Heroes in Business - Angus Mitchell, CoOwner John Paul Mitchell Systems, first family of professional hair care products

Episode Date: November 26, 2022

Thriving with a Legacy. Angus Mitchell, CoOwner John Paul Mitchell Systems, first family of professional hair care products is interviewed by David Cogan famous host of the Heroes Show and founder of Eliances entrepreneur community.  

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Alliances where entrepreneurs align. Alliances where entrepreneurs align. Alliances where entrepreneurs align. Alliances where entrepreneurs align. Alliances where entrepreneurs align. Alliances where entrepreneurs align. Welcome to Alliances, the only place where entrepreneurs align. Having the dream job of being able to interview the most incredible people. So thank you.

Thank you, too, for the fast feedback we continue to have when I interviewed the founder of CNBC. So make sure you check out alliances.com. And also make sure you stand by because we're going to be later on having on Elon Musk. You may have heard of him. That's right, Tesla and a gazillion other things. So make sure you stand by because, again, this is the opportunity where we get to learn from others. And I'm just so honored by it. In fact, too, is welcome to the show we have with us. Are you ready for this? Angus Mitchell.

He is the co-owner of John Paul Mitchell Systems. It's the first family of professional hair products and he can be reached at paulmitchell.com. So, Angus, I mean, you come from the iconic hair family. Everybody knows the shampoo, and I mean, you've got a whole huge line of products and stuff. How did you make the decision really to go into the beauty industry? Well, you know, it was quite interesting. Unfortunately, my father had passed away from pancreatic cancer, Paul Mitchell. My wonderful partner,

John Paul, continued the company. And I just figured what was 10 months and 1600 hours of my life to try beauty school. I got into it and I fell in love. It was something that just kind of came out of me and being able to work with beautiful women and change them, make them feel sexy and wonderful and beautiful, had just become a passion of mine and still is. I don't know if really everybody realizes how important here is, like it is until you don't have it, right? I mean, it's like, it just seems that it's, Like it is until you don't have it. Right. I mean, it's like it just seems that it's we all we notice it. We see. I mean, it just it's such a it's such a thing that it's amazing, you know, how critical really it is that people take care of their hair. Well, that's just a given. You know, actually, you were talking about Elon Musk. I was actually fortunate enough to cut his mom's hair.

So she's actually a great friend of my mom's. One day she looked at me, she said, Angus, how come you've never cut my hair? I said, I don't know. You've never asked. She said, I'm asking. So in the middle of COVID, she came over and with her PR person, we did a great little haircut for her in the backyard. She has the biggest personality and talk about beautiful hair. May Musk has probably to me, one of the best hair I've ever had a chance to cut. So, and probably the first supermodel too. Fantastic. Wow. What's some of the secrets though to keeping hair and then keeping it, you know, really beautiful. Cause I mean, and shiny, right. And all of those things that people want in here. David, are you asking me personally?

It's called freedom scalp. That's how you get a good, nice... You get to keep that hair longer. And then obviously condition is always the best part. You got to have your hair conditioned. How do you see your dad's legacy really in the work that you're doing today? My father's legacy? You know, well, first of all, what I'm proud about was that I did get into this business because of my father. I loved him very much. When I was a young boy, one of my favorite stories is I felt really connected with him when I was a child.

And I said to him once, I said, Dad, the tree doesn't fall far from the apple. My dad said, no, it's the other way around. I said, no, Dad, I've known you from another life. I felt that way about him. So when I lost him, there was something in me that just drove me to follow in his legacy. That's great. That's great. No, I mean, you know, phenomenal story in that. And you're also too, and by the way, again, we have with us Angus Mitchell, co-owner of John Paul Mitchell Systems. You'll be reached at paulmitchell.com because you're listening, watching me, David Kogan,

host of the E-Alliances Hero Show. So Angus, you're listening, watching me, David Kogan, host of the Alliance's Hero Show. So, Angus, you're also an advocate for human rights. I think it's important that we also speak about that ecological reservation, environmental research and that. So talk to us the importance of how you're involved in and how important it is to really give back. Well, I mean, I think that's just the culture of our company. And I think that's what makes each company extremely unique. It's how each company looks, how to give back into different areas. For us, it was right away when we could start to invest in things like healthy sports. We were the first ones to invest in supporting the palm and chill karate team. It's been over 35 years. We are the longest investors in that healthy karate sport, and we're still number one champions too, by the way.

Steve Babcock is our master and our sensei for that. We did everything from snowboarding, Xterra, and then also for us, the passionate part is what my father and John Paul had first started out, which was to get back to the planet. So replanting trees, self-sufficiency. We have a avapui farm that I was raised on. I don't know why my name was Angus. My dad was a vegetarian, but I was raised on a solar farm, catching our own water and planting fruits and vegetables. Amazing, amazing. How do you, though, what kind of advice would you share with others about how to go about as business owners to start giving back?

I mean, we get so heads down into what we're doing and that. How do we look beyond that to see what else that we can do to help others? And look at what is interesting or interest how how how your staff in your business looks at being able to give back in their community so that they can feel a part of your business. And then they can support your business and be even better and stronger people for you. Employees. Now, I hear a little secret that you also have a passion for cars. Well, you know, and passion for cars, right? Well, you know. And, you know, we're coming to you from Scottsdale, Arizona.

You know what's in Scottsdale, Arizona, right? I hang out with you guys all the time. I love it up there. You know, for me, it's about memories, fulfilling memories. And, you know, like my father had a Volkswagen bus band that he used to sell Paul Mitchell hair care products from so I started out with one of those 21 window buses I like building rest of rods and anyone can go to a dealership and buy a car as you know being Arizona, the big fun is going to the car auctions. So Barrett is a fun circus to be a part of.

RM Auction is one of my other favorite places to go. I'm very loyal, so I like to stay within those two people, auctioneers. But yeah, it's just a great, wonderful, for me, creative expression. Excellent. Angus, tell us some of the secrets that your dad shared with you about being a good person, raising you as a good, solid person and helping others. And, you know, the secret to, you know, carrying on the tradition and keeping it together. That's a good question. Thank you. A good emotional one. But as

I said, he, well, the first time that they were able, they had paid all of their bills. The first thing my father did was invest on a piece of property on the Big Isle of Hawaii. He has two beautiful properties that I have maintained and I focused on. One is a waterfall property that runs off of hydro 100%. Again, our Abapui farm, and it was always my father's words to me was, we have to leave the world a better place as to whence we had come. So that's something that stayed really close to me. So sometimes I buy a petrol car. I know he may be rolling over in his grave, but I still have a couple electric ones too. And it's one of those things I just make it a point to give back to the planet.

You must think about him all the time, just being obviously the impact that he made on your life, but also carrying you know, carrying on the tradition. I mean, it's a big responsibility and, and, um, you know, we ever just, what, what, what, as far as is, you know, the other thing in this part of this question too, is, is how do we, um, advise other parents out there to also share some of the things that you learned with their children? What things, how, you know, how is it because you're working with them? You know, what kind of things can we do for parents that are listening now that, you know, everybody's got the skill set to be able to teach their children, but with this busy world, we don't as much as we should. It's getting them involved. My father, as I said, had me involved. He was Scottish,

hence my name, Angus. And that being said, I was so proud to say I was Scottish. And someone said, that's a bummer, short arms, deep pockets. Extremely frugal man, which meant that a lot of the tools on our vegetarian farm were usually meant for people's gardens and normal lawns. I was meant to push that with grass that was 10 feet tall and had to fight it and work the land with my hands and learn how to use the tools that you know, work the land with my hands and learn how to use the tools that was given to me. Most importantly, I have a son too. He's seven years old. And for me, it's really about implementing the memories that my father, Paul, his grandfather had given me and being able to share with him all of the ways that he was able to give back the same way that the lessons that I was given as well. Phenomenal. Angus, I want to, again, you know, because again, I was very close with my father

and stuff of that is if there was one specific point in your memory that you remember most about him, just that one point or one quality, one point, what was that? That's not fair. No, it's a lot. There's so many things. For me, it was his heart and his love and his soul. For me, it was his heart and his love and his soul. I could be next to him and not say a word, and it just fulfilled my time with him.

It wasn't about an iPad or an iPhone. It was about telling stories or reading a book, sitting at the dinner table and having conversation. These are the things that I practice with my son. And although we do have those modern technology gadgets at hand, those are the ones that I tend to have in our daily routine. Excellent. Well, I got to tell you, heart, love, and soul. Angus, you have taken the legacy of your father's company to new heights. You continue to carry on the tradition in your own family. Your son may end up taking over too. That's right. And maybe someday we'll have him on the show when that happens too. That's a Hero. Angus Mitchell, co-owner of John Paul Mitchell Systems.

First family of professional hair care products. You can reach him at paulmitchell.com. This has been David Kogan with the Alliance's Hero Show. Thank you, David. You're going to dance with me too now. Okay.