The best way to fly privately is to have somebody else pay for your flights. When his clients need him, they send their jets. For hairstylist Bernardo Vasconcelos, he says, the private flights help make a nonstop travel schedule work. Last month his itinerary included hopping around the Middle East where has salons and spas, stops in New York, Seoul, Bangkok, Phuket, and the Dominican Republic. With a TikTok handle of BadBernie, a growing footprint, and hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, Vasconcelos recently took a few minutes to talk about how he makes his schedule work and what’s next for his burgeoning empire.

Q. How did you get started?

I started back in Brazil with my mom 13 years ago. And then when I was 18, I moved to Boston to study English and to work in a friend's salon. I stayed in Boston a year and a half, and then I moved to New York City because I thought Boston was quite boring for me. And then I lived in New York, but then I have Italian passport, from my mom's side. So, I said, let's try London because we speak English. I landed in London, 2013, with zero connections, and I started working in a friend's salon that I barely knew. I worked for them one year, and then I started seeing my clients at their houses. Then I got tired of it. I started seeing the clients in my house, and then I moved to a bigger apartment, and then a bigger apartment, and then I opened my first salon.

Q. What was the impetus for growth of your business?

Back then, Instagram was quite big for me. It still is, but it was only Instagram, because now we have Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and everything. So it was only Instagram, and then I started posting videos and pictures, and it went organically viral. People saw me from Dubai, from Qatar, and then I started traveling. That was in 2016, 2017. That started my bridge with the Middle East. I opened my first salon in London, and then I opened the second salon specialized in hair extensions. Then I opened my first salon in Dubai, and then I opened another salon in Kuwait. And then I have my partner's salon in Dominican Republic, which surprisingly, it's very good business. When I first went to DR, I was like, hmm, but I don't even know. We are now in Santo Domingo and Casa de Campo. I see the amount of money that people have and they're spending power. It's crazy.

Q. What’s next?

I have my own hair extensions line, like for tape, clip, and wigs. I don't see as many clients anymore. I see mostly the VIPs. In London, when I'm here, I see clients maybe twice per week, sometimes one time a week. The other times I'm in the office or I'm creating content for the social media, or I'm closing deals. I'm expanding the business. We are opening one in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh. Yeah, we are opening another branch now in Kuwait. Weare opening two more spas here in London. We have the plan to open in Miami, but I still did not find the local right partner.

Q. Is your clientele all women?

It's all women. What I do is very specific. I do a certain type of coloring in the hair that is very popular in Brazil. We used to do that since I was a kid, but it wasn't famous around the world. And then we, Brazilian stylists and colorists, we spread that technique around. And then under that technique, I created my own way of painting hair. So, when clients come to me, they come for this specific way of coloring the hair. It’s the Victoria's Secret look, where the women, they look very powerful, but still looking very natural, undone. That's my look.

Q. Are your clients Brazilian?

My majority clientele, they're not Brazilians. They're either Arabs. I have a few Americans, a lot of Europeans. But when they come to me, they want to feel like they're Brazilians somehow. It’s sexiness, the way they move, the way the hair flows. They come and they pay for that feeling.

Q. Where do you live?

I live here in Marylebone.

Q. How frequently do you travel?

This is my base. I have my apartment here. But every other week I'm traveling. I don't stay in London for more than 10 days straight. I always joke that my house, it's like my closet where I come, I change clothes and I leave.

Q. Where are the places you travel most?

Dubai, Kuwait, Miami, New York, Dominican Republic, Qatar. I go all the time and also to different countries where we have events. A client needs me in Monaco. I fly Monaco. They need me in South of France. They fly me there. They either fly me there or I go myself. I go a lot to Paris for fashion shows, but I take the Eurostar.

Q. Do you ever fly privately?

I have a lot of very wealthy clients and they have airplanes. Ieither fly with them, or they send their airplanes, which is amazing. A client sent me their airplane from Miami to go to St. Barts. I was alone on their airplane. Very VIP. Crazy. But, for them, it's nothing. If they like your job and if they like your company and your energy, they spend because they have it. She only needed to lighten up her hair around her face. This is something that it takes me 45 minutes to one hour to do. She flew me there to do that. And then, of course, I stayed because as I said, they want your company. And I'm the kind of guy that I am not greedy. I think that's why I managed to build very long-lasting relationship with all those people.

Q. How often are they flying you on their private Jets?

It’s probably at least once a month. They are everywhere. They are at fashion show in Paris and then they have F1 in Monaco and then they have something in Abu Dhabi. And this is their life. The way they travel, it's private. It's amazing. It's not something normal, but it happens a lot.

Q. Would you fly privately on your own?

Last summer with my brother-in-law and our families, we went to Mykonos. We chartered an and it was great.

Q. When you fly on the regular airlines, do you have a favorite airline?

British Airways, because I'm here in the UK, and I have a good status with them, so I always can get Business. I flew to Brazil in December, and I could fly First because I had so many points. Not everyone who pays for First. It's super expensive. So, I upgraded with my points. I don't like American Airlines. I think it's terrible. I use Virgin or Delta. I flew last year to Singapore with Singapore Airlines, and they have a beautiful business cabin, and also Qatar Airlines, which I think it's better than Emirates.

Q. What makes a good airline experience?

The customer service, and it looks and feels clean. For me, as a Brazilian, I love cleanness. We take three showers a day. We are crazy in my country about that. Emirates, some airplanes that I took with Emirates, not first class, but business class, it looks beautiful, but it feels dirty. Qatar Airlines, it's spotless. It's not as beautiful, but it's spotless.

Q. What about food on airplanes?

I don't eat at all because I sleep a lot. Number one - I love to sleep. I don't want anyone bothering me. Then, I always think the food is bad. I think, how do they cook this here?

Q. What about WiFi?

I don't take WIFI never because it's my me moment. I'm a very busy guy down here. So, whenever I'm there, I don't want anyone messaging me. I don't want to see any email. I don't want to be productive. I want relax.

Q. Do you have any favorite hotels?

I was at Amanpuri for my birthday in Phuket. It was outstanding. And also, Bulgari Hotel in Bali. Amazing, amazing. In Dubai, Four Seasons Jumeirah. I’ve stayed there many times, so they always upgrade me. In New York, I stay either in Soho House because I'm very good friends of Richard Kering, one of the owners, same in Miami.

Q. What makes a good hotel?

A good hotel must make you feel home and, of course, beautiful, clean. When you need something, they are prompt to do it. Maybe they don't have your room ready at the time you get there, but they will try to find you a solution.

Q. Do you check bags?

I always check bags because as I'm traveling for work, I need scissors and hair extensions, and everything is so heavy.

Q. What place that you haven't been you'd like to go?

I've been in many, many, many, many places. There's no one country that want to go, man, to be very honest.