Business notebook: Hairy experience leads to beard-products company

Anthony Cervantes and Lance DeBrock always wanted to go into business for themselves, but it wasn't clear what they wanted to do.

"Typically, when people start a business up, at least around here, they want to start a restaurant or bar," Cervantes said. "But we weren't really feeling it."

Instead, the two started cooking something else in their kitchen.

Lion Tamer Grooming Co. offers men's grooming products such as beard oil, combs and picks. The venture started because the two men grow their beards out each year for deer season, but locally available grooming products for facial hair were limited, and buying online was a gamble.

"You may be stuck with a product that may or may not work out for you. You don't know what to expect as far as scent or anything like that," Cervantes said. "We talked it over and decided we can do this ourselves."

Lion Tamer Grooming Co. offers handcrafted beard oil in Banquet, Complimint and Iron Plaid scents as seen Thursday at The Indie House in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

"There are a lot of beards around here," DeBrock said, "But not a lot of places to buy goodies for your beard."

The men spent months experimenting with formulas to create a beard oil they could get behind. Cervantes and DeBrock would test the products on themselves, alter the recipe and try again until they found the right combination that gave them the result they wanted.

"We definitely don't just make something, put it in a container and label it," DeBrock said. "We truly test this product."

Lion Tamer Grooming Co. is "truly a small business," Cervantes said, with the two bearded men making, marketing and selling their products themselves.

The beard oil, picks and combs are sold locally at Mother Earth by Annie Laurie's and at Hempies, as well as at Dapper Gent in St. Louis.

They hope to expand into online sales and perhaps a storefront of their own, but for now, Cervantes said, "we're primarily focused on selling our product in local businesses and growing that way first."

The oil and combs are only the beginning.

"Overall, we're trying to cover more bases and not just be known for beards," DeBrock said.

Lion Tamer Grooming Co. is working on an expanded line of grooming products to cater to men's needs beyond the chin. They're working on pomade for hair, a mustache wax and a beard butter that is similar to beard oil in its result, but its consistency is more like a mousse.

Men's shampoo as well as some leatherwork also are on the horizon.

"We want to make more and more lumberjacks every day," DeBrock said.

Rhodes 101 to hold job fairs in two cities

Rhodes 101 Stops will hold two job fairs with same-day interview and hiring opportunities.

The events are intended staff new Rhodes 101 Stops' Imo's Pizza franchises in Perryville, Missouri, and Scott City. The Perryville job fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Perry Park Center Gymnasium at 800 City Park Lane in Perryville.

The job fair for the Scott City franchise will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Rhodes 101 Stops corporate office at 1620 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

Mary Kay sales director honored

Jana Jateff

Mary Kay sales director Jana Jateff was recently honored by the company, and given a diamond and sapphire ring in a presentation in Dallas for being in the national queens court of sales.

Jateff has been with Mary Kay for 33 years and has been in the national court of sales 21 times.

Business licenses

Hutson Enterprises, dba Atelier,, 43 S. Main St., is a gift shop and boutique owned by Hutson Enterprises. The anticipated opening date is Aug. 16.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630