We’re joined by Casie Murff – an entrepreneur and master barber with a heavy technology background he just can’t shake. We learn about his newest concept, The BeVel Grooming Lounge, and dive into his model and their exceptional customer experience.
In today’s marketing tip, are you feeling pressure to be on every social media platform with your business? We’re here to give you a break.
TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to the Small
Business Miracles podcast. I’m Jeff Randolph.
This small business podcast is brought to you
by EAG Advertising and Marketing. We’re going
to talk about marketing, and we’re also here
to celebrate entrepreneurs. We have marketing
news and advice that business owners can use
to keep moving forward. And today, we’re talking
to entrepreneur and master barber Casie Murff,
who is wearing some new cool Ray -Ban meta glasses,
so I bet that comes up. But first, we have another
marketing tip to talk about. In today’s marketing
tip, I wanted to talk about giving yourself a
break in social media. And what I’m really talking
about here is that it’s something that businesses
seem to struggle with quite a bit, whether you’re
the solopreneur or whether you are a marketing
team of one and you only have one marketing person
and they’re supposed to try to do everything.
Or maybe you’re working at a nonprofit organization
and you have several other hats that you’re wearing.
You have other jobs you need to do and social
media is just one small part of it. There’s a
lot of stress. There’s a lot of pressure about
being on every single social media platform.
Well, we need to be on this one and this one
and this one and this one and on and on and on.
And I’m here to tell you, you just don’t have
to do that. You should focus. If money and budget
and staffing were no issue, be everywhere. Sure,
have a presence there and make sure that it works
for you. But you don’t have to be. So let’s just
talk about the platforms because there are a
billion platforms and not all of them are going
to be helpful for you. Your target audience may
not be there. So if we’re looking at, you know,
there’s a platform for each political party for
the most part. And being on those may or may
not help you with the other half of your target
audience. So don’t feel like you need to be on
every single social media platform. Yes, there
are tools out there. that will help you schedule
something across multiple different platforms.
This will post on LinkedIn and Instagram and
YouTube and whatever else. Yes, that helps. But
you’re still not engaging on that platform in
a way that really makes sense. You’re trying
to kind of, you know, save time. It’s a time
-saving device. And when you put content out
there, it may not be really in the format that
that platform wants because you’re saving time.
by posting it on multiple different platforms.
So it becomes really difficult to try to be everywhere,
even if you could be everywhere. So instead,
strategically figure out where you need to be.
Which platforms do you need to be on for whatever
reason? Is it Facebook because you’re hiring
and that’s where your employees go? So your Facebook
content needs to be about hiring. Is it LinkedIn
because that’s where my business -to -business
audience is? Wherever you find that actually
good strategic concept of why you need to be
on a platform, be there and be there in enough
presence to own it so that you’re commenting
on things, you’re making comments back and forth,
you’re liking people’s comments on your post,
you’re engaging your audience, you’re following
your clients and making sure that you like their
posts. Whatever it is that you’re doing, you
have to be there, but don’t feel like you have
to be literally everywhere. If you’re not on
one of those other platforms or on a minor platform
or on an up -and -coming platform, that’s fine.
You’re wearing too many hats. And that’s my marketing
tip for today. Hey, welcome back to the featured
section of our show. I’m here with Casie Murff.
He’s the entrepreneur and master barber. Casie,
welcome to the show. Thank you. First, congratulations
on being a KC Chamber small business superstar.
That’s a big deal. We saw you at the awards celebration
kind of thing. That was a good time. Let me get
right into your background because your background
is crazy. I’m staring at your resume on LinkedIn.
You have a business analyst on your resume in
a couple different positions. You were the owner
and CEO of an illustration company. entrepreneurial
background there as well. You were a technical
support engineer for Zoom at the height of the
pandemic, which, like, I’m looking at that like,
you know, you’ve been to war. Like, that’s a
for real job. And you’ve flirted with the idea
in the past, and now you’re four and a half years
into. your entrepreneurial journey as the owner
of bevel grooming lounge and and that’s an exclusive
experience um tell me about your journey before
we get into like bevel how did you get here this
this like the zoom thing zoom during the pandemic
you were an engineer this is yeah insane yeah
so um uh you know sometimes in life you kind
of reflect on kind of how you got there um Just
looking at my life, like I’ve been an artist
since I was in kindergarten. I was an entrepreneur
since I was cutting lawns around the neighborhood,
earning extra money. And then my journey was
to get into graphic design. Okay. That didn’t
work out. Just making some not so wise decisions
and had to stay here in Kansas City. But unfortunately,
at the time, there wasn’t any… I’m sorry, not
entrepreneur, but graphic design programs that
will kind of fit what I wanted to do. So I ended
up going to DeVry UMKC and ended up graduating
from there. But during this time period, since
I was I always cut hair. So I just didn’t
have a vision for it. I didn’t see it leading
to the path or vision that I had for my life
at that time. I wasn’t wise into the the barber
and beauty industry at that time. Right. So I
did what most of my parents did. You know, they
went to college and, you know, got their degrees.
And during the in their generation, if you had
a college degree, you were sure you were set.
Yeah. You know, sometimes even associate, you
know, you get that degree, associate’s degree.
You get what the government or my mom retired
from Social Security. My dad retired from Hallmark
at years old. OK, so. I’ve seen a level of
success that I was like, hey, I mean, that’s
not a bad life to live. So I’m like, well, let
me go ahead and follow this path. Sure. So I
went to, like I said, UMKC and DeVry and pursued
computer information systems, things of that
nature. Got my first tech support job and worked
for ADT security. Okay. Okay. And during that
time period, I always had this, I don’t know,
say we’ll call it uncomfortableness with working
for somebody else because it was just it was
just the politics, the the tick for tack deals
and all the things that you have to deal with
when it comes to work for somebody else. And
I always had something was always pulling me
to do something better. And so I had this idea
just to. go to uh i’m sorry to start my graphic
design business because what i also left out
is during high school i went to herndon oh sure
yeah yeah i went to herndon and got a degree
in commercial art okay so i had some education
um and a quote -unquote certification in graphic
design so i took that and i was like you know
what i i’m gonna do i’m gonna do my own thing
so i already understood i had you know background
in photoshop uh illustrator and those type of
things so i would you know do flyers for people
for my fraternity’s parties and um and those
type of things so i learned how i started practicing
you know getting more savvy with uh photoshop
because that of photoshop that’s a whole man
that’s that you you can’t just jump into photoshop
and know what you’re doing right there’s some
there’s some training and yeah you have to be
both training and skill that are involved in
that right right so So, yeah, fast forward after,
you know, you know, trying to find the quote
unquote right company and understand there was
no right company. I decided to bet on myself.
So, like you said, I’ve held, you know, different
positions. I have, you know, a bachelor’s in
computer information systems, a master’s in network
communications and project management. So that’s
led me into the business analyst part that you
were speaking of. And I’ve worked for companies
like Sprint and Embark and Commerce Bank and,
you know, Murffy Hoffman and those type of those
large companies. But it was always something
that happened that I don’t know, I guess what
made me uncomfortable or something would happen
to where as soon as I get comfortable, I felt
like God was pulling like I’ll get laid off or.
you know fired you know so it happened like nine
different times till I decided to bet on myself
and I’m like you know what I I mean I may be
arrogant by saying this but I feel like I can
run these companies better than these people
that run these companies because I feel like
a lot of companies run their their companies
from the top down and I feel like the successful
way to run a company is from the bottom up actually
talk to the people that are actually doing the
job And understanding how what your decisions
are making are affecting what they do each day.
Because at the bottom line, once you do decisions
you make and it’s affecting their job, it’s going
to affect your bottom line eventually. So that’s
what I felt. And I just decided to better myself.
I started inquiring about barbering back in
I was looking at my memories on Facebook and
seeing some posts on that. kind of surprised
about that how long it’s been and uh pursued
it and had this vision for the bevel and um i
i was working still working it while i was trying
to get my barber license on the side which um
i tell i’m also a barber instructor too right
right um so i tell my students like if you can
get your your license without having to do go
through the path that i went to That’s recommended
because you can go to barber school for months
and get out making upwards of bucks an hour.
Most people don’t know that. And so to me, it
took me probably three times as long to get my
barber. Doing all of those things at the same
time. All those things at the same time because
I had a family. You know, I couldn’t just quit
my job and just go to barber school. I had to
make ends meet. So that’s what I did. grind i
did what i had to do and luckily i uh you know
i met a woman that um been a blessing to me that’s
had supported me the whole way she went like
well you know i want all your time and you you
know you need to work and come on i was like
i see what you’re you know i see your vision
and i see what because god’s hand on you and
do you you know uh when you get done come home
and you know we’ll figure figure out the next
day so um my wife shout out to her um Erica Murff,
she is she is dope. That’s it’s always the right
thing to do to give that shout out. That’s that’s
that’s a smart political move to, you know, you
know, had to, you know, throw it in there. She’s
been, you know, I mean, she’s been a pivotal
part. You know, I couldn’t see myself building
being at this point in my life with anybody else.
So, yeah, like I said, fast forward, decided
to build on myself. And I spent a lot of time
and I’ve been exposed to being in corporate America
and having, you know, degrees and all that. And
I understood the business side of things. And
I always thought the way I thought was was different
and crazy. But it wasn’t until I met my mentors.
We were part of network marketing. I won’t mention
necessarily which one that was, but we was part
of network marketing and business. Also, another
entrepreneurial adventure. But they taught they
taught me and confirmed a lot of what I thought
when it comes to business, like building assets,
mentoring, building teams, being a leader, learning,
understanding that. Don’t worry about being a
leader. Just lead. Be the example. And like a
lot of great mentors that have helped mold me
to the person that I am. And confirm a lot of
things that I thought brought me to who I am
today and brought the bevel to where it is. So
the whole purpose of the bevel is to have an
upscale grooming experience for clients and also
having an avenue for up and coming professionals
to be able to hone in on their skills. My business
and I was a little bit different. I don’t pay.
I don’t make them pay me booth rent. Oh, gotcha.
OK. So I pay them a living wage. Yeah. Yeah.
And so I I do that on purpose to help them focus
on their craft, focus on building their clientele,
because I’ve seen just through my experience
and through teaching other barber professionals,
those type of things kind of where their pain
points are. So I wanted to fill in that gap.
It’s like a lot of them come out of school. They
don’t have clientele. They don’t understand the
business side. We do touch on the business side
when it comes to barbering in school. But it’s
not like home is not really. It’s probably a
two, three week chapters that we go through and
it’s done and over with. What I found is like
they want to get out of barber school is focused.
The school is focused on getting your license.
Once you get that, it’s kind of like, OK, now
what? Yeah. You know, so and if you get into
a shop. Which, unfortunately, there’s a lot of
shops and more shops than than I would like to
say that really don’t look at the barbering industry
the way that I do. They look at, OK, well, I
need to get a barber in here so I can get that
booth rent. Oh, sure. I need to get people in
here so I can make that money. Not, oh, I need
to invest in these barbers. You know, what are
your goals? Do you want to own a shop one day?
Do you want to be the best barber in Kansas City?
Do you want to be a social media sensation? What
are the things that you want to do? What are
your goals? And allow, you know, be that shop
owner that helps them get there. You know, because
it’s like, it should be a mutually beneficial
situation. Right, right. You know what I’m saying?
It shouldn’t be just about, oh, I need to collect
this boot frame. Yeah, take, take, take. Right.
So I warn a lot of… My students about those
type of shops is like, you know, you get into
a shop that may have a lot of walk -ins and you
are making money hand over fist. But what, what
are you learning? You know what I’m saying? Like,
like understand is like the money is only going
to get you so far. You want to make sure that
you’re growing and make sure you’re learning.
So put yourself in an environment or in a barbershop
that has a culture that is conducive to growth
and those type of things. So that’s what. Um,
and, and, um, and a mouthful kind of what the
bevel, that’s how the bevel got shaped, seeing,
seeing the gaps and feeling, trying to be in
a position to fill those gaps. And it’s great,
great model, great vision for the model, great
way to set yourself apart. Um, and, and, you
know, help, help the next generation as well.
Tell me about the, the, the feel of the place
because, uh, you know, I, I. watching an interview
um with with you there was a video interview
and it was shot at the at the bevel and i’m i’m
looking around like oh no that’s not that’s a
that’s a stuff that’s a set that’s a that’s a
movie set is what you’ve done what what is the
feel that when when you walk in there uh it’s
it’s an upscale experience you come in you you
see what you’re paying for and now don’t get
me wrong my price point is not i’m not that barbaric
i’m like oh you know it’s a hundred bucks a cut.
No, that’s not. Here’s the thing. Cause like
I told you, I’m a, I’m a, I’m a businessman too.
So I understand it’s like, I look at the highest,
you know, the highest price point. I look at
the lowest price point and make sure that we
are perishing into that. You know, I always say
like, here’s the thing right quick before we
also get into the experience. A lot of barbers
make the mistake. And when they start cutting
these celebrities, They start charging these
high prices. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t knock
anybody’s hustle. Don’t get me wrong. But at
the same time, you have to think. If Patrick
Mahomes right now goes into, and that’s just
an example. I’m not pointing anybody out. If
Patrick Mahomes goes into McDonald’s right now.
Do you think he’s going to pay more for a cheeseburger
than everybody else is? No, he’s not. That’s
fair. Or let’s say want a burger because that’s
his thing. True, true. Better example. Better
example. So he’s going to pay the same amount
as everybody else. So why are you raising your
prices for one person and you’re forgetting about
the other people that have supported you the
whole way? So fast forward to say is like, you
know, when you come in the bevel, it’s an experience.
You know, the chairs are. Every every every detail
that I put into the shop is one for one a reflection
of myself and to something that I feel like that
a client would appreciate. From the chairs to
the hot towel service, to the steam facials,
to the steam shaves, to the to the greetings
when you walk in, to the experience when booking.
So you can come in as a walk in or you can book
online. So it depends on your flow of life. However
you your your life is to where it’s like, man,
I can’t my life is so busy right now. I just
have to walk. OK, that we have opportunities
for that. We have packages to where if you want
to buy, you know, you know, say that’s kind
of kind of exaggerating, but maybe haircuts.
You can there’s packages where you can buy those
things and, you know, you don’t have to worry
about you book. You already it’s already paid
for. You book your appointment or you walk in.
Boom, you’re done. You don’t have to worry about
it. And those I’m actually working with other
businesses to help kind of bring incentives to
those packages. So there’s going to be have a
friend of mine or a frat brother that has his
own command cigars. They’re going to be available
cigars. They’re not necessarily inside the shop,
but there’s going to be outdoor seating to where
if you want to sit outside, smoke cigar while
you wait for your cut and you can do that. There’s
going to be beverages. um you know maybe a cocktail
you know a gonna be a free cocktail there’s equal
money cafe next door if you want to get a coffee
um there’s discounts on that um in good company
there’s a social social bar um a membership to
where if you want to go there there’s discounts
for being a bevel member um tough club there’s
um there’s you know when working with these different
to where we can kind of cross market. Yeah, great
tie -ins. You know what I’m saying? So I think
about one thing that I’ve learned just in being
an entrepreneur and just dealing with a lot of
the people that have invested in a lot of incubator
communities that I’ve been a part of is that
you have to have an avatar. What is your target
audience? Right, right. You know, who are you
shooting for? Because it’s like you… You’re
shooting in the dark, but you don’t know who
you’re aiming for. So I understand that my age
demographic is and up, to so those
type of things. I understand that a lot of my
clients, they smoke cigars. I know a lot of my
clients like to hang out in social lounges. I
know a lot of my clients like to work out. So
I think about different businesses that will
tie in to the Bevel brand. That we can also help
each other out. It’s like, hey, this is a community.
So I think of Black Wall Street, kind of how
they helped cultivate that community. And it
was done by some help supporting each other.
Right. You know, if you have a tailor business,
hey, and you have suits and you have a customer
who has suits, you’re going to send them my way
because, you know. You know that I’m a good in
my profession. You know, I’m good at what I do.
And if you have an ice cream shop and I know
a man who come to get his suits has has kids
and they’re trying to look at something to do.
I’m going to send them some of your shop to get
ice cream. So it’s just a cross marketing thing
where we can help each other build a community
of successful entrepreneurs. So that’s really
encompasses a lot of what the bevel is about.
It’s the bevel itself. is a lot of people don’t
know is the edge of the razor so um not affiliated
necessarily with the brand um i came up with
that um because i was looking through uh my my
barber book and i seen hmm bevel well that has
a ring to it and i saw that it was it’s incorporated
being that you you’re you’re the edge is part
of the sharpest part of the razor so you bevel
an edge out to make it sharp so i’m like hmm
Iron sharpens iron. That makes sense. So that
makes sense of what my goals are and what The
Bevel is about. The Bevel is sharpening your
mind, body, and spirit. So that’s really the
big experience, the whole experience in a nutshell.
It’s a great experience, and it’s definitely
one that you’ve thought through. You’ve put some
thought into it. You’ve built a community around
a target audience even, right, and supported
the community around it. really in -depth concept
that you’ve built. And I’ve noticed that we still
can’t take the IT person out of that equation
because you’re wearing a set of Ray -Bans right
now that, if I’m not mistaken, have a couple
cameras in them as well. These are the newest
of the tech glasses, aren’t they? Yes, I am also
a tech nerd. So it’s funny because I’m an artist
and a tech nerd. No, sometimes or either one
or the other. Right, right. You continue to embrace
that the entire time. Yeah. So I just, you know,
I feel like, no, God, I went through the things
that I went through. It’s nothing wasted. So
the things that I’ve learned in technology, I’ve
incorporated into the bevel, you know, making
the experience more. uh make the experience better
you know when it comes to online booking right
um understanding like okay what’s the more convenient
way for that um when it comes to content with
the glasses i mean these are these are so dope
when they came out with it and i’ve seen like
how the the you know kind of the pov of of different
things that they were doing like like a commercial
just saw people you know riding bikes and doing
snowboards i’m like man look I could use this
cutting hair. Like, cause like a lot of barbers,
they, you know, that put a content, they have
almost like a first person, like through your
eyes. Right. Right. Perspective. Yeah. Perspective
of cutting hair. So I’m like, well, I could do
that with the glasses and I can have my hands
free. And, and it was so dope about it. Cause
when I record the, the, the video is so clear
and it goes straight to your phone. So when I
get done recording, I can look at my phone once
it gets to downloading, and I can get on my different
apps that I use and upload a video right then
and there if I wanted to. It’s a fascinating
new world for tech. I’m super excited about it.
I’m glad you’re wearing those. Those are the
first set I’ve seen, like, in the wild. So that’s
good times. These are, especially what you guys
do. Yeah. Oh, my God. you can talk on here um
like the there’s a speaker in here and it goes
into your ear it’s it’s crazy the technology
is so clear and people can hear you and though
and you can listen to music you can be sitting
here listening to music i’ll be sitting listening
to music right now just like oh yeah but you
know It’s, man, the technology is amazing. Well,
it’s official. While you answer the next question,
I’m going to update my wish list right now. That’s
going to be good. Let me go ahead and dive into
another question, though, about your journey
as an entrepreneur. Because one of the things
I picked up on that podcast that I was listening
to from you was that you view each day as an
entrepreneur as a faith walk. And I’m curious
your thoughts on that. So that is the best way
in a nutshell that I can give somebody the experience
or tell somebody what the experience of being
an entrepreneur. It’s a faith walk. I’m a believer.
And, you know, I feel like God has had his hand
on everything that I do. And sometimes we don’t
understand why. You know, why did I have to be
in corporate America for years? and then then
be a barber you know why couldn’t i have saw
this when i was you know because i see you
see some like no matter what profession you do
because like speaking as a barber i see so many
barbers that have been successful or in places
that i would love to be and they’ve been in the
industry a lot longer than i have like man why
didn’t i see that back then but that’s that wasn’t
god’s path for me he wanted me to understand
and learn certain things i do believe that The
things that we go through are not about us. You
know, we feel like, oh, man, woe is me. I mean,
to me, speaking to myself, I feel like that’s
selfish. It’s about how you help somebody not
go through what you went through. So, you know,
when it comes to being faith, you know, each
day you don’t understand what decision can make
you. A decision can be the right one. A decision
can be the wrong one. But you have to have faith
that everything is going to work out for your
good. You know, everything is going to work out
no matter what, no matter what it looks like
in front of you. I always say, don’t let the
circumstances of your situation affect the outcome
of your life. So whatever is in front of you,
it’s going to be OK. Think about the things that
you’ve been through before that. Like, you know,
everybody goes through hard times and you just
understand it’s like you’ve been through hard.
It may not be that exact moment, but you’ve been
through something hard before. So think about
how you got through that. It’s going to pass.
And I know it’s not easy. It’s easier said than
done. Like I like to compare it to like breaking
your leg. You know, when you break your leg,
it hurts like heck. Yes. You know what I’m saying?
But, you know, eventually it’s going to heal.
But as you’re going through that process, it
sucks. Yeah. But eventually it heals. You know,
so it’s just those type of things. Understanding
that eventually whatever you’re going to go through,
you’re going to heal through it. So that’s why
I feel like an entrepreneur is because. It’s
going to be times where you’re going to be uncomfortable.
If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing.
Right, right. Let me dive into the uncomfortable
part, and if you’re ready for it, I’ll take you
into the lightning round because I had a question
about being uncomfortable for the lightning round.
You have no way to know what I might ask in the
lightning round, but one of the things I wanted
to talk about was embracing uncomfortable. You’ve
said before on an interview that you embrace
being uncomfortable because it means you’re growing.
But but so many times we, you know, go through
something uncomfortable and it’s, you know, I’m
anything from a small thing like I’m going to
a networking event and I’m uncomfortable around
people or something like that. And so I’m uncomfortable.
And a lot of times humans will say, all right,
that’s it. I’m uncomfortable. Let me not do that
anymore. But, you know, you have have learned
to embrace that uncomfortability. And kind of,
you know, look at that as a growth opportunity.
Just kind of how did you eventually learn to
go, oh, you know, uncomfortable is really not
a bad thing. Uncomfortable is a good thing. When
I understood that being just through people that
I’m connected with, that’s one thing. And I would
say always have a mentor. That’s crucial. Being
successful, there’s a few key things when it
comes to being successful. And having a mentor
is one of them. Have somebody in your life that
can pour into you, that can tell you, it’s like,
I know it’s uncomfortable right now, but you
have to keep going. Instead of, you know, because
when we get in our own head, uncomfortableness
for us is like, as a human nature, it’s like,
oh, well, I’m good. So I learned it once. Once
somebody started pouring into me and I started
seeing like, yeah, this was uncomfortable, but
I made it through it. Yeah. I’ve been through
some uncomfortable situations. I mean, personally
and professionally. And but I’ve made it through
and better for it on the outside, on the outcome.
So it helped me to key in on being brave. you
know um practicing bravery is like like going
back to what i said before it’s like no matter
what it looks like no matter what you’re going
you be brave you take if you’re in a even you’re
if you’re an introvert and networking is not
your you know comfort zone is like you hate you
you have to step you have to be brave it all
it all it takes is stepping and singing hot yeah
that’s it hey how you doing my name is such and
such That’s it. You start it off and then you
build from there. You say you first you say,
hi, my name is such and such. Then you say, hi,
my name is such and such. And my business is
this. Then you say, oh, but the thing is, like
sometimes when we do that and we mess up the
first time we do it, it’s like, oh, man, I suck
at this. I’m terrible. I’m not going to do this
anymore. But it’s like you have to support first
time may suck. You may stumble and you may stutter.
You may those type of thing. But eventually once
you meet that. Second person, third person, maybe
th, maybe th person. After that, all of
a sudden, it starts to flow. Like this right
now, this is what I’m doing right now with guys
leaving me where I’ve been through the different
podcasts. At one point in time, that was so uncomfortable
for me. Right, right. But I started getting comfort
into it. Understanding is just a conversation.
There’s a growth metaphor in there somewhere.
I’m pretty sure. I’m pretty sure there’s a growth
metaphor. You mentioned a mentor. Did you have
a teacher or a mentor in your past who gave you
some bit of advice that sticks with you to this
day and just is always there and you go back
to it again and again? One thing, I have a mentor.
His name is Paul Kopeck. He was a part of the
network opportunity that I was telling you about.
And one thing he always said, if you treat your
business like a business, it’s going to pay you
like a business. If you treat your business like
a hobby, it’s going to pay you like a hobby.
So you have to treat your business like a business
if you want to be successful. That is solid advice
right there. Let me dive in. I talk more about
food on this podcast than I probably should.
Everybody eats. Everybody eats. We want to know
more about you. We all have that food memory
from our past that we look back to, and it’s
either a meal that we keep going back to because
it’s comforting or it’s a bite that we’re searching
for that we had at a restaurant one time, one
place. Do you have a food memory that is like,
I loved that, and if I could eat that thing again,
that’d be great? Man, my go to I’m Kansas City
born and raised. So barbecue is my that’s my
Achilles heel. So it’s that’s that’s thing. So
I always that is my that is my comfort zone in
a sense. So I I grew up around this barbecue
place called Elsie’s Barbecue. Oh, Elsie’s. Sure,
sure. Yeah. So every time I get a chance to.
Anytime I get a chance to, I’m always going back
there to get some of their burnt ends, some of
the fries. I mean, their fries are amazing. There’s
hand -cut fries. Oh, my God. When I was a kid,
I would walk up there just to get a basket full
of fries. He’s like, oh, you wanted some fries?
I was like, yeah. Yes. So, yeah, I mean, that’s
the thing that kind of sticks out to me is just
LCs. The barbecue is, it’s, it’s, it’s definitely
a kept secret in Kansas city. Most people think
about, you know, Arthur Brines or either the
classics, you know, or, or the new classics and
the ones that are tremendously popular. Right.
So I tell people, I said, depending on how long
you’re in Kansas city, like how far you want
to go, I can get, I can get you some right, some
right places. So I always, always have LC’s is
always in that isn’t in my top, top five. It’s
good to, it’s, that’s a solid top right there.
How do you celebrate a big win? Let’s imagine
that it’s either something about the business
that you’re really celebrating or it could be
being a small business superstar or some personal
goal for the family. How do you celebrate that?
I would say that I’m getting better at that,
but I have been bad at that. I just, I don’t
know. That’s that for me is an uncomfortable
zone because I don’t want it to be about me.
Oh, sure. So I wanted to sell it. So to me, when
I’ve in the past and sometimes I have to get
out of, I want to celebrate it in different ways,
but I celebrate it by what’s the next goal. I’ve
accomplished this. It was next. You know, you
know that, you know, I was uncomfortable and
I made it through that. OK, what’s next? So I
need to, you know, find better. probably better
ways to celebrate those things. And, um, but
you know, I, that, that’s kind of what I’ve,
I’ve done in the past. I noticed when we talked
to people on, on this show, entrepreneurs, um,
they, they fall into two camps of, um, you know,
I, Oh, here’s how I celebrate. I do this. It’s
a, it’s a cigar. It’s a glass of, you know, tequila
that’s amazing or something like that. Um, and
then you have the other side of the coin where
it’s. Or, you know, hey, we go out for family
time and we have a celebratory dinner or something.
And the other side of the coin seems to be, oh,
I really should stop and celebrate more. Because
it’s always, and I’m on to the next thing and
on to the next thing. And we really don’t stop
and go, hey, you know something? I did a great
thing. I need to, let’s pause and reflect on
that. So, you know, there are two schools that
I’ve found on this one. Yeah. And I admire people
that, you know, that do have the things, the
celebratory things that they do. And like I said,
that’s something that I’m working on. Just shows
my imperfections. You know, I do need to celebrate
more like stuff that we do as a family. And I
do individually. I feel like it’s almost like
a record. I’m doing it because it’s a regular
thing that we do. Oh, sure. You know, we go out,
we, you know, have good times. We go to festivals.
You know, we go to restaurants or, you know,
I’ll have a cigar or, you know, I’ll have, you
know, my favorite beverage or things of that
nature. So the things that I do on a regular
basis. So, you know, or we go out of town, those
type of things. So it just for me, I guess I
need to plan more around doing the things that
help celebrate. the accomplishments that we have.
Well, it sounds like you’re living life, you
know, right anyway, no matter, no matter what’s
going on. I’m going to end it with this question.
And, and it really is just kind of throwing some,
some credit your way as well, because you, your
volunteerism and giving back to the community.
We talked about, you know, just the, from the
business side where you’re, you’re, you know,
making some kind of partnerships with, with the
local businesses around you that are also serving
your clientele. You volunteer. You’ve been a
wish granter for Make -A -Wish. You’re a Jedi
board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters. What
does giving back mean to you, and how do you
choose where to give back? The places I choose
to give back to are places that I feel like I
can impact the most, whether it be through barbering.
It’s been the most part. That’s one of the reasons
why I’ve joined the board. Big brothers, big
sisters, because we’re working on a program to
where the littles can, you know, get their haircut
at the shop for no cost. Because a lot of littles
there, they come from single parent homes. And,
you know, being a single parent home, you know,
haircut can cost a lot, you know. And one thing
I always say is that, you know, we as barbers,
we’re a part of the most important part of our
apartment. Excuse me. We’re a part of the most
important moments of people’s lives. So, you
know, your proms, your interviews, you know,
that first date, those type of things. So you
want to have that confidence when you step into
those environments and those places. So what
better to be in as far as going to your barbershop
to make sure that you have that built confidence.
It’s like, oh, yeah, I look good. I feel good.
So it brings a different presence to you when
you, you know, in those type. um, uh, different
events. So, um, so yeah, how, how can impact
pack the most, um, when it comes to the different
things that I’m accomplishing. And I like that,
um, that, that, uh, big brothers, big sisters,
they have already have a program of mine and
they have connected with a certain community.
I don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Uh, cause
my wife right now is actually working on a
C three to where we can have a barber school
and things of that nature. Right. So until then,
I want to connect with different organization
nonprofits that we can help in a sense with.
And as far as the barbering is concerned, the
I Am Foundation is another awesome organization
that I’ve helped with when it comes to helping
cutting some of their teenagers when it comes
to getting interviews and things of that nature.
I’m also, I mentioned it before, I’m in a fraternity.
I’m Alpha Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. So we
have a lot of different events that we do to
where I incorporate the Bevel into a lot of the
different events that we have. So how can I impact
the most when it comes to those organizations?
That’s kind of where I connect with when it comes
to those type of things. It’s a great thing.
I will take you out of the lightning round with
that question. Great answer. Though I do think
maybe. Are you afraid that you’re spoiling the
youth of today by giving them such an amazing
luxury experience as one of their first things?
They don’t know any different. You can’t just
spring luxury on them like this. Well, I set
the bar. So if they go to another barbershop,
they’re like, what is this? Why am I here? I
got to wait two hours for a haircut? What? No.
This is preposterous. Outstanding. Well, if somebody
wants to get a hold of you, if somebody needs
to book online, where do they go? Where would
you send them if they want to know more about
Bevel Grooming Lounge? Okay, great. I’m on most,
if not all, social platforms. That goes back
to my tech side of things. That’s right. Facebook,
social media, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,
actually. Twitter on a little bit. I’m not really
on that as much. And TikTok. But the main place
to go to is TheBevelKC .com. That’s where anybody
can go in, book an appointment, kind of see what
The Bevel’s about, you know, see upcoming events,
those type of things. So definitely TheBevelKC.
But I do understand the times. It’s So
the best place to connect with people is where?
On their phone, right? So I understand the power
of social media, and that’s the power of marketing
through social media. So I do focus on trying
to promote within there a lot. So, yeah. All
right. That’s how they get it going. We will
look for you there. Casie Murff, entrepreneur
and master barber, thanks for being with us today.
No, thank you for the opportunity. Appreciate
it. And that is our show. Thanks to our guest,
Casie Murff. And thank you for listening to the
Small Business Miracles podcast. Remember to
subscribe, leave us a five -star rating and review.
Drop us a line on the website at eagadv .com
if you have any thoughts. Until then, we’ll be
out here helping entrepreneurs with another small
business miracle.