SELF MADE The Kardashians’ hair guru on how she grew three successful businesses

Celebrity stylist JEN ATKIN, 36, has three businesses and still finds time to do the Kardashians’ hair

➤ Be as fearless as you were at 19 I moved from my small Mormon town in Hawaii to LA with my best friend when I was 19 to pursue my dream. We were the only two in our community to leave, and friends would go up to my mum in the supermarket and say,“We’re praying Jenny finds her way.” At 19 you don’t think about the consequences – I used to jump off cliffs on holiday. And now I jump off cliffs metaphorically, like when I launched my Ouai Haircare range. I had so much going on and hair is a crowded market, but luckily it’s been huge. Hold on to that fearlessness. ➤ Surround yourself with smart women I’ve styled the Kardashians’ hair for years and I’ve learnt from watching their hard work, determination and ability to juggle family life with work. If I worked around all my entrepreneurial clients (Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Alba, Chrissy Teigen) and didn’t learn anything, then I’d be the world’s biggest fool. Surround yourself with women that inspire you, and ask questions. ➤ Your job shouldn’t feel like work My parents wanted me to go to business school and were desperate for grandchildren. But neither of those felt right to me, so I left home. Everyone should be striving to be true to themselves. I tell my staff all the time,“Don’t think about me, don’t think about the business, but ask yourself, are you doing what you want to be doing?” If the answer is no, then they need to change. Your job shouldn’t feel like work. ➤ You don’t need to be a bitch to get on Egos were massive in the hair industry during the ’90s, but it’s less like that now. Women often think that to compete with men, we need to be mean and tough, but talented and nice people are the ones who get to the top and stay there. Life can get stressful, but my strategy for staying positive is gym in the morning and wine at night – and saying no to drugs. ➤ Social media can be dangerous People look at my Instagram and leave comments like,“Why do you get paid to do a ponytail?” But what they don’t see is how hard I work. There were years spent as a receptionist at a salon, endless seven-day weeks and a whole lot of parties and family occasions I had to miss out on before I got to the point where I was styling Gwen Stefani for a huge cover.