Meet Chris Bond

“I want to be a business man like him when I grow up.” That’s what I would tell myself. Yet, all I could manage to do was get behind in my studies, I failed third grade and was held back, I was called dumb and stupid. My life was the complete opposite of what I dreamed.

My physical looks were awkward. I was called big head and big nose for most of my childhood. But then it happened. I grew up! All of sudden, confidence started to develop as I matured into a teen. I started taking interest in my hair and wanting to groom and wear designer clothes. I started opening my mouth and speaking up for myself.  If a kid cracked on me, I cracked back, but my crack was much more creative and funnier. I started winning the crowd as a funny guy, and then a handsome guy. Then girls started wanting to know who Chris Bond was.

In my young adult years, I wanted to settle down and have the “Cosby Life”. Yes, at 21, I wanted a family, so I could be that successful Dad with the wife and kids. This was my goal, but how could I do that if I was fired from every job I had because I wasn’t good enough. It seemed like I was starting all over again with puberty. I couldn’t keep my cash register together. I was either over or under. I was missing details and making costly mistakes to companies. What I did have, was a strong likability to win people and make people feel good around me. They trusted me. Since I couldn’t keep a job, the next option was to work for myself; but what would I do? My Dad said “Chris. you need to get into Real Estate.”

I never wanted to do real estate. It seemed boring to me. After all, that’s what he did and he stayed away from home a lot, but the money was good. I decided to go for it. Nothing else was working. My father gave me the money to go to real estate school. I remember the instructor saying, “Chris will make a lot of money in real estate. You know why? Because you tell great stories and you make people laugh.” So, I passed the exams and went into real estate and did very well. 10 years, I grew my business to broker level, mostly helping self-employed hair stylist and barbers get into homes. They didn’t keep good paperwork, but they always deposited their money, and at that time, bank stubs and good credit got you in homes. I was a hit with the industry and my name traveled through the salons and barbershops as that guy who can get you in a house.

Then it hit: the big banking collapse. I lost big time. It was time to look for another career and I didn’t have to look far. A friend I sold a home to was a hair distributor for many professional hair care lines and needed help servicing the area. He asked if I could help him with his business until my real estate business got back on track. I said yes. I needed the cash flow. After all, I’m used to making $10k a month and thought this opportunity would help me weather the storm until the industry bounced back.

Servicing the beauty industry was humbling for me. I was used to selling half-million dollar homes, and I was reduced to selling shampoo and conditioner. I was used to driving my 430 E class Mercedes and went to driving a minivan. It was a humbling process. Imagine the doctors and professors to whom you sold dream homes seeing you in a raggedy, rusty, and noisy minivan loaded down with boxes of hair care products.

I got very bored with selling products on a route Monday –Saturday. I needed something to do with my overly-creative mind. I found a niche between the hair clients and the professional hair artists. The world was moving into technology of websites and social media. These hair artists had no clue what was coming. But I knew because this was how I marketed myself. I started paying attention to branding in the beauty industry–or the lack thereof.  I decided I would help develop the brands of hair artists with personal cards, marketing materials, flyers, and postcards. I also helped them get acclimated to social media.

I started a hair talk show entitled “I Just Got My Hair Did” to share their stories over media outlets like webcast and radio. I wanted to bring the industry to a platform to showcase their skills so I partnered with Tanya Davis to create a host of events for the industry. We created Hair Battles, networking events, and showcases. I created a media group called Symmetry Media Group to do photo shoots and I taught myself graphic designs. I learned from YouTube how to create videos and design business cards and logos. From 2009 until now I have fallen in love with every aspect of the beauty industry: from Hair to fashion.  Everywhere I go now, I’m known as “the branding guy”. “He can get your name out there, you better connect with Chris. He’s a branding genius.”

My newest endeavor is called BRANDCOCKY. Brand cocky is about being confident in your personal brand. Bringing awareness to how you perceive your work and how other perceive you. Taking responsibility for owning your space in the market place. It has taken me to an elevated place in the industry. I am called on to teach classes and booked to host conferences, hair fashion shows, and do social media campaigns. I help my clients with marketing strategies and beauty industry brands all over.

I have worked hard to overcome the fears of the shy and unconfident boy who couldn’t sell a candy bar, to be a branding consultant for some of the hardest working professionals in the world. I have much to learn, but I know my purpose and direction.