Tell us a little about Atiyah McDaniels! Who is she? What does she do?
My name is Atiyah. I was born in Newark, NJ. I am a 26 years old and a new mom of a 7 month old baby girl by the name of Nahla. My favorite color is pink and my zodiac sign is Gemini. I love to laugh and sometimes I can be super lazy. I am very shy believe it or not but the thing about me is that I push myself to do things I have never done or would never do. I currently coach clients from the beginning to end when it comes to them launching their own brands. I am also able to help clients develop their marketing plans and answer general business questions if they already have a brand but may be at a stand still and need some direction. On the flip side of that I own a hair extensions company by the name of Intense Beaute. Intense Beaute offers Raw and Virgin hair textures, Lace Frontals & Closures, Clip-ins and Full Lace Wigs.
Can you tell us about your book, “Boss Up or Sit Down?” What inspired you to write it?
BO$$ Up or Sit Down was an educational book I wrote guiding people on the way I went about launching my own hair extensions company because I was receiving so many requests for help towards launching a hair company. I also included in there the mistakes I endured and gave tips on how I’ve learned to avoid those mistakes. It is a very good book if you are interested in launching your own hair extensions company or any company in general. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
What do you hope others get out of your book?
I hope people receive from my book the simple key steps needed to launch any business. Everyone’s path is different but if you have the key steps you can’t go wrong.
For anybody that wants to write a book, what advice do you have for them?
I say everything looks difficult until you actually accomplish it. Don’t wait and start writing your book now. Write a chapter or a page a day. Have it edited by a credible source and release your story to the world you will be helping someone who secretly looking for some guidance.
How do you find the balance between running your business, being a mom, etc?
Yes absolutely I am very busy juggling being a mom and a business owner but its two priorities I must tackle at the same time. I have no choice. What I try to do is use all the time I have while my daughter is with the babysitter which is sometimes only 4 hours and I cram all that I can when it comes to business in those 4 hours. Then when she’s with me I try to do little things that don’t require much like researching something on my phone or anything that I can do business wise while she’s right beside me because she hates to be left alone. It’s been many times where I have had to do phone interviews while she’s right there lol I just have to do what I have to do.
What inspired you to start your own business and what advice do you have for others that may want to start theirs?
I was first a consumer. I went natural in 2010 and I was not comfortable with wearing my natural hair texture and looked to hair extensions as a quick fix. I soon developed a love for my hair extensions. I loved the fact that I could be long and curly one day and short and straight the next day. Which made me think to myself, I could make so much money if I sold my own hair extensions because people would always ask me where I got my extensions from. Thus, I went out on a limb and started selling my own hair extensions and Intense Beaute was born. If I had to give advice to someone looking to be in my position would day I would