Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Ko.
Hi Aaron, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My company started on paper in 2013, but really I think my company started closer to 2009 when I made some bad choices.
Already a recovering heroin addict, a 2007 college dropout, and in 2009 I was arrested for stealing a salami from a local grocery store. I had to find a job quickly to pay the slew of legal fees and started a job selling high-end window packages for homes. The sales method was one call close, which meant we’d have to close $30-40,000 deals within 3-4 hours of entering the home.
It wasn’t an ideal sales strategy, but I learned a lot from this job in terms of sales and technique. Kept what I thought would be useful and discarded what was too high-pressure and useless.
Though I wasn’t looking for a sales career, this is where it started and the skills I learned here would help me start a new way of presenting hair shears in 2013.
You never know how what you’re doing now will apply to your future, so always do your best and learn as much as you can!
In 2013, I met my manufacturer and had a new idea for the shears industry. I went around asking people what they liked and hated in their shears, and collected real data from them. The result was a shear more suited for them in their hands at a better price point and with fewer pressure tactics and more flexibility.
The real legacy of my company is offering the most flexible financing options with no interest, terms, or hardcore paperwork.
So fast forward to today, and my company notoriously has the best customer service in the whole industry. We do global shears projects with individual cutters.
But most importantly, we give consultations to our cutters and help them find what will work best for them.
It’s funny to think that the vehicle to get there came through a process of bad life choices.
But those are the ones that make you consider how you want to do things moving forward. Never count yourself out!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the beginning days, I didn’t face too many obstacles, or maybe I did but didn’t really perceive them that way because it was so much fun.
In the beginning, I was about as carefree as possible. I was 23, road-tripping the country with a bag full of scissors and going from city to city just taking it in, and getting to see so many salons all across the country.
I think a couple of years ago, I made it into my 10,000th salon in Seattle, @taffyseattlehair.
It was the best way I could have asked to start Moto shears, which was getting to know everyone, everywhere on the ground level.
It gave me a real way to see how people do real haircutting and real styling every day. I really got to learn a lot. It felt like I was in a one-of-a-kind hair curriculum and getting to share that knowledge with others from state to state and really see the trends hair was moving in, and have a shear to match that trend.
That eventually became the philosophical core of my company, finding the shear that suits each person best, and it could have only developed by going around like this.
The obstacles came once I started dealing with corporations that wanted a scissor designed for them and then they would have their sales team execute their strategy.
I found myself miserable very quickly dealing with corporations. It can happen very quickly that your values and vision get thrown out the window, so that obstacle made me rethink who I’d like to work with.
So yes, there were smooth times and not-so-smooth times, but I’ve always found that the smoothest path was working with the people that aligned with my company best, and that is always what I take into consideration first before starting any global project.
As you know, we’re big fans of Moto Shears. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business is Moto Shears and my company designs and distributes scissors for hairstylists.
As of recently, my company is known for putting out a wide variety of unique color designs on hair shears. Usually, they are all steel, but life is colorful!
What’s cool here is that everyone democratically votes for the colors, and then the specific shade. We encourage everyone to vote and have a say in our community because everyone can! That’s their right in the process. Why should a company get to decide it all?
What sets us apart from others, is the customer service/consultation. Currently, shears are a process of showing 100 pairs and hoping the cutter picks one. That method is outdated and doesn’t address the root of what could work best for them. Follow that up with excellent service and that is what makes Moto uniquely us.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of how Moto gives back to its community. We donate to breast cancer research, give Ukrainian refugees temporary shelter, and have fun giveaways we do randomly so that people who might not have the funds can still get great shears.
I want the readers to know that they can easily send us a DM @motoshears or on the website and that you will be heard! Shears should not be an intimidating process and we are here to help find what will suit you best so you can level up easily 100%.
What do you think about happiness?
As far as work and my company, nothing makes me happier than seeing a stylist/barber/cutter level up easily with a pair of shears.
In my industry, it is usually a pain in the ass to acquire a shear. The price point is generally unreasonable, there might not be any financing, no warranty, no ability to trial the shears, and companies can be really hard to get ahold of.
So for me to be able to provide a situation where people can actually speak their minds, have their questions answered, and deliver their cuts confidently. I love it so much.
I love being a part of the process to empower others through clear communication.
On a personal level, if any of the blue otter pops are left. Usually, they’re the first to go, so that little bit of luck makes me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://motoshears.com/
- Instagram: @motoshears
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aaronyooha
