Meet Janae: Creative Goddess
Janae is bringing voice to people of color in the social media world- I’m so thankful for the work she is doing to change lives of female entrepreneurs! She has overcome much both personally and in her business to be in the place she is now! Both Auden and Company and Creatively Stocked are truly set apart to bring voice to female entrepreneurs of color- Janae has quickly become one of the women I’ll always seek advice from and she should be for you as well!
Can you share a little of your journey with us and who you are?
First and foremost, I was adopted with my three siblings! My parents also had 4 kids so that made 7 of us- a really big family! I came from East Cleveland- my biological mother had her parental rights severed pretty early on because she was a terrible mother.
We were in the custody of the state with my biological grandmother who decided to put us up for adoption without telling us- she just brought us to meet this new family- We didn’t fully understand why we were meeting with them, especially since they were white. We thought they were super nice, and they showed us pictures of their kids who were super adorable. By the third time we met with them, we asked why we kept meeting with them! My biological mom took us for one last joy ride just us together but she really didn’t have an option in the matter. The states would either pull us out of school on Monday and put us in a foster home, or wait it out. So they waited it out. We went to live with them about three months earlier than when we were supposed to and said goodbye to our biological family after that because it was a closed adoption.
I'm not going to say that alone was traumatic because everything really leading up to that was traumatic. Looking back at it now, it was definitely traumatic because we just up and left. We moved in with my adoptive parents and my siblings out into the good old country! Because there's seven of us, we needed space to roam around. It took me a while to warm up to my new parents. I'm a very introverted, observant person, and we had gone through foster homes and traumatic experiences and people in and out so you just don’t trust people right away. I finally realized that this was everything I ever wanted in a family- it was more structured, and we would take a family vacations together! I eventually loosened up and let my personality shine!
Being adopted really gave me a second chance to show me that everything I had daydreamed about was possible- I was able to break the cycle that my biological family created.
A key piece about cases with trauma backgrounds is we feel we don’t deserve good in our lives, and we feel it could be ripped away from us at any second.
But from a young age, I always knew I wanted to be a business owner. I always wanted to be my own boss! I went to a great middle and high school- it was an all white school which definitely played a role in my experience as a young black girl. I honestly felt there was more to going to school than just being there to take standardized tests- I wanted more. I was having a hard time connecting with a lot of the students- all of their issues seemed more trivial. So I ended up finishing my last two years of high school online! I got to move faster in the classes, and by my senior year, I had exhausted all of my elective options so I pitched my dean to be able to do an internship!
My very last internship I did was with a startup consultant agency where I got to help startups launch their businesses for financial success. From there, I ended up going to a small liberal arts school in Ohio, and about two months into college, I got an extremely bad concussion through a cheerleading incident- I was a part of the cheerleading squad.
Someone dropped me and I pinched a nerve which put me in a state of unconsciousness. I slept for an entire month before I went back to school. I was still having pretty wicked migraines, and by the time I finished my second semester, I had to carry a double course load. I still had extreme light sensitivity and was throwing up so I went to see a neurologist who told me I couldn’t go back to school anytime soon. It hurt me to read, and I would fall asleep while I was driving…it was bad so by the time it was all said and done, I had spent two years out of college. That time in my life though gave me an opportunity to explore fashion blogging as an outlet. I had no idea what branding was until I started exploring how fashion bloggers branded themselves.
By the time I went back to college, I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do. I had always loved art and it made sense for me to take that love into the digital realm but they put me on academic probation when I went back which wasn’t a problem for me- with everything I’d been through, I knew I could maintain my GPA because it was already high! I ended up studying marketing and communication when I went back.
Things just worked out the way they were supposed to work out but I wanted more pay so I started looking for companies that I could revamp their branding for. I developed a love for reimagining brands to fit my generation. When I began to experience positive results with these brands, I realized that I could do this as a business. Now it has evolved tremendously to only working with female creatives. I only work with females as well when it comes to hiring for working on my website or a photographer and even my clients have come to really be only female. When I have worked with men, they have questioned everything that I do.
Because of this, I decided to create an internship program for college students that wasn’t giving them the grunt work but actual real experiences that would be helpful to them.
All of this combined gave me what is now Creatively Stocked- I work with local business and my first year, it was primarily with black owned business. Many women don’t have a huge budget for photography who are just starting out and I had a lot of women asking me to create social media packages for them so I would research stock image websites- the selection is incredibly limited for black women and black families in particular. There really wasn’t anything out there that looked authentic to us. It’s very hard to find images that don’t stereotype black people such as all black men are angry- I could'n’t find an image for a client that didn’t live up the stereotype that all black men are angry which is used to justify killing black men. Because I kept being unable to find the images I needed, I started Creatively Stocked. I launched it back in March just to see what would happen. We had a few photo shoots with local businesses to feel super community centric. I never wanted to forget how important collaboration is- it has been critical to building Creatively Stocked into what it is now.
2. Tell us about the mission of your brand. How does it empower women?
For both Auden and Company and Creatively Stocked, I had to consider the fact that I’m young, African American, and I’m also female so naturally, I’ve always felt like my ideas have been put down. Because of my experience on male teams, I knew I would want my business to be female centric. That is the mission of my brand- women are so naturally creative, but we are still the most under appreciated, and underpaid in the creative realm. So first and foremost, I highlight women only through my business. Second, I'm only going to hire females to work on different components of my business. I won’t even interview men because women deserve the chance first. We as women have to stick together in order to stay empowered.
3. What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to press through as a female entrepreneur and what are the steps you’ve taken to overcome it?
My biggest challenge is being a black female entrepreneur. I'm questioned more than a white female entrepreneur would be. People will doubt my entire process and even if my pricing is worth it. It’s been three years since I started my business so I’m confident through those doubts now. I learned to celebrate the little victories that I hit. They are so important because those are the steps you’re taking to get to your bigger vision. I also started being very picky about who I took on as a client. For instance, if they question my credentials, they aren’t the right fit for me.
As a black owned female business, I have to keep reminding myself that I know what I’m doing!
4. What sets your brand apart from others?
I have two businesses but they fit together for sure. I think my transparency really sets me apart- I am open and honest with all my clients!
I'm also very organized and observant. I always evaluate what’s working and what's not working. In the same way, I’m open to change, and I’m okay if that change results in a flop- we will try something else. We're having a better 2019 just because I took to heart the feedback and advice I got from everyone!
5. How do you work with others collaborating towards a better world?
First, as I mentioned, I’m super community centric - it’s kinda like everyone brings their friend who brings their friend! We're just spreading the word about what we do through connections!
My photographer is one of the greatest people I've ever worked with. I went through a lot of photographers before I stumbled upon her. Now she does everything for Creatively Stocked!
I try to support as many female entrepreneurs as I can through my business- I’m always giving my time pretty freely so I’m looking for others to partner in the same way with me!
Not everyone has that give and take mentality but I’m lucky that my photographer has cultivated this with all my clients!
A lot of people have been interested in how I started the internship program and how I built it to be what it is now, yet I always share that we are still learning along the way at the same time. I’m also always willing to share information about how I do things in my business and they are always grateful for that!
6. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs in the beginning stages of launching their brand or business?
First, you have to be willing to be okay with your mistakes.. I don't believe in business plans in the first five years Of your business because too many things change. Instead, I suggest creating a growth plan for yourself- write it all down! Everything is not going to be perfect and in line by the time that you want to launch so edit your plan and readjust your dream along the way. Your business can totally evolve way beyond something you could have imagined. With Auden and Company, I had planned on it being a creative branding studio, but I didn’t realize I would have interns. Go with what is brought to your business naturally but also keep your vision and your dream alive no matter the adjustments you make along the way!