May 21, 2019

Conversations with the Inspiring Naakie Nartey

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Naakie Nartey.

Naakie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Atlanta. Ever since I can remember, I’ve seen myself as a businesswoman and have always been obsessed with making money. From selling the candy I collected on Halloween in 4th grade (because who doesn’t love a 100% ROI!?), to my part time job as a cashier in high school, I’ve always had a job. So it was only natural that I pursue a career in business. After high school I attended The Georgia Institute of Technology, where I majored in Business with a concentration in Supply Chain and Logistics.

After university, I relocated to Orlando, FL, where I worked for a leading consumer product goods corporation. Moving to a new city where I knew very few people made for a lot of idle time during my nights and weekends. And since my days were all work and no play, I needed a creative outlet. So, I pulled out my DSLR camera, turned on the video recorder, and began talking. From hair and fashion to travel and finances, I talked about anything and everything I was passionate about. Through countless hours of Google research and studying YouTube tutorials, I learned how to edit videos in iMovie and create thumbnails in Photoshop. And just like that, I had a YouTube Channel! To my surprise, people actually began to discover my content.

Today, I’ve been lucky enough to move into a profession that allows me to couple my two biggest passions – business and content creation. By day, I am a brand strategist, and have been able to build marketing and social media strategies for some of the world’s largest brands. By night (and weekends), I am a natural hair and lifestyle YouTuber.

But as most great businesspeople do, I continue to seek new opportunities to extend my portfolio. So I also curate an online boutique with unique items indicative of my personal brand and style, as well as own real estate.

Has it been a smooth road?
The journey has most certainly not been a smooth one. Starting a business in the age of social media has many benefits, but it’s also riddled with many challenges.

YouTube in particular can be quite tricky as the algorithm is constantly changing. Thus, the methodology I used just months ago to grow my viewership and audience may not work today. Unfortunately, I have no control over that. But, I have learned that by continuing to study YouTube and leveraging my analytics to uncover insights, I can evolve my channel and content in a way that works in favor of the algorithm while keeping it authentic for my viewers.

Consistency has also always been a challenge. Social media is inundated with content, so it’s extremely important for me to deliver content to my audience on a consistent basis in order to stay top of mind and relevant. Since I have always had a full time job that accounts for most of my time, creating content consistently can be difficult. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts here. It takes late nights and productive weekends to pull it off. Sometimes you simply have to do the work.

For women just starting out, my advice is to enjoy the journey! So many people are focused on the destination, the goal, the target. But the target will always evolve. Once you reach one goal, you’ll set another, and another. So don’t focus on where you want to go. Focus on what you need to do to get there. The journey can be long and, at times, feel like you’ve gotten nowhere. But if you put your head down and do the work I promise, when you pick your head up and look around, you’ll be amazed by how much you’ve accomplished.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Naakie Nartey story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m most prominently known for my YouTube channel. My content primarily focuses on natural hair, but I also vlog about fashion, skincare, travel, and lifestyle in general. I first discovered YouTube in college. I didn’t have the money to get my hair done professionally, so I sought out hair tutorials that would educate me on the best products and techniques for my kinky coily hair. The only problem was that most natural hair YouTubers didn’t have hair like mine. Their curls were more moisturized, their coils were looser, and their styles seemed so perfect.

So, when I created my channel, I wanted to be a resource for the many 4B and 4C girls out there who experience the same hair struggles that I do. And over time, I have been able to create content and connect with my community in a way that celebrates and embraces our natural beauty and quirky characteristics. Whether I’m vlogging about my acne-riddled skin or a natural hair setback, I strive to have a platform that shows women that our imperfections are what make us uniquely perfect, rather than perpetuating the traditional paradigm for beauty that many YouTube channels do.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I think the biggest barriers today in female leadership continue to be the constant trade-off between work and personal. Women today want it all – a successful career, a loving family, a supportive tribe of like-minded women. But, in order to be an accomplished female leader, it’s inevitable that other aspects of life will be neglected.

However, I believe every woman has seasons. Seasons of reaping – working hard for the life she wants. Seasons of sowing – enjoying the fruits of her labor with those she loves the most. Sometimes those seasons last days or weeks, and other times they may last months or even years. But I’m a firm believer that women don’t have to choose – they can have it all. It’s evident by the many women, from the beauty industry to the tech world, that we seeing doing it every day.

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