Today we’d like to introduce you to Nakaiya Turk.
Nakaiya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The idea of Kandid Kaiya started about four years ago while I was living and working in Houston, Texas. When I was a student at Spelman, I was consistently surrounded by empowered black women and fully immersed in the culture of black girl magic. It wasn’t until I graduated that I realized the power of a strong network. As an alumna, I was constantly amazed at the achievements of my friends and sisters; I was building a network of women who were taking the steps necessary to become lawyers, doctors, dentists, entrepreneurs, businesswomen, professors, journalists, etc. and they were pursuing their dreams with such ease and hard work. The more I began to think about my network of successful, young, educated, black women, the more I thought that their journeys should be shared. What a better place the world would be if young girls, especially young black girls, saw their potential via live storytelling? What if there was a platform that could expose young black women to the endless career opportunities that women, who look like them, are pursuing? The answer came to me…and that was to start a brand as a career activist who focuses on highlighting black women and their various pathways to success.
I have always admired Oprah Winfrey and would always say that I wanted to become a talk show host when I grew up. And the funny thing is… I didn’t want to be like Oprah because of her wealth, but because of the profound impact, she had on her viewers and guests outside of her sphere of influence. Although I took a different career route, I still knew that I would one day pursue my hosting dream. Thus, when it came to promoting my personal brand as a career activist, it was no question that I was going to launch this brand in the form of a talk show. I decided to launch my show on YouTube specifically because it was a powerful platform that was free to use and could reach my target demographic at a global level. The concept of the show allowed me to merge my passion for media and hosting and my love and admiration for my inspiring circle of sisters together.
When living in Houston, I had a smaller network and a lot of free time, as I was a transplant to that city, thus I spent quite a bit of time writing out ideas, concepts, potential brand names, interview ideas, interviewees, questions, etc. And by the time I moved back to Atlanta, I had a notebook compiled of over 40 interview concepts and questions for each interview. After I got acclimated to my new job in the Atlanta area, I decided to launch Kandid Kaiya starting with an interview with my twin sister. Since then, I have worked hard to launch new content and videos monthly for over two years that will uplift and motivate today’s young girl and woman by providing them with role models that look like them who have paved the way. Today, I am proud to say that I have conducted over 68 interviews and conversations and have gained nearly 4000 subscribers and amassed over 325000 channel views.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road to becoming a brand was a bumpy one with a lot of detours. Time has been and still is the biggest challenge for me. My original goal was to launch videos every week, being that I write, film and edit all my own videos… that no longer became a feasible goal. For the first two years of branding myself, I was; working an 8-5 job as at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, studying for the GMAT, spending two hours a day in traffic, volunteering at Girls Inc. of Atlanta, working with high school students on Saturdays with NBMBAA, traveling monthly, and serving in leadership capacities at work and for the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College. And this past year, my time became even more limited as I was applying and visiting several business schools and just closed out the most difficult, strenuous semester of my life. Time is a precious resource that I was lacking when it came to my personal aspirations. It seemed that I would be consistent for a few weeks and have good momentum and then something that took precedence at my life during the time would take over and linger for a while. So, I had to reset expectations and be more practical about the time I had available which impacted how I could brand my talk show. I could not promise new videos every week or every Monday as you see a lot of successful Youtubers doing, I could only commit to putting out content when I could.
My advice to young women who are starting out building a YouTube channel, or even a brand, is to be realistic about the time commitment your endeavors will take and set expectations and goals that you know you can meet. Quality over quantity always. There is no need to rush and just put stuff out there if you want a quality brand, take your time to do the quality work that you feel good about.
My advice to all women no matter where you are on your journey is to be vocal about your entrepreneurial ideas. I am not saying that you must tell every person you meet every detail about your endeavors, but I am saying that it is important that you do share. Often, we are so afraid of people stealing our ideas, when if we just shared a little more we would see our network increasing and growing with people who can help us rather than hurt us. I personally have prepared an elevator pitch around my brand, so that every time I go to a networking event I can give that pitch effortlessly. That pitch has opened many doors for myself and has helped me to increase my Kandid Kaiya network more than I could have ever imagined. After all, nobody knows your brand better than you, so share and network every chance you get and watch how many more doors continue to open.
Please tell us about Kandid Kaiya.
Although I am a brand on YouTube and the community, I am also a living brand I like to say. I am a career activist through and through, not only for young women but for me as well. I am currently on a journey to ensuring that I am creating endless opportunities for myself when it comes to careers as a first-year MBA student at Goizueta Business School while exposing other women to these opportunities along the way. I am concentrating in marketing and brand management and am aspiring to help build successful brands for corporations while also working to build Kandid Kaiya into a successful brand that resonates with women everywhere. I am most proud of the reach my brand has had on women both young and seasoned. I have received hundreds of emails and comments about the positive impact my videos have had on the lives of young women, and that is how I know for sure that quality is better than quantity. I didn’t start out wanting to be the next YouTube sensation, I started out with a vision of uplifting and inspiring young women through impactful work and I have been successful with that. I am also proud that although life has been a whirlwind, I have remained committed to my passion and this brand. Whenever I do get a free moment, I am working on Kandid Kaiya. And I have been awarded and recognized for my brand through Spelman’s Alumnae Association, Jezebel Magazines 20 Most Eligible Atlantans, Walker’s Legacy, HBCU Buzz, etc. This empowers me to stay consistent and to just keep going, as you never know who is watching and the magnitude of the impact you are making.
What sets Kandid Kaiya apart is that it is one of the only career-focused talk shows for black women on YouTube. It is a platform truly dedicated to helping other girls and young women to realize their fullest potential when it comes to careers. I am also a brand who speaks at career days/fairs, volunteers with young women, and that speaks on panels for women engagements, etc. Kandid Kaiya is who Nakaiya is, and I am forever branding myself as a woman who is committed to “lifting other women as I climb.”
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Becoming – Michelle Obama
What I Know for Sure – Oprah Winfrey
Side Hustle Pro Podcast
On the Run with Valeisha
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kandidkaiya.com
- Email: kandidkaiya@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kandidkaiya/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kandidkaiya
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nakaiyaturk/
Image Credit:
@demi.digitals
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