Today we’d like to introduce you to Jada Jones.
Jada, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a kid, my passion to create transitioned from aspiring to be an artist, a fashion designer, a web designer, then bloomed into an entrepreneur. During high school is when I realized it was my calling to own a clothing store. In December 2015, I graduated from Western Michigan University with a BS degree in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Business Management. My intention was to start my online store straight out of college but that is the exact opposite of what happened. I had no clue how to start a business or where to get the money or the inventory. The constant battle in my head left me Jaded, so I put my dream on pause, moved to Austin, TX with my parents, and I worked in retail management for two years.
My next goal was to save up, move to Atlanta, and land a corporate job as a Fashion Merchandiser. In 2017, I accomplished that. Fast forward to 2018, I realized how unhappy I was working my 9-5. It wasn’t my passion and it wasn’t where my heart was. I had a flame still burning in me to run my own clothing store … so I took it a day at a time and eventually ended up being able to do it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been many obstacles and challenges. I would say the biggest challenge has been time management. Balancing time is an art that I haven’t mastered. Especially when I first started Jaded. Balancing work and my business and also being a one woman show takes a lot of work. Not having good time management skills can also hinder you when having to learn new software and programs. I’ve had to watch many YouTube videos and conduct research in order to find answers.
Jaded – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our mission at Jaded is to provide an age appropriate wardrobe for the hard working and hard playing millennial woman. We’re committed to providing clothing to fit into the life of women transitioning into adulthood. These are pieces you should be able to mix and match for different occasions in different ways. We will help you visualize how to wear the pieces we provide so that no matter how many times you post on social media, your outfit will feel like a whole new vibe.
I do everything from buying clothing and building relationships with vendors; photography; videography; modeling; social media marketing; price strategy; maintaining my website; and creating connections with other black businesses.
I’m most proud of the response I’ve received from current and potential customers that gave feedback on how they love the way I styled an outfit and how I’ve opened their eyes to a new way of wearing a simple item. That is part of our main focus and what sets us apart. I want women to get the best bang for their buck and that’s by creating different outfit ideas for my customers so that they are wearing their new items over and over in different ways. It’s also a great feeling to hear that our customer service is great and products are of good quality.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are so many people that deserve credit in supporting me, keeping me sane, and uplifting me when I get unmotivated. My family, first and foremost, goes hard for me! My mom, dad, step-dad, and my aunt have all invested money to help me get started. My aunts and cousins helped with purchasing items that I needed to get started. My family is also made up of a lot of women and they love the brand, especially my sisters, so they purchase quite often.
My friends have also kept me sane. They constantly keep me motivated because pretty much everyone in my circle is an entrepreneur and everyone is doing different types of things, which is very cool to me. We can bounce ideas off each other, complement each other and also offer constructive criticism.
My mentors have been monumental in my development of understanding my worth and capacity. They have pushed me to meet people, attend functions, and to think of different ways of doing things, but most of all how to keep my cool and stay calm when faced with stressful situations.
Contact Info:
- Website: imjaded.com
- Email: contactus@imjaded.com
- Instagram: @wear.jaded
- Facebook: @wear.jaded
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