Christopher Heredia, Founder of BALDSTRONG Is Putting The Confidence Back Into Bald
Christopher Heredia is the founder of BALDSTRONG, a community designed to help people who are losing their hair, gain back the confidence they need. Heredia is providing people with a safe space in order to feel comfortable with the changes happening in their lives. His motto “Shave the Weakness” spoke volumes to many who follow the community and decided to become a part of it, helping spread the confidence. Learn more about BALDSTRONG in my interview with the warm-hearted and high-spirited, Christopher.Tell me about growing up, did you always want to have your own business?I really just never wanted to work a 9-5. I always wanted to create something I love as opposed to being behind a desk. I lost my hair at a young age from natural causes. After wanting to hold onto my hair, I ended up just deciding to shave it one day. It felt great. I've been bald ever since. I then had some friends that lost hair either the same way, or due to other causes. I noticed how this was affecting them and I’d try and convince them all to just shave it. This is what ultimately motivated me to create BALDSTRONG down the road. It started with rubber bracelets that I would just carry around in my car and hand out to people. They said “shave the weakness”. Then, people started coming up to me asking for them. It was such a great feeling seeing people becoming more confident with something as simple as a phrase. Ironically enough we don't even have the bracelet on the site right now. We created t-shirts, and sweatshirts. The community is what it is all about. Before creating BALDSTRONG, did anything ever hold you back? Did you ever give up hope along the way?I don’t think I ever gave up hope, I think I just got distracted. I had kids and got married and life always has a way of getting in the way. It was actually my wife who pushed me to make the move. She would say “stop thinking about it and just do it”. It worked!What would you say to the stigma on becoming bald?I’d tell the stigma exactly what is printed on all of our shirts, “shave the weakness”. I started seeing hair as a weakness. I’d notice it was the hair that was holding people back. People felt insecure or nervous about shaving their head, when really they needed to be stronger to fight the bigger fight. I always say once they shave their head they have more confidence and strength to fight the rest of it. Whether it’s because of cancer, or alopecia, or because of natural causes. 
Your brand speaks volumes to those going through troubling times, and those who want to help spread the word, just as you are doing. Have you thought about collaborating with charities? We definitely collaborate with charities that have to do with Cancer, Alopecia, etc. A lot of the proceeds goes to charities of our choosing that may relate to the community. I’ve thought about expanding our collaborations and doing walks or fundraisers. It is definitely something I want to do for everyone down the road. I want to make a difference. Where do you want to see BALDSTRONG go?It becomes not so much about the dollar signs, but about the community. I rather get a DM on instagram from someone in California across the country, that feels that they can connect to BALDSTRONG... rather than see a BALDSTRONG commercial on TV. It’s about community. All of the BALDSTRONG Ambassadors are people who can relate to the brand. If I can make people feel connected, that’s truly all I want.What would you say is the most rewarding part of BALDSTRONG, and would you say you were the confidence booster for your friends at the time?I was the confidence booster for my friends when we all started losing our hair. Some would wear hats or try to cover it and I never wanted their hair to be something that held them back from being happy. Definitely, the most rewarding part is seeing the confidence come back. It’s what this whole thing is about. I used to go up to guys and say “Hey, nice bald head!” and it made people smile!What does Life is Bella mean to you?If Bella means beautiful, then I would simply say “Bald is BELLA”. Bald is beautiful.
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