Rising Stars: Meet Ryan Dietiker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Dietiker.

Hi Ryan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from Paul Mitchell Cosmetology School in 2012 and I worked in a salon for a year. I quickly realized I truly enjoyed men’s and short hair styling and started my journey in self-education. During this time, I worked for a cosmetology school as a Sales and Service Desk Manager doing hair in the evening and honing my skills. In this transition period, I fell in love with education and retail management. I would teach classes on men’s hair for the students. Cosmetology schools typically fall short on barbering techniques and short hair soft skills. In 2016 I started Forefathers Grooming as an on-site company for weddings and events for men. I quickly realized that consistency was lacking with lighting, water, seating, and overall the exemplary experience I wanted to give my clients on the most important day of their lives. We searched for a venue that could accommodate large groups.

In November of 2017, we opened what will be our flagship location, a dually licensed barbershop and cosmetology establishment in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Offering employment to both barbers and stylists that want more from the industry. I have 20 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality business, which lead me to installing a bar and a lounge area for clients to enjoy a beverage with their friends as they wait for their appointments. This also allowed us the opportunity to have an expansive space for wedding groups or events that we hold within the community. I wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere that cultivates conversation and friendship.

We quickly became a go-to place for beards along with haircuts as word-of-mouth spread about our attention to detail, appointment-based business model, and experience-based customer service. The ethos of our brand has been culture and education-driven. With high standards set for our team we can effectively deliver high-quality experiences for our clients. We educate every client in the chair on maintenance, styling, product, and the why behind what works for their hair or beard. My mission has been to bring the career idea back to the barbershop. Or, at least the idea that this can be a sustainable career option with growth and opportunities just like any other high-paying career. We promote growth within the company along with a scalable business model for staff. This equates to better service for our devoted clients along with consistency as a long-term patron.

As we grew tremendously over the past 4 years, we noticed early on we had clientele from all walks of life coming into our establishment. Even though we advertised to males inadvertently with beards and fades we welcomed anyone that was in search of a better experience. Therefore, we made the conscious shift in 2020 to go genderless and change our outward appearance, branding, and client guidance to be fluid. We are a company in search of team members and clients alike that welcome everyone into their circles. Individuals that may not belong to a certain group, don’t always feel welcomed in a typical barbershop/salon setting and feel like they can’t find their fit can comfortably call us home.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
What a fantastic question!

In the road of life and business, both are similar when we discuss struggles. I’ve learned growth always lives on the other side of fear and hardship. In our first year of opening, we quickly found out the Van dyke corridor was being closed down to one lane for re-pavement, widening, and new easements. Unfortunately, this meant that we only had access to our establishment through our side entrance on Riverland for three months and limited access to our main entrance on Van Dyke for the duration of eight months. This was very tough as a new business so we tried to get creative and diligent on becoming that hidden gem of Sterling Heights. The “place” to go for stellar service and personality alike. Afterward, we had an amazing new road with plenty of traffic to discover.

2020 came in like a wrecking ball. As we saw other businesses affected, we realized we were also not immune. We made the difficult but responsible choice to close our doors for 90 days as our community navigated Covid-19. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. To ease our minds, we stayed busy. We decided to do a refresh and remodel of our interior to make the flow and comfort much better for our guests and staff. It was an amazing opportunity to have the necessary time to commit to every detail of our upgrade. We stayed cost efficient by doing most of the work ourselves. The outcome was something every team member could be proud of as they all helped create the new atmosphere. We lost a whole quarter of revenue but gained plenty of memories and got even closer as a team. Socially distanced and masked of course.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Myself as an individual, specialize in growing stylists behind the chair. To create an opportunity to cultivate growth whether that be inside our walls or in their personal life. I love leadership and helping others overcome obstacles they inadvertently set for themselves. I focus on positivity and forward-thinking with my team daily.

I believe our work stands out in our community. We have become most known for our beard work and atmosphere. A tremendous community of loyal individuals that love the attention to detail and education our team provides. It hasn’t ever been just a cut or beard trim for me. Its passion and connection with our clients and allowing relationships to grow organically with conversation. I believe I am most proud of our team that we have built. They constantly go above and beyond for the brand and their clients. Some of our team members have been with us since the beginning. I have seen them become leaders, overcome adversity, and build a loyal clientele through honesty and integrity.

I think what really sets us apart from other companies is our atmosphere and ethos of our brand. To try our best and avoid shortcuts; To be welcoming to all who enter our establishment; To commit to growth within our walls and beyond: Fail Forward and to do everything with purpose.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is to create a legacy. To create a company that spans generations and offers the community and team we have the opportunity to serve a place to feel welcomed and appreciated. To help others on my way to create success and breathe positivity into their life.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.forefathersgrooming.com
• Instagram: @ForefathersGrooming
• Facebook: @ForefathersGrooming

Image Credits:
Stephanie Sobieski