Entrepreneurs; the
dictionary defines them like this: a person who organizes and operates a
business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order
to do so. I like to define them as those people who see
things from a different perspective than others, usually resulting in monetary
rewards which are greater than just working for someone. I’ve got a friend who is just this, and I
decided today to dedicate my 500 words to him and his business.
Jason Kearney and I
have been friends for close to twenty-five years. I first came to know Jason when he came into
my shoe store to buy shoes. I was so
impressed with this young man I asked him if he wanted a job working for
me. He worked with me in the shoe store
for many years, many times people thinking we were brothers more than a boss
and employee.
I’ve always found
Jason to be a very talented young man, gifted in his ability to draw and do
things creatively. When we were
decorating my son’s room when he was younger, Jason painted a Star Wars space
scene on one of the walls, complete with Star Destroyers, x-wing and tie
fighters and the Millennium Falcon. It
was so cool; I told him I wished I would have had such an awesome thing when I
was a kid.
Through the years,
we’ve watched our kids grow, and we’ve both gone on to do other things besides
selling shoes, but our friendship has remained.
A little over a year ago, I noticed he was selling beard combs online,
and I contacted him to see if we could get together because I had to ask him
about this new venture he was starting.
He told me the
story about how he started Bedlam Beard Company, and like most stories about
how a company began, I found it hilarious.
Jason and his wife Kari were discussing the differences between Oklahoma and her home state of Washington Oklahoma
Contacting a local
company, he took his design to them, and they cut out a few stainless steel
beard combs for him. Setting up and Easy
account, and pursuing beard fans on Instagram, he began selling his
product. It wasn’t too long before he
was back having more products produced.
Then expanding his company by adding beard oils and mustache waxes, it
seemed as if he’d been given a license to print money.
One of the really
cool things about Jason, is he loves to give back. He has sold some of his beard combs to raise
money for St. Jude hospital, and was a part of a rally to help cover medical
expenses for a child in need. I read a
review just a couple of days ago from a customer whose order got messed up. Jason sent the customer a replacement
product, telling him when he had the actual product he’d ordered was available
it would be sent to him at no extra charge.
The reviewer was blown away by the attention to detail and customer
service; something Jason has always been great at doing.
I’m very proud of
my friend for taking the risk and going after something he feels passionate
about. I wouldn’t be surprised to see
him on the cover of the Fortune 500 magazine in the future. There was a very nice online article written
about him, and you can read it here: http://www.johnbranam.com/bedlam-beard-co/
And if you are a
fellow brother of the brush, check out his Etsy account and see what this great
company is all about. https://www.etsy.com/shop/BedlamBeardCompany
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