We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Simpson . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.

Angela , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

My first client was my cousin Robin. I started styling my own hair first and I got really good at it. After that, I wanted to see if I could style someone else and who other than my best friend and cousin Robin. So she was the one who got, burned, cut and experimented on but when I got done she was cute. Lol

Angela , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello. My name is Angela Simpson also known as Angie Jo. I am an owner operator at Colorful Creations Salon and Spa and owner of The Kids Hair Academy and Skill Development Program 501C3 nonprofit. I have been Licensed for over 15 years in the cosmetology field and I have been styling hair since I was in the 5th grade gaining a clientele at 12 years old. I always knew that I love to make people feel beautiful at a very young age, my business slogan is ‘Look good Feel good’ When I started 11th grade I went to a trade school called Metro Tech, all while working towards getting my high school diploma. Shortly after I graduated I got my license in cosmetology and started to work and pay booth rent at my first Salon/ barbershop at 19 years old. I absolutely love what I do and I love to teach kids at a very young age that they can also be young entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. Skill is not based on age and I push all of my students to be the best that they can be in life and in the beauty industry. Professionalism and confidence is key and I hope to spread the word all throughout my career. What I am proud of the most is all of the trials and tribulations that I’ve overcome. It’s hard building a buisness with very little guidance, my suggestion to new stylist is to find a mentor that can help you through your journey.
My biggest achievement is my Kids Hair Academy and Skill Development Program. That is my nonprofit organization and I pour into the youth pure greatness. I created this program in 2019, what we teach is how to do nails, hair, makeup, braiding and more, my goal with this program is to have sponsors fund my program 100% for our young entrepreneurs, the truth is that every parent can’t afford to pay tuition for the program and sometimes the students will have to stop right in the middle of a session because of hardship. I don’t want that to ever happen, so my goal is to raise money through my 501c3 so that no kid will be left out. The tuition is $115 and a one time fee of $150 filled with Angie Jo hair tools and products plus more. I can’t wait until each kid can come and learn skill development, building self esteem, have fun and all of the knowledge in the billion dollar cosmetology field.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is, ‘Everybody get treated equally’ That’s never the case because everyone is different. Being a salon owner you have to learn almost every client, every commission worker, every booth renter and every student. It’s not easy and there is no way that you can treat everyone the same. You can have the same rules that apply to everyone but treat them accordingly.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I once started a boutique inside of my salon just to make ends meet better. After a year I had to stop. Lol. It was way to much to take on, doing hair and selling shoes, purses, earrings, and more, it became overwhelming. That’s when I learned, you can be the jack of all trades and the master of non, which means, stick with one field at a time. I couldn’t afford to hire a sales manager at the time, so I was trying to do everything myself which caused me to be stressed to the point of a brain hemorrhage. I don’t worry anymore so much. I am a believer of God and what’s for me is for me. God will make it happen every time, with motivation, faith and confidence I feel like I can do anything within divine timing.

Contact Info:

• Website: Colorfulcreationskc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorfulcreation?igsh=bnQ5eGkza2E5YXd5
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HAIRDR.SPECIALIST?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Image Credits
Colorful Creations Salon team and educators.