How Leaders Rise After a Crisis | April McDaniel, CPA Kopsa Otte

What do you do when life hits so hard you cannot imagine moving forward, but your business, your family, and your team still need you?

In this episode of It’s A Profitable Life, Ronit Enos sits down with April McDaniel, CPA, advisor, and long time financial expert in the beauty and wellness industry, for a powerful conversation about resilience, leadership, and rebuilding after hardship.

April shares how personal loss reshaped her definition of success and forced her to get honest about what mattered most. Together, Ronit and April talk about what entrepreneurs get wrong in hard seasons, why community and support systems are non negotiable, and how learning to face your numbers can actually create peace instead of pressure.

This episode blends real life perspective with practical business guidance, including what to stop doing, what to delegate, and how to make smarter financial and tax decisions as you grow.

If you are in a difficult season right now, this will help you find your footing and keep going.

In This Episode

0:00 Why April is a trusted financial voice in the beauty industry
3:00 The early life experience that shaped her drive for independence
6:00 Why career decisions should support the life you want, not just status
9:00 The importance of relationships and never burning bridges
11:00 What Club Soda does differently for salon and spa owners
14:00 How crisis reshapes your priorities and your leadership
17:00 Why helping others is one of the fastest ways to heal
20:00 The moment April stopped living for other people’s expectations
23:00 Hire slow, fire fast and why culture is always the priority
26:00 The most common habits of stable, successful business owners
29:00 Why you cannot be afraid to ask questions about money
32:00 How entity types change as you grow and why it matters
35:00 Why S Corp is not always the answer
37:00 The danger of social media tax advice
39:00 The tax mistakes salon owners make as they scale
41:00 Why clean books are the foundation of good strategy
44:00 Let go in order to grow and stop doing the side job
47:00 Rapid fire questions: superpower, failure, and success redefined

Key Takeaways

Hard seasons do not disqualify you. They can refine you.

You can heal by helping other people. Service creates meaning.

Build a support system before you need it. Community matters.

Ask the questions you are avoiding. Clarity is always better than fear.

Stop taking generic tax advice. Your business needs personalized strategy.

Clean financial data creates confident decisions. Junk in, junk out.

To scale, you have to let go of roles that are not yours to carry.

About the Guest

April McDaniel is a CPA, advisor, and educator specializing in tax planning and financial strategy for salons, spas, and wellness businesses. She is a leader at Club Soda, a Nebraska based advisory firm serving salon and spa owners across the United States.

April is known for simplifying complex financial topics and helping owners understand their numbers so they can make smarter decisions, reduce stress, and grow sustainably.

Brought to You By

Salon Cadence: The advisory network for salon, spa, and medspa CEOs scaling with systems, leadership, and Profit First for Salons
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Vish: The color management system that turns waste into profit
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Phorest: The all in one salon software that grows your business through automation, culture, and client connection
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MySalonBooks: Real time salon bookkeeping powered by Profit First for Salons
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