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This story is brought to you by Stephen Kassinger via the USA Herald Platform

When I launched Kassteva Holdings to open Great Clips franchisee business back in 2008 in the middle of a major recession I felt confident we could make it succeed. Fast-forward to 2017 and the business has not only survived – it’s thriving. In hindsight, it was the right decision, but starting any new business in a recessionary climate always comes with a few risks so success was never assured. I had plenty of business experience having worked for years running my building company and that certainly helped us – but this is a very different business and there just weren’t any guarantees.

It was after a chance conversation with another franchisee owner while on a trip to the Grand Canyon that I decided to begin the new business venture. Initially I was a little leery of starting a new venture in uncertain economic times, but I believe then and now that low-cost haircuts represented an essentially recession proof business opportunity. It doesn’t matter how difficult times are we still need regular trims.

Initial Success

In an interview back in 2009 I told the reporter that “I’m going to be very aggressive with my opening strategy,” and my team and I have lived up to that promise. We launched our first Great Clips salon franchise location in Oshawa, Ontario in November of 2008 and I have never looked back. With a strong business plan and solid business background I could convince the banks to back my new venture. You are putting more than your credit on the line. The bank is making a bet on me, Stephen Kassinger, and that is a lot of pressure for any entrepreneur. We have since transformed that solid business foundation into a great success.

In many communities across Ontario, Great Clips salons are now the first choice for families to get a great haircut at a low price. That initial Oshawa franchise was followed by openings in Whitby, Bowmanville, and Ajax. No matter how the economy happens to be performing we all need haircuts after all. Great Clips salons have now become household names in every Ontario community in which we have launched.

New Territory

In many new ventures an initial burst of success is normally followed by some peaks and valleys, but with an aggressive approach and an unwavering drive to maintain momentum we have kept the ball rolling for close to a decade now. Kassteva was recently granted exclusive rights to open franchises from Clarington east to Belleville and north to Bancroft. As more people look to move away from the urban sprawl in Toronto and establish themselves in these outlying communities we are well positioned to take advantage of the population growth in these areas. We plan to take full advantage of this opportunity by continuing with a strategy of opening at least one new salon each year in the territory.