Amy Gibson
It is interesting that we are featuring Amy Gibson in the Dreams and Realities issue, and you will learn why as you read this interview. Amy Gibson is an inspiring entrepreneur and role model and the founder of Crown and Glory Enterprises, a company that offers wigs and counseling services, and she established her business in 2000.
Prior to owning her business, Amy Gibson had been a soap opera actress for 20 years. She started acting since a young age, and at the age of 13 and a half, while starring on a soap opera, she learned through the show’s hairstylist that she had a bald spot in the back of her hair. She couldn’t believe it at first, but soon learned that she had a hair-loss disease known as Alopecia Areata. During our interview, she mentioned that this immune disorder affects 5 million people each year, and there is no age or gender limit. The scientific research has come a long way, and although they know more about it now, there is still no cure.
When Amy was first diagnosed 26 years ago, the only treatment available was strong cortisone shots that she kept getting to bring her hair back, but this proved to only be band aid as the hair loss continued elsewhere.
After her role at Young and the Restless and a 2-year break, Amy Gibson got a role in General Hospital to portrait a detective. Eight weeks before the shoot started, she went to get her treatment, but had a bad reaction, and in three weeks she lost all her hair. It was a challenge to suddenly have to learn about wigs and find ones that were comfortable, authentic looking, and allowed her to be discreet. Although devastated, Gibson never gave up her dream, and in order to continue acting, she came up with a creative way to overcome the roadblocks. She suggested to the General Hospital ‘s producers that her role as a detective could have 7 different dialects, and 7 different looks (and wigs), and they loved her creative idea! She told the producers about her condition, but asked that they kept it a secret. She was not ready to disclose it.
Her creativity and willingness to find a solution to her realities, is an example to follow. How could you think beyond the problems and realities of your business and life, to come up with smart and creative solutions and succeed?
Amy started getting a lot of phone calls from people asking for wig advice, and that’s how she decided to establish Crown and Glory Enterprises… She believes that hair represents a woman’s “crown and glory”! Originally, she was only doing consulting work, and then she started selling the wigs that already existed in the market, door to door. Later she learned the art of wig making from some of the people who over the years had been manufacturing ones for her. She then hired them and soon Amy began offering customized wigs. She also developed eyebrows but did not know how to market it because it was missing a special glue. After meeting the right people at the right time, and the glue professional; she was connected to the largest wig manufacturer in the world.
Amy Gibson had struggled with the fact that she had to give up swimming since she couldn’t do it with the wigs available. This challenge helped her work towards a solution. Together with the manufacturer, after two and a half years of research and many prototypes, trials and errors, they developed the First Women’s Swim Wig utilizing a new wig technology called CyberHair®. It looks and feels just like human and you can swim with it on and it won’t come off. After you wash it the wig dries and goes right back into shape. Her business has snowballed, and it grew out of her home into an exclusive studio. The studio is very exquisite and private and clients, ages from 4 to 80, men, women, and Transgenders, from all over the world go to the studio. And a major part of the business comes from people with Alopecia Areata and cancer patients.
Clients can call 1-877-FOR WIGS to schedule an appointment via phone or in person for a personal hair loss consultation with Amy Gibson. At Crown and Glory Enterprises in Los Angeles they can have a chance to try all kinds of wigs, meet with the stylist, find out what feels comfortable, take measurements and order their wig. If clients can’t get to a studio, they can also send pictures, and measurements and Crown and Glory will create a wig that fits their needs and even match their exact look.
The Amy’s Presence wig line is all over the world, and the best option is to find a studio closer to where you live by going to their website www.amyspresence.com.
Gibson considers her most valuable rewards seeing her clients’ transformation, for example: a woman that had forgotten how she looked until she sees herself in the mirror with her new custom designed piece, or a child who can now feel like all the other kids. “The secret is to feeling complete from the inside out at any age” says Amy.
She loves seeing their significant attitude shift, and how it’s going to change their lives. Amy Gibson also works for hospitals with women going through chemotherapy and helps them look and feel better, as she feels it definitely helps the healing process.
Amy suggests that you put enough money aside for 6 months to a year, before you launch your business. “It’s important to write a business plan – Success is planned, and it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to write a business plan, if your plan is realistic – you can absolutely reach your goals. You have to look at your business and plan five and ten years from now.” Amy Gibson shared that once the business started to grow she planned three, five, eight and ten years ahead and has been following her plan since.
For the future, Amy Gibson is working on a new television project called “Face Off” to offer health and beauty services for women. She is also opening a much larger studio in Beverly Hills next year.
For more information about Amy Gibson and her business please visit www.crownandgloryenterprises.com and www.amyspresence.com.