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

April, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I love being a business owner, but I couldn’t have done with without making the big mistakes working for others businesses first. Working primarily in the beauty industry and learning to wear quite a few different hats was hugely advantageous, taking various corporate training programs, learning and sales practices, seeing policies put into place, were instrumental in knowing exactly what I did and mostly, what didn’t want for my own business.

Creatively, haircut or color services, behind the chair, is not without lots of training, trial and errors. I have always said, “you have to have been a really bad stylist, to be a really good one”

Recently Ive seen the impact of being both a single mom and a business owner, reflect upon my son who just graduated college and is joining the workforce, with a very independent spirit –but just beginning his journey. He craves for a “schedule” like mine, but doesn’t realize, I worked a lifetime for this balance, and as a business owner, your business is a 24/7 endeavor.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been in the beauty industry, all my life, My grandparents owned one of Southern California’s first full-service professional distributorships. As a kid, I would spend summers inventorying lipstick, shampoo or color. Braiding dollheads, doing makeup in their showroom or attending ribbon cuttings at salons or hair shows. It was the dream industry for a teenage girl growing up in the late 70’s and 80’s in Southern California.

I morphed these connections, passions, and early experience into a great and diverse career.
What I really find I found passion is owning my own salon and working behind the chair doing solution based hair.
Matching someones lifestyles, with their image. Bringing the salon home with them in a great regimen for maintenance that works for them.
I worked very hard mastering my craft in color and color correction and try to keep my menu of services simply and streamlined for every woman. I am hugely passionate about integrating natural ingredients and modern solutions into classic hair hair, I use alot of CBD based- professional products in my salon which my client have found great and cumulative results in constant use.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have a motto in which I live by! I cannot afford the luxury of:
Depression, Irresponsibility or Negativity. They are a huge liability and expensive for anyone in business, When one rears their ugly heads – the price of can be damaging- to any business, when not handled, and quickly.

I try to recognize the first signs, but this is when having a support system of people who are close to me, and other business owners who can help give me a hand up at times when any of these arise- Although I may be running by business on my own, my group of close confidants are there supporting me along my journey, as I am in theirs!

I am a high functioning woman in business, who has had server panick attacks and anxiety all my life, and yet I have had to build and fashion my own tools to make it work- this Is back when mental health professionals didn’t have answers for anxiety ( Early 80s) –there was one book by a brilliant Australian doctor, Dr Claire Weeks, which is brilliant to his day, but it certainly wasn’t todays solutions of modern medicines, phone apps, online mental health appointments and self help resourses in thousands of different websites and forums — to get one back on their feet swiftly and quickly,

Nothing was swift, Nothing was quick. It was a struggle but I knew that the only way I could really get through this was to create a job and business for myself that I could surround myself with the comforts of what would work for me- From the lighting to my hours, I crested a business I could work in, succeed in, and heal,

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Some of the books that were helpful to me, especially in my early years were :

Awaken the Giant Within, By Anthony Robbins – This is still my go to for keeping me in line! Pinpoints the :WHY’s: in my behaviors and helps me tweak them to where I want to be!

The HipMama Surivual Guide By Ariel Gore – Running a business as a anxiety- filled single mom, this was hugely helpful!

“Vulnersbility ” –Ted Talk by Brene’ Brown – I hope everyone has this bookmarked! It sure makes me feel not so alone in this world.

The Magic – Rhona Bryne Daily Practices In Gratitude, Gratitiude is your best client retention tool!

Jimmy Button by Jen Uman – The beauty in this book helps teach sometimes – the best of times are in your own backyard,

Masquerade by Kit Williams, to show me I need to keep looking for the beautiful things as, not ever little thing has to be about business to reflect and have impact on your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: atomicaprilhair.com
• Instagram: @atomicaprilhair
• Facebook: None
• Linkedin: Linkedin.com/en/AtomicApril
• Twitter: @atomicapril

Image Credits
credits are all my own. being to me taken by me