021 lockdown. My team and I have worked tremendously hard over the last seven years to make the CADMEN dream a reality and share it with people all over the GTA. Starting out as a small shop and growing into a successful franchise with an academy and clinic has been a huge accomplishment not only for me but for the CADMEN brand.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

There are a million hurdles you must go through when opening a physical location. You must wear multiple hats and play ten roles. You are the marketer, the accountant, the receptionist, and the maintenance, and that was my biggest challenge. I started to delegate and empower my team to make decisions for me, as they know the vision of the brand and understand it to the point that they can make decisions that I know will continue to help the brand grow and the employees grow together. Every entrepreneur or business owner needs to pass through that milestone of being able to delegate and build a strong, dependable team that represents your brand well. You've got to be able to manage and juggle a lot of things at one time 24/7; a lot of people might not realize that they are leaving their 9-5 to work every day.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Find out what your purpose is and what is the reason behind opening your business? If you have passion, see a need on the market, and think you can bring something unique to the table, then you should go for it. But it is important to keep in mind that things will go differently than the way you initially might expect them to, but if you remain calm, you can flow like water towards your goals. I would also advise you not to partner up with people who have the same skillset as you; for example, two barbers opening a barbershop both have the same skill, so who will run the business? You need to open a business with someone who has the other skills you are missing. Planning, finding good support, and working hard day and night are three key things that anyone needs to start, run, and grow a successful business nowadays. Online presence such as a website or social media pages is a must for success in the 21st century.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

My name is Marina, I grew up in Ukraine, and I came to Canada when I was nine years old. I have had a job since I was 11 years old, delivering newspapers and my mother taught me the importance of saving and how to save. I came from a place where there was little, and here there were many opportunities, but nothing was handed to you; you had to go out and just take what you wanted and work hard to make it. When I first landed in Canada, I went to a Chinese buffet, it was the first time I had ever seen this much food in my entire life, and it showed me what abundance the world had to offer, and I knew that I could achieve anything I wanted to. I worked modeling and waitressing during school at Ryerson University and Seneca College, and then after I finished school, I worked 9-5 in the financial district to gain corporate and business experience. From there, I left my corporate position to pursue opening a business with my then-boyfriend, Francis, which is now known as CADMEN Barbershop, Academy, and Clinic. Beyond that, I have expanded my own business into CADMEN properties and Build and Grow Business to help others with building their own business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.cadmen.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinavictoria/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-v-k-b85a816a/


If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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