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LET ’ S HEAR FROM THE FOUNDER FIRST . KUSH , WHERE DID STERLINGS COME FROM ?
KK : I was working full-time
with a life-science software
company and also doing the
executive program at Rady
( School of Management ). So
naturally I was busy , just like
all of us — and I hated waiting
in line in a chain salon . After
a particularly bad experience
where I waited for an hour , then
asked for a service and got the
wrong one , I was driving back
and saw a food truck , and that
sparked the idea for me . Mobile
services were exploding — food
trucks , pet grooming , spray
tanning ; but I hadn ’ t seen
anyone do it with haircuts .
THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A PRETTY BAD HAIRCUT .
KK : Well , I like to think that
good ideas come out of personal
problems . I didn ’ t know the first
thing about hair-cutting , but
I knew what I liked and didn ’ t
like . And it was more about
innovation , really ; taking a
very established industry and
adding a new angle to it . I do
like the fact that it ’ s a simple
concept to understand , with very
classical roots . As we build this
business , and as Kevin builds
the business in Seattle , unless
they develop a robot that can cut
hair , we ’ ll be around for a while .
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SO KEVIN , I UNDERSTAND TRITON MAGAZINE PLAYED A PART IN GETTING YOU IN THE BIZ .
KY : Right , I read the article
about Kush and Sterlings in
Triton magazine , thinking
how great the idea was . I also
have a high-tech background —
aerospace for five years —
and knew nothing about hair
salons , but I thought : it ’ s so
simple . And those simple
ideas are usually the most
rewarding . I sent Kush an email
and we started talking about
collaborations and opening a
location in Seattle . One year
later , the trailer is here .
WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE TRAILERS LIKE ?
KK : It ’ s a total state-of-theart
airstream unit — three
styling stations , a restroom ,
waiting area , fully climatecontrolled
, self-contained
with water and electricity .
And that ’ s just the physical
side of Sterlings ; the digital
process is just as streamlined .
You can go online , find bios of
our barbers and stylists , book
a service , then they ’ re right
there waiting for you . Or we
also partner with corporations
who subsidize the services as
a perk for their employees .
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KEVIN , WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE UNIT WHEN IT ARRIVED ?
KY : It ’ s incredible , and a little
intimidating . I consider myself
a pretty good driver , but man —
I was in the parking lot for a
good 40 minutes before I said ,
‘ All right , let ’ s get on the road .’
That first night , Kush and I were
troubleshooting a dry run over
Facetime with only 10 percent
battery on my phone . It was
intense . But there ’ s nothing
more hands-on than that .
Running a business though , I
know you have to get your hands
dirty and actually understand
the core of the business before
you can become successful .
HOW DID UC SAN DIEGO PREPARE YOU FOR ALL THIS ?
KY : For me , what carried
through from my undergraduate
years is analytical thinking . In
aerospace engineering we always
plan for the worst case , and that
analytical mind goes a long way .
KK : There would be no Sterlings
without Rady . I learned
business fundamentals there ,
but also how to think like an
entrepreneur and how to build
the confidence to go start
something . And the continued
support , of course . This is a
perfect example — Kevin read
about us in Triton ; I can ’ t
think of a stronger connection
than my first sale being to
another fellow alum who found
us through the magazine .
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Kush Kapila , M . B . A . ’ 10 , Founder and CEO of Sterlings Mobile
Kevin Yuen , Warren ’ 11 , Owner of Sterlings ’ latest location in Seattle
Go inside Sterlings at : TRITONMAG . COM / STERLINGS
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