Meet Autumn Wright! If there is one local lady who defines badass she is it! A Marine, Mom, Business Owner, and purely just an inspirational person. Autumn owns Seraphina Divine Beauty in Ballston Spa. She wakes up every morning with the desire to make people feel and look their best. She does everything with heart and dedication. Managing to run a business, make-up product line, wedding service, and inspiring her 9-year-old to pursue a business of his own!
Q. 1 When did the entrepreneur bug bite you?
Autumn: I have always had it. I used to put my rollerblades on when I was 11 and roll around the neighborhood pulling a wagon full of greeting cards and go door to door selling them 5 for a dollar. After going through beauty school and starting in a salon in 2013 as a booth renter I had to learn to do all of my own promotion. After moving to NY and working for a salon for 1.5 years and learning what it takes to do so, I decided that in 2015, I had what it took to start my own business. Since then I have a successful salon, wedding service business & my own makeup line.
Q. 2 What is your passion?
Autumn: My passion is making people feel better about themselves. I happen to be artistic, so painting hair and doing makeup on faces comes naturally to me.
Q.3 Who were the women mentors that encouraged you or inspired you?
Autumn: Connie's Clippers was my childhood hairstylist and I always thought she was so beautiful and thought it was cool she made women love their hair for a living. Then when I got to beauty school my Instructors Kate Oliver and Sarah Rochelle were passionate and made it fun while teaching me the skills I needed to run with. They absolutely pushed for creativity and drive.They made this profession fun and exciting. While I worked for Alayne at MMF while learning skills in both how TO run a business as well as how NOT TO run a business. Angela Wakefield taught me, 6 years ago, alot about how to use the color line I use today.
Q.4 Why did you pick your business niche? Was this something you went to school for etc?
Autumn: I chose hair and makeup because it was something I always enjoyed. In middle school and highschool I loved getting my friends ready for dances. Sometimes we would end up on weekend nights cutting and coloring hair. I was pulling highlighting caps at 12 for my mom and myself. Then when I was a stay-at-home mother and started waitressing nights, I would doll myself up with makeup and an updo and people started asking me to do weddings and proms. It made me happy and it was fun. So why not do that for a living?
Q.5 What do you do for encouragement or to be motivated?
Autumn: My son is my number one motivator. My number one encouragement is my happy clients. When they are happy, I am happy. The inspiring wide web always has new artists and techniques and fun things to try.
Q. 6 How do you balance your entrepreneur life with friends/family that don’t understand the challenges we experience?
Autumn: I have lots of great acquaintances in business and outside of business and I do my best to support their causes as much as possible. As for my partner and son. My son knows I work hard to give him the life he has and he admires that. My partner is very supportive and understands I'm a working woman building and running a business. I always have to block out time for them like I would for a workday. Life is short and you have to schedule your family time like you do a workday, otherwise, what are you working for? I do my best to show my son my ability to spend quality time and make sports events in a balance of work. I believe in regular date nights because they are necessary in a working woman's world.
Q.7 What Is the mission of your business/job?
Autumn: My mission is to create a business to help others feel better about themselves both inside and out , while gaining and maintaining a happy clientele , while supporting my family and our lifestyle as well as giving back to the community and spreading inspiration and positivity to both single hard working moms and everyone else out there trying to be a productive, giving member of society.
Q.8 What do you want readers to know about your business?
Autumn: My business is comfortable, good energy, reliable place of positivity, and more importantly I want people to feel like they are friends here. Rather it's just a fresh hair color, learning how to apply makeup, Finding what they need in my makeup line or hair and makeup for their special event or big day. Or just finding someone they can talk to about life who won't judge them. They are in good hands and it will be an enjoyable experience.
Q.9 With many challenges with being a woman in business, what about being a badass woman has benefited you and your business?
Autumn: I think what is badass about being a woman in business and brings the badass-ness to it is we can be both soft and strong. We can "speak softly and carry a big stick..." - Teddy Roosevelt We can bring passion, empathy, and a soft caring hand and listening ear while also being in charge and being the boss and being stern. We can offer an emotional yet logistical balance to businesses. And, let's face it ... who runs the world? GIRLS!
Q.10 Finally - What is a quote that inspires you !
Autumn : "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln shoot for the stars , follow your dreams, love hard, laugh often and make valuable relationships and cherish every morning you wake up because you can live a long, boring, meaningless life and what is it for if you don't do those things? Too many people leave this earth too early and some stay too long. make it count."
You are capable of anything but never all at once. It's a constant check and balance and growth. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward. But one of the biggest hurdles I see for moms, especially balancing work, is they do not believe they can do it! If you want it, you can have it. Yes, it's crazy and sometimes messy but, it's life! if it makes you happy go for it and the balance thing will always be a work in progress!
To learn more about how this Bad Ass Woman can help you visit their site! For you all, you moms out there they do offer awesome programs to kids as well. This business is an amazing, unique small business locally that deserves our support! Please follow her on her social media pages to give support!
I would also like to shout out her son Radien, who has pursued a business of his own!
"Raidenz Gainz " is a youtube channel looking to inspire people and kids to work out and be healthy! Check him out and subscribe to his channel to give this little entrepreneur support!
215 B Milton Ave
Ballston Spa, NY 12020
T: (518) 362-6991
www.seraphinadivinebeautyny.com
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