“We’ve seen a lot of early-on success, and we’re excited about where this is going,” says Mike Redmond of the V&Co. products. Photos: V&Co.
Tom and Mike Redmond share stories of success and why founding a hair care company together made sense.
Tom and Mike Redmond have a typical father-son relationship. The duo enjoys attending sporting events together, gathering for family dinners and managing V&Co., a successful hair care company they founded.
While the latter might not be typical of most father-son pairs, for the serial entrepreneurs and seasoned innovators within the hair care industry, it’s second nature. Based out of Wayzata, V&Co. is a collection of peptide-infused shampoo and conditioners, catering to the needs of each hair type and texture.
The Redmonds have spent the past few years developing the product, highlighting their knowledge and strengthening their bond. “My entire life, we’ve trusted each other, and we understand each other,” Mike says. “Dad and I have a really good ability to read and understand each other.”
Along with Tom having founded popular household name brands like Renpure and Aussie, he and Mike know how to run a successful business and are grateful to do it as a family. But let’s back up—the men worked hard to get where they are today. In fact, their roots in the industry began in a similar way, just about 35 years apart.
In 1980, Tom worked with his father, Tom Redmond Sr., when he invented the Australian 3-Minute Miracle, which 40 years later is now owned by Proctor and Gamble. “I started with my father in the garage,” Tom says. “We began in the salon industry, and the product became so popular that salons were selling it to Walgreens down the street. Eventually, we took it into retail.”
Tom says he quickly learned he had a lot to learn. “I took a year off and went to beauty school and got a cosmetology license,” he says. “It taught me so much about hair, the anatomy of hair, skin and scalp.”
The next two decades were consumed by Tom working alongside his father and siblings, running a successful family business until its sale in 1997. Tom later founded Renpure in 2009, where most of his seven children were employed. Tom recalls with pride being able to provide his children with an opportunity for a hands-on experience like he had growing up. “We loved doing what we do and working together as a family,” Tom says. “Mike is the person who has the knowledge and ability to run this company today because of what he got out of a family business years ago. I’m the guy on the sidelines now … From my standpoint as a father, it’s been such a rewarding thing to watch.”
Tom and Mike Redmond
Humbled by his father’s words, Mike says he enjoyed listening to Tom tell his story. “In a lot of ways, it’s similar to mine, but in a lot of ways, it’s different,” Mike says. “For the first two years of my life, I spent it at the Aussie headquarters, going to the daycare center.”
After graduating college in 2017, Mike began working at Renpure. “I got to see the inner workings of product development and all the sweat, blood and tears that went into it,” he says.
After the sale of Renpure, Mike says he and his dad knew right away they were going into business together. Because hair care is what they know best, it made sense to venture down that road again. “We have a peptide-infused product that’s extremely affordable,” Mike says. “You can get these high-end ingredients without having to break the bank. We’ve seen a lot of early-on success, and we’re excited about where this is going.”
So, what is it about Tom and Mike’s relationship that makes it so strong? “… from a parent standpoint, Mikey and I have always had that common interest. Whatever I did, he liked to do, and that afforded us the ability to spend a lot of time together,” Tom says.
Mike agrees. “We have a close working relationship, but our personal relationship is 10 times stronger,” he says. “We’re always thinking about what to do next. It’s a unique situation, but we’re very fortunate to be in it.”
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