Alumni Spotlight: Guilherme Campos '02, Co-Founder of Dr. JONES

After graduating from Graded, Guilherme Campos ‘02 studied at Insper and began working in São Paulo's finance world. Eventually, he realized that his professional interests lay elsewhere, so he quit his job and co-founded Dr. JONES, a company focused on men’s personal and beauty care. At first, people around him were surprised by his choice, but Dr. JONES proved to be very relevant to many Brazilian men who were interested in practicing more self-care. 

In this month’s "Alumni Spotlight," Guilherme reminisces about his time at Graded, discusses his current experience as a Graded parent, and shares some of the things he learned about starting a business. 
 

You attended Graded from K5 to grade 12. Why did your parents send you to the school?

I was born in São Paulo, but my family moved to New York when I was only two years old (and my sister was four), so both of us started learning to read and write in English. When we came back to Brazil a couple of years later, Graded was an obvious choice. Although my parents studied at Brazilian schools, their global exposure as adults influenced their decision to provide us with an international education.

Graduation at Graded. My father served as chair of the Board in 2002 and personally handed diplomas to all graduating students (including me).

 

What are some of your favorite Graded memories? In what extracurricular activities were you involved?

I have so many great memories from my 13 years at Graded; it is overwhelming! Several trips, events, games, and parades were unforgettable, but my favorite moments are all somehow connected to great friendships and the Graded community in general. The people are the greatest memories. Playing sports was my greatest passion and where I spent most of my time outside of the classroom.

JV Soccer.

 

Little League Soccer. (I am front and center on the bottom row, and my dad is the coach on the far right.)

 

How did your time at Graded shape your worldview? 

The Graded community is very strong. The school experience extends way beyond the classroom, so the impact of spending 13 years in this environment is huge. I honestly believe that Graded's values are not only ‘written on the wall,’ but that they are genuinely present in the community, and I am grateful for that. 

Graded's international environment has strongly shaped my worldview. Having had contact with several different cultures from a very young age is a game-changing experience, especially nowadays, as we are all totally connected, in real-time, to the entire world (which wasn't the case 20 years ago). 

Lower school play. (I am second from the right.)
 

You earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Insper and went on to work in investment banking at Itaú BBA. What factors influenced your educational and career path decisions?

Graded offers students a broad perspective, both educationally and professionally, by allowing them to explore different interests. In high school, I really enjoyed taking photography and music electives. Math, however, was always my strongest subject, and I was certain I wanted to work in the financial markets in Brazil. (I was also influenced by my father, who had worked in banking/investments throughout his career.) With that in mind, I chose to stay in Brazil and study economics at Insper. That way, I could apply for internships early on. 

 

In 2013, you co-founded Dr. JONES, a men's beauty and personal care product company. When did you realize you wanted to start your own business?

After a couple of years in banking, it became clear to me that it was not the career I wanted to pursue. I realized that all of my certainty in choosing Insper after graduating from Graded had been premature, and other interests such as design and marketing were becoming far more relevant to me.

The drive and dream to build something outgrew my initial goal to be a successful financial market executive. There weren't many opportunities to act as an entrepreneur while working for a large bank, so I decided to leave and try to create something on my own. 

In the beginning, I had mixed feelings about this change. I was extremely excited but also terrified. People around me were shocked. But I was confident that it was the right move for me. 

 

Why did you and your co-founder decide to create a beauty and self-care business solely for men in an industry dominated by women?

We were blown away by a booming men's grooming and personal care market in the United States around 2012-13. Several new brands and products were being launched as a result of a big shift in men's behavior towards beauty & wellness. There were growing beard grooming and hairstyling practices, and many barbershops were opening to satisfy new demands. 

At the time, Brazil was already the world's second-largest men's personal/beauty care market in terms of sales (behind the United States). However, it was still extremely underserved in brands, products, and customer experience.

According to market research, Brazil's growth rate was outpacing that of the United States, and it would become the world's largest market in the following five years. We combined this growth perspective with our own belief that there would be a significant change in men’s behavior in Brazil as well, with fewer taboos regarding self-care. We understood that we had a huge opportunity to build a new men's care brand from scratch!

There have been many ups and downs along the way, but we are very excited about what lies ahead. We are currently very strong in the digital space and e-commerce, and we have great venture capital funds backing us. 

 

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced building the company?

Leaving an investment bank to start a beauty brand was a huge leap of faith. We were great at creating spreadsheets and business plans, but starting a business is much harder than it seems. We had no prior experience in product development and distribution, so we just had to learn on the go. There are still several challenges ahead of us, but we have learned that the success of our company is entirely dependent on the quality and strength of our team. Now, we spend most of our time recruiting the best people and keeping them committed to our mission.

 

What do you enjoy doing during your free time?

I enjoy practicing many sports, including soccer, running, and tennis, but surfing is my biggest passion. I started surfing when I was 12 years old. Since then, I have regularly surfed here in São Paulo, and I try to squeeze in an annual international surf trip to explore other countries. My wife recently started surfing, and my children are catching their first waves, so I am looking forward to a family surf trip soon!

Surfing in El Salvador, 2021.

 

You were a senior at Graded 20 years ago, and now you are a Graded parent! How has your relationship with the school changed? 

Choosing the right school for my children was pretty straightforward. My wife went to Chapel, another great international school in São Paulo, so we were pretty set on enrolling our kids in a bilingual school. Because of my experience at Graded, and its great academic environment, it seemed like a wonderful fit. 

And it has been amazing to come back to Graded as a parent. It's very nostalgic. My oldest son started Graded in K3 in the exact same classroom that I studied in 30 years ago when I was in K5, so taking him to his first classes was very special. 

Some of my best friends are from my first years at Graded, and it is really great to watch my kids making their first buddies and imagine them still enjoying these same friendships 20 or even 30 years from now!

I am constantly encouraging my kids to have experiences similar to the ones I loved so much while also hoping that they chart their own paths by exploring activities and classes that I never tried. 

Halloween at Graded in 2019 with my wife and two kids (the boys).

 

What advice would you give to current Graded students?

As a student, you generally don't appreciate how special this time is since you're always thinking about college. Then, in college, you're thinking about your first job. This cycle can go on and on forever!

My advice would be to make the most out of your time at Graded. I speak from personal experience because I feel like I missed out on a lot during those years. Looking back, I wish I had been even more involved with the school!

My group of friends in middle school. Front row: Gustavo C., Carlos P., Guilherme C., Roberto J., Andre L., Guillaume D., and Daniel P. Back row: Daniel N. and Dante G.

 

Second grade. (I am in blue on the far left.)

 

Halloween in first grade. (I am the vampire in the top row.)