We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aprill Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aprill below.
Aprill, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Taking risks is an inherent part of being an entrepreneur. It involves making decisions with uncertain outcomes in pursuit of business growth or innovation. Successful entrepreneurs often embrace calculated risks, where they weigh potential rewards against potential losses and take action based on careful analysis and intuition. Risks can lead to opportunities for growth, learning, and innovation, but they also carry the possibility of failure. Effective risk management involves balancing ambition with caution, continuously evaluating and adapting strategies, and being resilient in the face of setbacks. Ultimately, taking risks is essential for entrepreneurship as it fuels creativity, drives progress, and opens doors to new possibilities.
For my husband and I, the calculated risks we took to open the first African-American Cigar Lounge in the San Antonio area (1911 Cigars, LLC.), were both scary and motivating! Having no prior experience in the industry, we built the company from the ground up, learning everything we needed to know about the field and putting together a concept that would attract both avid and novice cigar connoisseurs. We took an old gutted home and made it into a relaxing and entertaining oasis. We have been in business for 4 1/2 years! The business is thriving and we are looking into expansion!
It was the success of this business (my husband’s vision) that led me to further pursue my passion in mental health. You see, I was in school pursuing a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the onset of opening 1911 Cigars. My husband was on active duty Army at the time and had just been stationed two hours away from our home and the business. As a wife, I knew that I needed to assist as much as possible in ensuring that the business thrived, so I decided to withdraw from school to focus on making sure we were successful.
Subsequently (once life calmed down a bit), I began doing online training as a Mental Health Coach and eventually received my Life Coaching Certificate through Light University, choosing them because of their Christianity-based background. I wanted to ensure that my clients had both a spiritual and logical perspective and approach to their journey. Initially, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with this training; however, after battling with bouts of depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic, I realized my purpose.
I grew up with a lot of trauma! Molested at age 9 and telling not one soul until I was 17 years old, was the catalyst for my future mental health issues and trauma responses! As a child whose control was taken, I became an adult who needed to control everything, to people please, and avoid situations! I became a woman chasing purpose while hiding behind the mask of weight and pretending to be “OK” when I was drowning inside! I tried to be EVERYTHING to EVERYONE! I had no life balance! My NOs were anointed… heavenly… up in the clouds and hard to reach! While my YESs were so heavy that they were in the pits of HELL!! I was saying HELL YES to everything when I should have been saying HELL NO!!!!
During the pandemic, I realized that I needed to take a step back from EVERYTHING!!! I thought I was just taking a short break, but God allowed something very different! Life started Lifing out of control and I went through what I call my Job Season! Although I was not as faithful as Job! I made some mistakes in my season! I allowed the enemy to get in my head! I felt like I was losing my MIND, my MORALS, and my MARRIAGE! It felt like everything around me was failing! I was angry, depressed, anxious, & bitter!
Thank God for a FIRM FOUNDATION & a willingness to get past the stigma associated with therapy! I began seeing a therapist, got on medication to regulate my emotions (until I had healed and could regulate them myself), and began doing the work to get to who God called me to be!
It was during this time that Journey 2 Live Complete was birthed! From a place of despair and desperation, God revealed to me what that whole season was about! He was pruning me, crushing me, molding me to do His will… to help His people! The pain of ripping the scab off of ALL of my INFECTED wounds had allowed me to properly treat them and to heal!!!
God took me down the path of feeling overwhelmed & undervalued, to be able to help those who may feel the same way! I don’t know it all, but what I do know is that I am determined to continue to learn and grow, so that I can continue the work He has begun in me, so that others can fulfill their purpose too!
So risk number two became planning my first Mental Health Self-Care Retreat for women! The risk paid off and we conducted our first retreat in May 2023 in Texas. I am currently working on our second one, scheduled for 2024 in California!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a follower of Christ, wife to LTC (R) Greg Williams, mother of two grown sons (LG & CJ), friend, and confidante to many!
While I love every role I play in the lives of many, my passion to see people be the best version of themselves brings my greatest sense of fulfillment. I am a Certified Mental Health & Professional Life Coach with a passion for ending the stigma associated with mental illness!
Vocal about my struggles, I aspire to help others understand the importance of self-care and to help guide them on their Journey 2 Live Complete!
Life is a journey! I enjoy helping my clients check out some of the “Best Places to Visit” on theirs. I help clients to look at things through a different lens and hold them accountable in attaining the goals they set for themselves.
I am most proud of stepping out of my comfort zone and allowing the thing that seemingly tried to derail my life to bless others on their journey to wellness!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Word of mouth has been the most effective strategy in growing clientele in both businesses, with social media posting a close second.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I had to pivot in all three areas, at the same time, as we opened the cigar lounge. As mentioned, I was in school, working a full-time job, a mother, and a ministry leader at church. When my husband moved two hours away, I took on more responsibility and withdrew from school to focus on the business.
Life is full of pivots and detours! It important that we stay calm and focused as circumstances shift in our lives! The thing about a pivot is that you must keep one foot planted, to redirect or shift your weight! So, my advice to others is to stay grounded! Because then you will be less likely to get overly excited (anxious) about the pivots in your life or depressed when those pivots don’t work out! You can always pivot back if necessary!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.J2L7.COM
- Instagram: J2LIVE7
- Facebook: J2LIVE7
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/aprillwilliams-j2l7
- Youtube: J2LIVE7