The emergence of social media has birthed a new generation of entrepreneurs who are utilizing the platforms to build thriving businesses, invest in promising ventures and create new opportunities for themselves and others.
Much more than this, founder of 360Kuts, also known as Khalilimages, Jimmy Ofuoyan, is at the forefront of pioneering digital revolution and even transforming the way business is packaged and sold in the hairstyling and content creation industrial on an international level. 360Kuts, also known as Khalilimages are haircut, photography and content promotion brands which the intercontinental influencer has used to promote himself as a global figure via the social media.
There are many fascinating things about Jimmy Ofuoyan. Born in Nigeria to a family of nine, he is the youngest of three brothers and also has four sisters. Born in 1998 and endured difficult formative years, the earlier years were nightmares but they played a key role in forging who the entrepreneur eventually emerged to become.
While he was 12 years old; a time many of his contemporaries were still being spoon-fed by their parents and guardian, Jimmy Ofuoyan was already a ‘full grown man’, aware of the challenges ahead. He charted his own course in life, as his other siblings were also busy with theirs. The businessman became a trainee at his brother’s unisex salon and he became a master in fixing and braiding for women.
But Jimmy Ofuoyan was not contented with becoming only a half professional in hair styling business. Out of determination and curiosity, Jimmy Ofuoyan learnt modern men’s haircut on YouTube. After he was issued a certificate of completion by his brother, the 360Kuts and Khalilimages managing director decided to move to Italy through Libya in 2018.
While in Libya, the CEO of 360Kuts, also known as Khalilimages, fell into the hands of human traffickers who threw him into prison a camp for one year and six months. As demoralizing as the experience could have been for anyone else, he rather embraced the challenge as one to further mold him. With just a comb and brush, he provided services to fellow inmates and their captors, until he escaped from prison with his cousin and two friends he had travelled with.
Upon landing in Italy from Libya, he lived briefly in Sicily, where he became a disc jockey, providing entertainment at events and festivals, in the quest for survival. He was moved to a camp known as Laboratorio per le Aree Protette Italiane e lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (LAPISS), in a small city in Abruzzo, and it was there he further developed his skills as a hairstylist.
Jimmy Ofuoyan started with home services and blew his customers away. 360Kuts gradually became a popular salon brand, following testimonies and approval by majority of his clients. He began to promote his enterprise and expertise on social media, sharing videos and photographs on Khalilimages. The strategy attracts celebrities, important figures and entertainers who eventually formed a key component of his clientage. In 2018, he provided service to players of Pescara and Juventus, and that marked the beginning of a new dawn for him.
“When I had the opportunity to offer a haircut to a player from Pescara Football Club. Being the first migrant and foreigner in my state to achieve such recognition in the hairstyling industry was a game-changer. The experience brought attention to my work and attracted influential personalities and football stars to my Instagram account. It was a turning point that catapulted my career and gave me a platform to showcase my skills to a broader audience,” said Jimmy Ofuoyan.
