Grounded Roots and a Career Built on Experience
Riley McMurdo is not your usual entrepreneur in that his story and operations can be characterized by consistency, quality, and a suite of relationships established over time. McMurdo is President of TMAC Investments Inc., and he oversees operations of 19 SportClips locations in Colorado and Wyoming. Yet, the journey to where Odin is sprinkled with educational, family, and community roots and an intention to build something special.
Raised in Colorado after a brief stint in Texas, Riley experienced a childhood heavily involved with sports, and friendships, and a propensity to move when his father was required to relocate in conjunction with his career in the airline and hospitality industries. The challenge of relocation, educational transition, and adaptation would develop within Riley a critical flexibility that would serve beneficial in business. After graduating Eaglecrest High School and completing a degree at Colorado State University, he again framed the future through a lens of teaching and coaching. He, like many entrepreneurs, would take a detour.
A Move to Business Ownership
Though Riley earned his teaching certificate and spent stints teaching in Denver Public Schools and Cherry Creek School District, he determined that his career would not be in education. Riley also discovered during this time, he loved sports, structure, and leadership, and in 2009 he identified an opportunity to do all three things.
Riley and his father, Ted, decided to move to the franchise world by choosing SportClips as their model.As loyal customers themselves, they were attracted to a model that was simple and provided the chance to create something family-run and focused on the community. In 2010, they opened their first location in Glendale, Colorado.
It wasn't a runaway success, and Riley was working day to day running the salons, and his mother, Tina, was performing administrative and back-office functions. They had to have some patience and put in the effort to do every job that was involved in running a starting company. Growth was slow, but they slowly started to grow. From there, TMAC Investments now has close to 20 SportClips into their portfolio and has dozens of employees and serves thousands of customers a month.
To Riley, People-First Leadership isn't just a phrase or organization but how you view your world and business.
When Riley is asked about his leadership style, he doesn't talk about fanciful words or abstract organizational practices. He talks about people. "We have accepted that we are nothing as a business without the people that help run the business," he remarks.
That philosophy is part of every part of his business. Whether it is to coaching a store manager through a difficult personnel matter, or encouraging a new employee to envision their long-term potential, Riley leverages each occasion as a chance to teach by example. To him, visibility, care, and consistent expectations are paramountly important. Team members, to him, are working for themselves, not for the business, and Riley wants to help them get there.
One example stands apart. When an employee showed up for her shift, and she was drunk, Riley didn't terminate her. He helped her obtain the treatment she needed for her alcohol problems. Years later, she is sober and succeeding in her leadership role. This is an example of what happens when leadership meets empathy with action.
Sustaining Growth Through Systems and Community
Riley's framework for understanding business growth is both analytical and relational. He uses his routine profit-and-loss reviews, raw performance comparisons across stores and access to the resource power of the SportClips franchise system. But just as important as his spreadsheets and numbers-based goals, are the dialogues held with his peers.
As a member of the SportClips Team Leader Advisory Council, Riley is connected with other franchise owners through regular meetings across the country. The nature of these relationships allows for meaningful sharing of best practices, honest expressions of challenges and shared accountability in the strategic and operational planning. Every year, Riley also attends several conferences with his peers, where he uses them not only as a way of learning but also as a way to stay connected to the larger mission of the business.
This equilibrium of understanding numbers and people helps him stay grounded. TMAC Investments is not just growing because it's growing. Each new store represents a new community to serve, new staff to serve and a new opportunity to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the business.
A Family Business Built on Common Values
One of the most remarkable things about the way Riley McMurdo has achieved success is the degree of family involvement in the business. His wife Jessica manages his human resources and payroll. His sister Ashlie is in charge of administration. His brother-in-law has filled operational roles. And his parents, while not operationally involved, are actively engaged in the legacy of the company.This model could be complicated, but it works for the McMurdo family because of mutual respect, defined roles, and a shared purpose. Everyone is on the same page when it comes to the mission of providing for the community, maintaining stable jobs, and cultivating a business of values.
When they aren't working, the McMurdos are heavily involved in the community. They spend weekends watching their three kiddos participate in sports, taking family trips to the mountains of Colorado, and cheering on the local teams in their hometown. Those moments of empathy and presence remind them both why this work matters: it gives them the life they want to live, incorporating balance, relationship, and presence.
Lessons from Authentic Experience
Riley is open about his own tendencies, including his control issues. “I’m a bit of a control freak,” he said. He has learned through time to delegate not just because every leader needs to for their own sake, but because it is necessary for his people to develop. “I try to delegate as much as I can so I don’t get too high a level of anxiety. It is a work in progress.”
His humility is one of the reasons he is an effective leader. He does not pretend to have every single answer. He surrounds himself with bright and committed people, and builds systems around them, where they can thrive. When things get bumpy — and they do — he focuses on being composed, communicating, and working towards resolution. His attitude about customers in stressful situations demonstrates this calm and clarity. “We try not to escalate a situation, ever,” he says. “Always keep your cool and de-escalate it to an extent that allows the customer to feel heard but does not take away from the employee’s dignity.”
Planning for the Long Term, One Store at a Time
Riley is not chasing overnight success. He thinks in terms of years, not quarters. He believes in building a business that his kids can one day be proud of, not just for the revenue it generates, but for the values it upholds. As a result, every decision is made with a long view in mind.
Whether that means supporting an employee through a personal challenge, investing in training programs, or taking the time to find the right location for a new store, Riley brings patience and care to his role. His steady leadership is part of why TMAC Investments continues to be a respected presence across the region.
Why Local Business Still Matters
In a world dominated by large corporations and digital disruption, it can be easy to overlook the role of local businesses. But Riley McMurdo proves that entrepreneurship rooted in people and place still holds real value. His stores are not just places to get a haircut. They are workplaces that offer consistency, mentorship, and growth. They are community fixtures that reflect the neighborhoods they serve.
And they are led by someone who still values face-to-face conversations, who understands that spreadsheets tell only part of the story, and who is committed to building something that lasts.
Riley McMurdo has built his business the way he lives his life, with purpose, humility, and a deep respect for the people around him. His journey is not defined by shortcuts or sudden wins, but by steady progress, thoughtful leadership, and the quiet strength of doing things the right way. And in the long run, that kind of success leaves the deepest impact.
