S6 Ep 15 | Why Exceptional Starts with Uncompromising Standards Ft Bernardo Vasconcelos, Founder of BCO Hair

0:04Welcome to Beyond Marketing, the podcast. I'm Maira Genovese, the founder and CEO of Amigin Power, a global integrated market agency. Today, I'm joined by someone who has built a global reputation, not simply through talent, but through trust. From starting in Brazil to becoming one of the world's most soft-after hairstylists and the founder of Luxury Hair Care brand BCO, Bernardo Vasconcelos, a wonderful friend, has shown that true luxury is built on craftsmanship, relationships, and consistently delivering excellence. Welcome to Beyond Marketing, the podcast. I love this introduction. So chic.

0:46It's not chic. It's you, baby. This is all your compliments, man. Thank you so much. I was about to say that I always wanted to come here, but I was waiting my turn. And then when she messaged me from someone for your team, I was like, yes, it's time. It's time. There's always the time for everything. But you always be in our... I feel home. It's good. Because you always be on our guest list. Thank you. Because we like to bring people here that can just talk beyond marketing. We love through stories, we write like personal stories, because we as an entrepreneur, as a founder, people only see the glamour, right?

1:27And the success, what people define success. But here we like to bring people that we can talk behind the scenes, beyond marketing. But before we go into more in-deep conversation, who is Bernardo Vasconcelos? Yeah, Bernardo Vasconcelos, it's a guy full of dreams that I knew that I never belonged to the place that I was born. That's number one. And it's someone people manage to trust. And I think I try to bring good energy and positive energy to whoever room I'm into. This is me, hardworking guy. Very hardworking guy. B, your story is fascinating because I've known you for like so, so many years.

2:19How many years have I been in London now? I'm in London 13 years. Yes, 13 years. I've been 20, so I know you when you actually since the beginning. And to follow your trajectory and your journey is very inspirational. It's very fascinating, but it comes with a lot of hardworking, as you said. Oh, yeah. Because in life, we don't get if you don't put the work. and I'm trying to say... I mean, there's a lot of people that they get and they don't put the hard work. It's not fair. Do you think that they don't put the hard work and that they get it? I think they pay a higher price at the end. Okay. They might not put the hard work to get it.

2:56They get it easily, but they pay a higher price afterwards. That's what I see from trust from kids I know. Like these people that we know that they don't do much. They don't do much. They have a lot. They don't know what to do with that. And then they become cuckoo. Yeah. So the price is higher. The price is much higher. At least my brain is good. I'm stressed here and there, roller coaster, but my brain is good. But your brain is good. My heart is good. Your health is good. I sleep very well. Don't take any medicine. That's the best thing in the world. The best. The best. The best. I'm rich. You're rich.

3:27Yes, with the small things. And then like, have you ever imagined the life that you have today when you go back to a childhood in Brazil? So, because I truly believe that our childhood, our experience when you were younger, defined where you're going based on the experience that we live. True. Do you think your childhood, when you think about Brazil and the life that you have today and everything that you have created, developed, conquered, it's something that related you back to your childhood? Yes, I tell you why. since kids since i start remembering my childhood since i was seven and my mom was uh taking care of kids to start with so you understand a little bit of this story she had a little nursery in our house and then uh my father my stepfather told her i think you should do her dressing course because I see you, you know, you do your hair nicely, and I think you should do it.

4:37He paid her the course, and we opened her first salon in the garage. I remember we took some magazines. We cut the pictures of the girls, the models in the magazines. We put on the walls. We took a piece of wood somewhere. We wrote with our hand, unisex haircut, 1.99 reais. So you remember that? Yes. How old you were? I was seven, eight. Wow. Yeah. And then there my mom was doing haircut and nails only. I was going to school alone, seven years old. I imagine because I have a nephew, he's seven. We take him everywhere. I was walking, I don't know, 30 minutes to go to school alone. It's crazy to think about it, right?

5:26Me too. And but since that time, I had. Sure that I worked very hard, make my own money and live a good life. I was helping my mom. I remember I was buying Yakult, the drink in the supermarket and I was selling to the clients in the salon. yes uh i was making cake because i always knew how to cook because i had to to help my mom to take care of my sister so i was making cake selling school so my entrepreneurial side was already developing that yeah um you know in brazil we have uh agencies like um um rental like we need to rent a house, you go to an agency, they give you like a little magazine with a lot of houses for you to buy, for you to rent.

6:21Do you remember that? Yes. A little booklet. I was looking at the houses and I was seeing the most beautiful house and I was saying to myself, one day I'll buy this house. One day I'll live in this place. My house, we lived in a normal neighborhood. Where was it? In San Jose dos Choms. Not in the favela, but not in the richest part, the normal part, studying public school. But my house was the ugliest in the street. In the street. The ugliest house. And I was a bit ashamed of that because my friends had beautiful houses. In the same street, they have nice houses. One of my friends, her mom used to live in Japan, so he had the best toys, everything, nice clothes.

7:03And I was always hanging out with him. It was my best friend, Rafael. But then I was saying to myself since then, this life is not the life I belong to. This is the life I have right now. But I'm going to work hard and I'm going to save money. I'm going to move out of this country. Imagine. Wow. Since eight, nine years old, I was saying to my mom, I want to live in the United States. Because in Brazil, we watch a lot of movies. Movies. It's always in the States. Home Alone and stuff. And it's like, I'm going to live in the USA. say I'm gonna live in America I'm gonna be rich I'm not like how you're gonna move to US like we have no money to to have a car I'm here yeah and so when I was nine ten I decided to help my mom in the salon it was your idea there was all your mom forcing you come and help wait I in the beginning I wanted because I wanted to make some cash but my friends will start laughing at me because whoever works in a hair salon is a gay guy so there was the bullying at the time that we didn't have the word bullying yes wow and of course I was a kid I wasn't out of the closet uh and then I said to my mom I don't want it my my friends are laughing at me I'm And then she let me be for a year.

8:34And then I was going too much to the streets with my friends after school. Okay. And that time, marijuana was showing up. My friends were skateboarding everywhere, staying out until midnight. And then one day, she... Your mom. Uh-huh. And she said, from today, you finished school. I finished school round one, two, straight to the salon. I don't care. But then I'm going to start paying you. And then you're like, ah. Okay, fine. And then I start finishing school one, two, straight to the salon, cooking something because she couldn't cook. I cooked something for me, for her, for my sister, for my stepfather.

9:25And then helping her until midnight. You know the salons in Brazil, they close at midnight. They close at midnight, yeah. 1 a.m., 2 a.m. They close only until the last client goes. Yeah, whatever. You don't have a life. You don't have a life. You don't have a life. You do everything for the clients, which I don't do now. Like, I swap that and I taught my team how to do that as well. Yeah. We talk about that later. And then I started saving money since, I don't know, 10, 12, 14. I started making my English courses. My mom changed from that garage to a bigger place, then to a house. Then she managed to buy her own car.

10:05Then she managed to buy her apartment. My father, my stepfather, also was doing great. So we could elevate our standards. We elevated a little bit, yes. Yeah. And then when I was 17, I was about to finish high school. And I told her, listen, it's time. I'm definitely leaving. And I managed to pay a consortium, I don't know how to say that in English, for a motorbike. So I paid over three, four years. You paid like an installment, like a lease. Like a lease of a motorbike, but I didn't take the motorbike. I just wanted to save the cash. Ah, okay. Yes, in Brazil you can do that. Yeah, so I saved those installments for four years.

10:45I paid my course in Boston. And then I asked my mom to pay for the tickets. And then I said, I'm leaving. And that course in Boston was a course about English course. I just wanted to live there in the U.S. Yeah. And I wanted to study something and be there with a student visa so I could be there for a longer time. So I stayed for one year in Boston. I extended the visa for one more year. I moved to New York and then I started working in a hair salon doing blow dries. Only blow dries. In New York? In New York. I worked in Boston in a friend's salon but for a very short of time. And then how long did you stay in New York?

11:26Almost a year because my visa finished. And then you came to London? Yes. And why did you decide London? I'll tell you. Drink water. Because I didn't know about the New York part. First, I came to Portugal because I had a friend living there. My story goes like this, guys. Be ready. Which is beautiful. Yeah, it's crazy. In Portugal, I managed to find a job in a hair salon. okay and then your mom and your sister they were all in brazil and you only have one sister right sister and three brothers but from your mom and dad four guys so you your sister plus two no no four guys my mom and dad and then she divorced okay and then she moved to sao paulo and then she married again and had my sister the sister that lives here yeah okay got it uh yeah so then And you went to Portugal, but your mom and sisters and brothers always stay in Brazil.

12:23And then I find a job in a hair salon in Portugal. They were very behind the way they do hair. They were doing like rollers for older ladies. They don't do Californian highlights. I already knew how to do Californian highlights in America. And I was working a lot. In Portugal, they charge very little for hair. So for a haircut and blow dry is like 10 euros. 15 euros yes very cheap it's very cheap uh so what i was doing i was working in the salon the whole day after the salon i was cleaning a gym um home's place gym which is like fitness first first year yeah so i was cleaning and then sometimes in the morning i was doing any of my friends here in their house.

13:15So I was working on three jobs. Wow, very hard. No life, amiga. Saving money. No life. Saving money to buy my first apartment. I bought my first apartment, I think I was 19. In Portugal here? In Brazil. In Brazil. But I was, I needed to pay this apart because you know when you have nothing, Mayra? Yes, you just have to work. You have the hunger to have something, to feel like you own something, that you don't need to go back to your rent I remember my mom thinking about how she's going to pay for the electricity. Things like that. Yeah. You know? And you just don't want to leave that. No. The house I told you, the ugliest house in the street, used to rain more inside the house than outside when it rains.

14:00It was crazy. like water everywhere in the sofa on the floor um on top of the um where we cook the the food water in the food disaster so when you have that experience you just don't want to you just want to go back no i until today thank god my my views are all paid on time like i have this trauma trauma of seeing bills everywhere. I don't want to leave that, you know. And still today, I live below my means. I was actually speaking to Gabriela the other day. And I told Gabi, I was the one who come here alone. I worked very hard. You did. And today, my sister lives in a better house. My mom lives in a better apartment.

14:51And I live here, which is a nice apartment. But I could live in a nicer, luxurious apartment. Or drive a nicer car. My car is nice. But I could drive a nicer car. But I still live below my wings. My wings. Which is so beautiful. Until I break through big time. Big time. And then, baby, I'm going to enjoy. You're going to enjoy. I have everything planned. And then we do the second episode. Exactly. I'm very careful with my spending. But then in Portugal, then you stayed how long in Portugal? Less than a year because I said there's no place for me to grow here. I'm working like a cow. I'm making a thousand euros a month.

15:36And then you realize, oh my God, there's a place that's called pounds. Yes, exactly. There's a place that is pounds that values eight times more than the eyes. Look how crazy was that. I bought a ticket to travel Europe for 22 days. It's like a ticket you buy. I don't remember the name. And you take trains all over Europe. And you travel whatever time you buy the ticket for. 22 days I did a trip. Berlin, Madrid, London, Netherlands, Paris. Because I wanted to know Europe. Yeah. When I was in a hostel in Barcelona. I met a bunch of Brazilian. Enjoying the same as me. Like traveling, pub crawling, everything.

16:18And I met this girl called Evelyn. And she used to live in London. And she was an au pair here. And then she said, oh, I like you. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You do hair nice. I live in London. And you know my boss, she spent so much money doing hair. She paid XYZ for the Brazilian blow dry, blah, blah, blah. Why don't you come to London and try? Then you said, yes. I said, why not? I went back to Lisbon. Pack everything. Arrived in London 2013. One year after the Olympic Games, I remember. I stayed in a hostel in Queensway for two weeks. In a shared room. Paying 15 pounds a day. Wow. Yes. I bought a card.

17:11Went to the public telephone. Called my mom. Mom, I'm here. blah blah blah she didn't even know where is london baby

17:22and then she said oh okay nice blah blah blah blah good luck I miss you so much I'm still crying you should come back home blah blah because when I was about to move out of Brazil she said don't move I'm gonna pay you your university whatever you wanna study and I'm gonna give you a car and when you offer that for 18 years old then of course you get tempted not for me i was like no i want to move abroad and i lived in this hostel for two weeks i bought the journal to look for a job those brazilian journals where you have announcements and you they rent houses i went to two three houses and one house i went in acton there was a brazilian lady living there look how god connects god connects everything it's crazy perfect he's perfect He's perfect.

18:12He's perfect. I love God. He's perfect. Yes. I love him. He's tough, but I love him. He's tough, but he's tough. Because when he's going to give you a lesson, he gives you hard lessons. Yes, yes, yes. And you just have to be obedient. Yeah, there's no discussion. She said, oh, I like you. Oh, you have this American style, blah, blah, blah. Because I was like dressing up so cool with the headphones and stuff. And he's like, I like you. And I was in a Brazilian salon this week doing a blow dry. And I think they are hiring people. Do you want me to call them? I said, for sure, yes. She called them.

18:47It was a Tuesday, I think. On a Thursday, I was there for the interview. On a Saturday, I was already working. I still think this guy forever. And this guy was the guy that was living in the house? No, there was the lady that was living in the house. She knew the Brazilian salon. He liked me. I went to Sally's Beauty, bought all my equipment. Fun fact about me. When my mom had her salon, all the stock were missing all the time. Because there was cash flow, no cash flow, no systems, no nothing. Just talent and smile. Yes. And then, yeah. I love it. And then with my businesses, I like to have everything stocked.

19:38Enough colors, enough even hair dryers. I have a lot of hair dryers, scissors, combs, everything. So Portugal was like that. I did my beautiful kit. United States and London. I went to Salis, bought everything. I went to the salon. The other guys were working in the salon. They're like, who is that guy? Who is this guy? Yeah. And I had Instagram. I just opened Instagram that time. Which was 2013-14. It was the starting of social media. The Instagram was just like the photo sharing with the filters. Yes, with a lot of filters and just photo. And I had it. And then I started working in this Brazilian place.

20:16They also used to charge very little. So like 25 pounds for a haircut. Highlight, I don't know, 50, 70 pounds. Which is not much. But for me, it was already great. It's an upgrade from Portugal. And I was posting pictures of my clients on Instagram. Back that time. Yes, it's still there, the pictures. I never deleted. One day I go there, it's all there. There was one lady that used to go a lot to the salon and she used to do her styling. So like the waves you're using today or sometimes braid, hair up, sleek back. And she was always doing with me and she didn't mind me taking pictures. So my Instagram started to...

21:00Gosh, it was so early. Yeah, but I would never imagine that that was like a business thing. Just post. And they didn't have Instagram. So they were not even liking or sharing because they were not even liking and sharing at the time. No. And I used to do Californian highlights. I'll tell you how I learned California highlights. They were only doing highlights. The traditional highlights. I was doing the California highlights. And then some of their clients migrate from their chairs doing highlights to my chair doing California. And then you know hair salon, how it works. Yes. A lot of ego, divas, competition.

21:43It's tough. It's a vicious environment. It can be. And they start... Not liking. Not liking. Exactly. That is taking my clients. And in less than a year, I was already working as much as all of them, even more. The owner of the salon really liked me. He was giving me clients all the time. And I bring new clients to the salon as well. Clients that wanted something new. You know, when you talk about Brazilian hair salon. Yes. Far away from the... The bubble in Brazil. They live in a bubble, right? Yeah. And I wanted just to bring something new. You bring something new. Bring something from America.

22:27Even some things that I learned in Portugal. I'll tell you how I learned Californian. And then this was before, because I remember that you also start seeing clients at your apartment. Right. In your house. Yes. We get there. In Portugal, I wasn't that busy. But she had YouTube on the computer in the salon. So while I'm not doing anything, I was watching how to create California highlights. And that's how I learned on YouTube. And this is a lesson I give to all my students up to today because I teach a lot to my team. There's always a way you can learn. Oh, my God. There's always a way, especially nowadays.

23:05Back in the day, it was not as much. Yeah, you needed a computer, search for it. Yeah, YouTube, search, Google. But to now? With the algorithms. No, it's the AI. Yeah. You can learn everything. So I can hear and talking to my AI. Listen, I'm going to this podcast. She might ask me this. She might ask me that. What do you think about the breathing? Talking to him. Nowadays, there's no excuse. No excuse. There's no excuse. But people make excuses all the time. All the time. All the time, amiga. All the time. All the time. All the fucking time. Where I am? You are in California. Yeah. And then I said, I think this place is too small for me.

23:44I spoke to the owner and I said I'm leaving, thank you very much for everything and said I understand he's still my friend, said I understand I knew you're not staying with me for a long time and then I started seeing clients at their houses so I bought a little carry-on bag, put all the material and then you started going in your client's house all over London all over London Paris, I've been to Paris many many times doing a lot of the footballer's wives, which was great because for me, it introduced me to a different, Maida. It's a parallel world. A parallel world. It's a parallel world. I was going to Paris.

24:28They live like close to Paris. And I remember Neymar used to live there and all the places. It's a parallel world. I never entered in a house like that. So imagine coming from my background, experimenting nice things, but not that scale. Then going to a football player house is completely different. It's mind-blowing. Yeah, no, it's drivers. Security and horrors and cinema. I don't know. I was charging cheap, but like, yeah, for sure. Here's the ticket, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, wow, there is a different world out there that I don't know yet. And I want to belong. I want to be part of it. you know i want to experiment that start seeing clients in their houses uh and was a very tough time for me because people don't respect your time uh many times i get there very early in the morning yeah no sometimes they don't open the door you just lose your time i have a friend of mine that says that to me all the time that he goes to place people are not even like oh she's she was sleeping and he's like yeah but she woke at 8 o 'clock yeah and then like she's sleeping there's a girl I remember she usually live in Kensington and then I walked her house she's naked walking around naked like darling I don't want to see you naked I just came here she's your hair it's not my thing like it's not nice you know or they do the hair oh yes I'm going to transfer you never again never again and then one day I remember very vividly.

26:02I was in Earl's Court. It was about one year already doing mobile service. It started raining very much. I remember I was with the map. I don't know why. The London map? The London map. And the umbrella here holding the carry-on and the map all together, like messy and raining. And then the umbrella went up and then started raining all over me. And it was around 11 p.m. Wow. Yes. I was about to arrive in the client's house and start the hair. So today when I start working at 12, people don't understand. Yeah, I have credits. You have a lot of credits. And then it started raining on me. I get there.

26:46I remember it was a client that she was very tight. Everything was expensive for her, but I needed that cash. and then I said God I don't want this because that's not what you promise me when we talk or when I pray or when you use people to talk to me because that happens a lot it happens with you too I know he sent people to give you messages uh and then I I said I don't want this anymore I need a solution. And then I said, you know what? I'm going to start doing hair in my studio. Whoever wants to come, come. But it's a bold decision. Yeah, it's a bold decision. It's not easy. Because it depends on where you're going to open the space.

27:34People are not going to travel to see you. Honey, and when you count, okay, haircut, 50. Highlights, 100. And you count every single service you do, three, four services out, it makes a difference. it makes a difference 100 and i've always had responsible financial responsibilities helping my family here and there thank god i didn't need to help support them but help paying my apartment i always had a commitment so i was like very tight but i said i don't care this is not the life i want to live you know uh and then my studio was on the third floor stairs and the toilet was outside so not the best place to host people amiga but it's a starting point exato with a single bed yes I remember the single bed the single bed and then I went to Ikea I bought a chair foldable chair put behind my door mirror and started doing the hair there washing the hair in the bathtub outside so in winter time very hard very hard for the client wow I love that yeah and then wet and then but always using good products FYI yeah L 'Oreal Kerasas good products always because I remember what my mom used to use but I can assure you Kerasas and posting pictures on Instagram and the Instagram was still happening still happening yeah and since back then like professional oriented okay never like selfies or more business business then the lady uh the owner of the building said oh there is a studio on the first floor ground floor with the kitchen and toilet inside and separate uh living room living room i said i want that so i moved from the third floor to the ground floor so this time i bought a used um hairstyling unit proper mirror proper chair a portable back wash so people don't need to throw their head in the bathtub.

29:45They could just sit in a chair and do like this in the toilet. I love that. I love it. And I had a sofa where people could sit. They don't need to sit in my bed because when I was about to sleep, my bed was warm. My bed was warm. And we thought there was people energy. Exato. And then there was like a mezzanine where it was my bed. So fine. Like that was my life. And this is my business. And below is my business. I love it. That place, I start having a lot of wealthy clients coming. Because of the California highlights. Yes, because of the California highlights. They used to like the way I blow dry because I learned in the U.S.

30:27a very good way to blow dry. This guy, he was famous for that. And remember, in the U.S., I only did blow dry the whole day. Even today, my wrist is fast. I can't because done. Yeah. Halas. so clients Arab clients starts coming and I had a beautiful girl she's not my friend anymore and now I can tell you that story it's an interesting story but she was so pretty but her hair was amazing but very bad color okay and I told her listen this Gaga blonde doesn't work for you this Gaga blonde yeah the lady Gaga blonde you know let me do some darker roots give you contrast a nice contouring and we do a before and after.

31:13I don't charge you anything. I did her hair. Her hair came out wow. Wow. And our picture became one of the most searched for ombre hair on Google. Amiga, I have no idea. But you posted that picture on Instagram. On Instagram and went to Google. I didn't know how to do that. It was natural. But probably it was a caption. Probably something that you put it at Google. Yeah, caption. Maybe I did like hashtag ombre hair. California. And then that's it. You went there. Then Pinterest. That specifically picture. I'll show you. I want to see it. They're going to put this on the teaser. That picture. Incrível.

31:51I will show you. People start searching. Messaging me on Instagram. My WhatsApp. My WhatsApp, funny enough, my business WhatsApp is the same I had since I landed in London. And I did a business card online they sent to my house just the business card and i was giving to people on the buses on the tubes uh if i see someone on the supermarket that i don't like the hair say hey this is my business card i do hair you know i'm brazilian brazilian know how to do hair and you do charming you know like i do brazilian blow dry oh you know people here yeah i'm like Yeah, and then you break the ice, right?