Bryan Brock is an accomplished Canadian entrepreneur who grows small business ventures – as well as communities – through a mix of passion and financial flexibility.
Bryan Brock is a Toronto-based serial entrepreneur who has found success as a business owner thanks to his creativity, know-how and a passion for building communities. Over the past ten-plus years, he has played a key role in defining Toronto’s reputation as a world-class city through his lifestyle brand, 1 LOVE T.O. He is also co-owner of a unique barbershop, The Fitting Room, the founder of a brand-building consultation service, Successfully Broke, and serves as Creative Director for the OVO Sound R&B duo DVSN.
To say you wear many hats is an understatement. Can you tell us about your career path?
As a kid I loved drawing and listening to music. Actually, a lot of my artwork was developed through my passion for music. I found myself merging the two, while designing mixtape covers and selling them in high school. I quickly realized that I could channel my passions into a mini business venture. So, by Grade 9 I had a graphic design business, by Grade 10 I ran a streetwear clothing line, and by Grade 11 I was deejaying and hosting events. While my friends were hanging out and doing normal teenager things, I was teaching myself about budgeting, invoicing and what it takes to finance and run a small business.
The Fitting Room is one of your latest business ventures. Why did you decide to open a barbershop?
All of my projects are born out of my passion for community. I want to make people feel special and promote inclusiveness rather than exclusivity. The underlying theme of my career is that I love to bring people together. Yes, the barbershop is a service business, but it’s really a community hub – a social place where people feel comfortable and leave feeling even better than when they came in.
It’s obvious that your focus on community is a big part of your success. What else can you attribute to your business growth?
Having financial flexibility has been the key to our expansion. It has enabled us to reinvest in The Fitting Room and provide a better customer experience. Just recently, we were able to update our lighting and purchase new furniture. We were also able to build an outdoor event space that added another 250 square feet to our footprint – it’s an incredible patio space where we now host client events, plus it also serves as an extra space for clients to relax. It’s been amazing to see the impact these moves have had on our business. Today, we’re booked solid almost every single day and have been able to grow and expand our business exponentially.
What impact does financial flexibility have on your business decisions now?
I love starting new businesses and I’m very passionate about the projects I get to work on. When we opened The Fitting Room I was by no means an expert in the industry, but my partner, a Master Barber, and I put our heads together to create something special, that we both felt wasn’t already out there.
Having financial flexibility gives me the opportunity to explore new ventures without having to pull out money for myself. I’ve had a lot of experience over the years and I always advise entrepreneurs to put as much money as they can back into their business. Do whatever you can to reinvest in your business and in your staff/team before you reinvest in yourself.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs looking to get off the ground or expand their business?
Stop talking about it and just do it. If you never take action you are never going to learn and you are never going to be given opportunities to grow. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail – get back up and start again.
Also, be true to yourself and don’t forget where your passions lie. People who do things for the wrong reasons inevitably fail. Do what feels right and trust your gut.
This content was provided by American Express. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved in its creation.