Meet Fes Russell | Franchise Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fes Russell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fes, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I personally feel that the success of this Franchise as a whole is elevated by the level of customer service we offer to our customer base.

As a Franchisee running the West Hollywood location, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to uphold brand standards in order to ensure satisfaction for each and every person that walks through our doors. What sets us apart from other similar establishments is that we personally engage with our membership base as well as newcomers. As the owner, I am on site to make sure I know each of our members on a personal level. I enjoy engaging with everyone and in turn, I find that our customers are extremely loyal and want come back and see us!

All and all, I see this business as much more than a building that offers services, but instead, a house of relationships. The more relationships we have, the more longevity we gain.

What should our readers know about your business?
Hammer & Nails actually originated on the TV series, Shark Tank where the founder, Michael Elliot pitched the idea for the ultimate man cave where men can sit back, relax and enjoy manicures and pedicures the way females always have. While he did not strike a deal on the show, he saw the vision through and took it upon himself to open up shop on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA.

Fast forward to 2018, the Melrose location closed, but in turn, they franchised the brand and locations began opening up all around Southern California with one major addition… Barbering services as well as a more advanced membership model. Today, we stand 31 locations strong across all regions of the United States with intentions of 75 shops open by the end of 2024.

What sets us apart from others is quite simple. We create an environment that men didn’t know existed and make men’s grooming cool and exciting. We’ve built a man cave and it has everything you’d expect and more. You get your own TV and remote, top of the line noise canceling headphones, no bright lights shining in your face, a complimentary beer, or one with a nice smooth finish, if you’d like (and who wouldn’t)? Every seat you kick back in is custom crafted to our specifications with your comfort being priority number one. Whether it’s the all black, classic barber chair, the hand-fabricated seats in our reception area or the oversized and oversized leather chairs in the hand and foot grooming room, your gonna feel like a modern-day king. And, you can get an amazing manicure, pedicure, haircut, shave, facial or wax to get you on point.

Getting to where we are at now certainly wasn’t easy. My mother and I took over the West Hollywood location during the end of COVID in October, 2021 where times were extremely tough for the grooming industry as a collective whole. Hiring was near impossible and gaining the trust of the public was a consistent struggle. We stuck it out though and eventually everything took a turn for the best and we slowly but surely grew our business through local marketing tactics and brought the excitement back to West Hollywood. Simultaneously, the franchise began to gain some attention and other locations started to open up around the nation, which in turn gave us more recognition.

Before my time in the Grooming Industry, I was an assistant at a top 4 entertainment talent agency and kicked my career off in the mailroom as one does. Working my way up, I hustled to build connections and attended as many concerts and events as I could. After working 5 years in that business, I decided that enough was enough and a career change was in the cards. After some serious conversations about my next steps, my mother and I decided to partner up in a business and determined that Franchising would make the most sense. We researched many different opportunities, but eventually fell in love with the concept of Hammer & Nails based off a mere Google search. We thought to ourselves.. “How cool is this!” there is really nothing else like it out there.

My time in the corporate world has shaped my business mind as well as my work ethic and I recommend that to anybody, but the real learning curve came day-to-day when faced with real time decision making in regards to customers and employees. As a 28 year old business owner and operator, you naturally mature very fast and adjust to your new environment and responsibilities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
After living in LA for nearly 8 years on various parts of town, I feel like I have gotten to see and experience a lot! If my best friend were to come into town, we would definitely kick the week with some smash burgers at my favorite spot in Hollywood called Chris n Eddy’s. We would spend the day at Venice beach with friends and grab dinner ocean side before going out to Jameson’s for beers in the evening!

We would have to hit a Laker game or Rams game depending on the season and can’t pass up on a hike for those classic LA views. The Comedy Store is a must as well as well as some late night dancing at The Blind Tiger. There is never enough time though.. so much to do here!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate the success of our business to my very owner mother, Kris Russell. She is my business partner, mentor and I could not take on this job without her!

Website: https://hammerandnailsgrooming.com/location/west-hollywood/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hammerandnails_weho

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fesrussell/

Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/lIWw3Q-_pbPLWsXAnk11ZQ

Image Credits
No credits required. Fes Russell