Meet Paul Tappon: Co-Founder, UNO Shave Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Tappon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, how do you think about risk?
I think about risk as being absolutely critical to personal and professional growth and that has been a trend throughout my personal and professional life. I believe that absent of risk taking, and the inevitable failures/learning opportunities that come with taking risks, we are absent of growth. I have always pushed myself to challenge the status quo and take calculated risks and many of my most important learnings and successes have been due to this, in my life and career. There is absolutely comfort and security in risk avoidance and maintaining the status quo but what fun is that and where would we be if everyone took that route?

What should our readers know about your business?
UNO Shave Co. is a is a single blade cartridge razor and our mission is to rid shavers of what has become the status quo in the razor industry: overpaying for extra blades and nonsense product gimmicks which ultimately lead to a worse shave. The most premium shaving experience you can get is a hot towel shave at a barber, with a single blade. Why have we been convinced by the big razor companies and their massive marketing budgets that we need 5 blades and a heated vibrating handle to get the job done? Starting a business is never easy and always comes with challenges to overcome. We have learned many important lessons and will, without question continue to learn lessons as we continue to grow the business. In terms of UNO’s brand story, the thing we really want the world to know is: You don’t need 5 blades to shave. The “innovation” in the razor industry has been driven by a goal of maximizing the amount of money that companies can extract from your pocket, NOT driven by a goal of providing you with the best shave you can get. It is time to turn this around and end the multi-blade madness. You only need one blade to shave. More blades = more friction = more irritation = more ingrown hairs. Our promise to our customers is to cut the nonesense and make their shaving experience how it was meant to be: smooth, comfortable, affordable and honest.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh boy this is a fun one! Because my best friend is a big outdoors guy too but also appreciates a good time and great meal, it would probably be a mix of some city time and some mountain time. For the sake of this exercise, I am also going to assume we are finished with the pandemic and able to access all venues and activities. I would start with a little cocktail tour, hitting my faves: Cooper Lounge, Death & Co., Williams & Graham then we would finish up with a dinner at Quality Italian, my favorite restaurant in Denver. Red Rocks show would also be mandatory! After the city/Red Rocks excursion, I would head up towards Vail/Beaver Creek for a week of hiking, biking, fly-fishing, wining, dining and just spending quality time catching up.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had the privilege of having many influential mentors throughout my life and career. Probably the most influential has been Denny Marie Post – former CMO and CEO of Red Robin International. I met Denny right after college while working in the Entertainment Marketing space and she took a chance on me and gave me a job that moved me to Denver and allowed me to really kickstart my career in Marketing, my area of passion. Although it was years ago that we worked together, Denny has continued to be a mentor throughout my career and entrepreneurial ventures. Others include my mom Ellen, who was always extremely tenacious and hard working in her career, former college professors and many friends who share entrepreneurial goals and spirits. It has been critically important to me not just to have mentors, and a diverse group of them, but to also surround yourself with people who push you to think of things differently and explore new ideas. On this topic, what always comes to mind for me is my favorite quote of Warren Buffet’s: “You will move in the direction of the people that you associate with. So it’s important to associate with people that are better than yourself. The friends you have will form you as you go through life. Make some good friends, keep them for the rest of your life, but have them be people that you admire as well as like.”

Website: www.unoshaveco.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unoshaveco/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unoshaveco
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNOShaveCo
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfoHuzZ-UFtVVh2-k5iPeQw