An Interview With Ming Zhao
Not everyone is going to see your vision. This one stops you from being so frustrated when people don’t understand your plans or way of thinking.
As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite,” we had the pleasure of interviewing April Showers.
April Showers is a lead-by-example creator who works to uplift, advocate and inspire all to achieve greatness. She is focused on fusing her passions with her life’s purpose to help other entrepreneurs on their journey. Founder and CEO of Afro Unicorn™, a brand designed to remind women and children of color how unique, divine and magical they truly are.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I am a serial entrepreneur. In addition to being the founder of Afro Unicorn I am also the owner of an insurance agency and a licensed real estate broker. My superpower however is that I am a single mom of two amazing honor students ages 16 and 11.
From pre-teen years I always had a desire to work for myself. Always wanted to be the boss. “Who’s the Boss” was actually one of my favorite childhood shows.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
Back in August 2022 after a viral video of a little girl wearing my Afro Unicorn shirt I received an email from a merchant at Walmart with the subject title “Afro Unicorn x Walmart” collaboration; have you ever considered party supplies? This by far is the most interesting story that is directly leading towards our success.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My cousin Chelsea has always been instrumental in the success of Afro Unicorn. Before it was even a brand we would spend late nights on the phone where I would be crying over some stupid situation and she would say “are you donkey or a unicorn”…lol She always had an interesting way of putting things back in the proper prospective for me. She pushed me so hard to get this brand going, believing that I was bigger than me and the world needed it.
As you know, the United States is facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?
We are woman owned and black owned. Our brand is of representation so it only makes sense that we are represented.
As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.
To have a more inclusive, representative and equitable society we first have to recognize that we are ALL different. A lot of people say they don’t see color, but I believe that is part of the issue. I want to be seen and heard as most people of color do. Once you recognize our differences then you can clearly see me and know how to include me.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?
As founder of Afro Unicorn I am the visionary. I see what the company will look like 5–10 years from now. I then employ other leaders around me to carry out and execute that vision.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?
A lot of people think that the CEO doesn’t do any work, that we just sit in the corner office. However, that is far from the truth. As the visionary we don’t rest, we are constantly planning. I don’t think real CEO’s get more than 3 hours of good sleep a day. Lol; our brain never stops.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Honestly I don’t know. I don’t focus on what others are doing. I just go hard for whatever it is I’m working towards. And if there is a fence or wall blocking me, I just plow right through it.
What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?
As I stated before, I always wanted to be my own boss, so I’m actually doing exactly what I always knew I would.
Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?
Only visionaries who are willing to stay consistent can be CEO. It is not for the faint at heart. Your success is measured by your consistency.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Not everyone is going to see your vision. This one stops you from being so frustrated when people don’t understand your plans or way of thinking.
- Your failures are not fatal. They actually help toughen you up for what’s ahead.
- Write down everything you want to happen. Goal manifestation is key as soon as I started doing it, everything I wanted started happening.
- Don’t give up. Because if you do , you will never know if you could.
- Consistency is key. Even if you don’t see immediate results, you just have to remain consistent.
I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?
I believe you should show up how you feel. Meaning spend more time working on the inside (reading, journaling, healthy eating, exercise) and you will automatically want to show on the outside how you feel on the inside.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I have already started a movement. Afro Unicorn is a lifestyle brand reminding women and children of color how unique, divine and magical they truly are. Our goal from the beginning was to normalize black beauty and advocate entrepreneurship while giving our black and brown women and girls a unicorn that represents them. Encouraging them to love the skin that they are in and embrace the crowns on their heads.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them
I would love to sit down with Viola Davis. She doesn’t know this but it was because of her sharing the initial viral video of the little girl wearing my shirt why I am now the first black woman and black brand to enter into party supplies for a major retailer. I just want to tell her THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Women Of The C-Suite: April Showers On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.