Celebrity Hairstylist Kim Kimble Talks the Challenges of Entrepreneurship and Season 4 of ‘LA Hair’

Celebrity hairstylist, Kim Kimble, is gearing up for her 4th season of LA Hair on WeTV. The show documents Kimble’s flourishing salon business as she fights to stay on top of her industry.

When it came to choosing a career, the talented Kimble wasn’t always focused on hair. Originally, she wanted to make her mark on the fashion industry. After realizing how creative and satisfying salon life could be, Kim decided to change lanes.

“I wanted to explore and experiment with different looks,” said Kimble. “And working in the entertainment industry that’s exactly what I get to do.â€

As the owner of Kimble Hair Studio, Kim is known for her fierce, no-nonsense attitude, and her elaborate beauty ideas. She runs a tight-shop and expects nothing but the best from her stylists.

BlackEnterprise.com caught up with the entrepreneur and full-time mom to talk how she became a stylist, the challenges she’s faced while launching her many business ventures, and what fans can expect from the new season of LA Hair.

BlackEnterprise.com: When did you first decide that you wanted to become a celebrity stylist?

Kimble: I originally wanted to be a fashion designer and went to beauty college because I planned to pay my way through fashion school by doing hair. But once I got a taste of how creative hair-styling could be, I was hooked. The styling at the hair shows was amazing and I realized I wanted to do something like that. That’s probably where I first started thinking about being a celebrity hairstylist, because that would give me the most opportunity to play and be creative.

As an entrepreneur, what are three major challenges you’ve faced and how did you overcome them?

My first biggest challenge was that as a young stylist no one would hire me. I graduated from beauty college, and wanted to get experience assisting at certain salons in Los Angeles, and they would tell me that they just didn’t see any potential. That was devastating to hear, but it just made me want it more. I knew that the only way to ensure that I would never succeed was to give up, so I worked even harder. I took more hair cutting classes, more hair coloring classes, and started developing my own extensions. The only place I could get hired was a barbershop, and I built my clientele from the men sending me their wives, girlfriends, and moms when they saw that I could do hair.

Another major challenge was when I opened up my first salon. I had all the passion in the world, but I didn’t know about some of the more practical things involved in actually leasing a space and setting up shop. There are a lot of details and costs that I didn’t necessarily think about at first, and so I didn’t do things in the most efficient way. So that was a learning experience for me, and it was just something I had to go through to get that practical knowledge.

My most recent challenge has been in expanding my haircare product lines. I have big dreams and big ideas, but building the infrastructure within the company to a place where we are prepared to sell products on a national level has been another huge learning experience. Most hairstylists are hustlers, but designing and selling a product line calls for another set of skills entirely. I’ve had to learn how to be a businessperson, and I think the real key to success in that arena is to gather a great team together. From marketing and PR to financial advisors, you want to build a solid foundation with people whose experience you can trust.

How do you plan to take your salon to the next level?

When people come to the Kimble Hair Studio, they expect a VIP experience, and that’s absolutely what I want to give them. So in taking the salon to that next level, we’re really focusing on not only providing a quality service that will send the client out into the world with fabulous hair, but we’re also working to provide all those little amenities that elevate the experience to something more like a spa day. We want to pamper our clients so that they’re able to relax and really enjoy their time with us. We also do peer-training sessions at the salon so that the Team Kimble stylists are always learning and expanding their knowledge to ensure that clients benefit from the latest techniques, and knowledge of the most up-to-date trends.

What can we expect from the new season of LA Hair?

Drama, honey. No. Of course there’s always drama, but I’m more interested in showcasing the hair and we’ve got some great hairstyles this season. I’ve created a line of customizable extensions called Hairdrobe, so it’s all about creating big, beautiful styles, and really showcasing the versatility and fun that you can have with your hair. We’ve also got some really fantastic clients, so I think that will be a lot of fun for the viewers.