Life and Work with Narsha Njoya

Today we’d like to introduce you to Narsha Njoya.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always loved computers. Since 1999, I coded websites using HTML and CSS, teaching myself from the big binder of HTML code my brother brought home one day and being inspired by other website designers. It didn’t matter that I didn’t see more women like me doing it, I just knew I was doing something I loved. After going to undergrad for Biology (Pre-med, anyone?), I graduated to a job in graphic design and business strategy, in that order, and learned about a whole world of business online. It empowered women like me to kick off businesses and side hustles that could add a higher quality of life or even just an impactful, creative outlet.

That was just the game changer for me.

The job ended abruptly when the company had rolling layoffs, so I started doing freelance web design and retainer graphic design services when I had difficulty finding another job while pregnant (waddling and trying to hide it, mind you!) and didn’t want to give into the despair of what life would look like if I COULDN’T find work.

I kept up my freelancing even after I found a job with Apple Inc., and luckily I did, because found it easier to leave to get more flexibility for my family when schedule changes didn’t seem healthy for raising a then 6-month old baby (12 pm to 11 am). That’s when Narsha Design Co (or, Narsha Co) was born.

I am especially thankful for my retainer clients, as they have been with me and believed in me since day one.

So, fast forward to now, where I am building the digital creative agency for creative women businesses owners of color (shout out to my new project manager!), Rose & 5th.

Every mountain and molehill has been worth it and I am so excited for what’s to come.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, the road hasn’t been smooth. Many times it seemed like I wasn’t going to make it. The things that come up that people may not get a chance to tell you is some of the hardest times is overcoming the parts of you that need to change to reach your next level. It’s like constantly leaping in faith. At first, innocence may protect you, LOL, because you don’t have time to think about the fact you’re actually leaping and building an airplane on the way down. But as time goes on, the strength to keep going remains a choice. And I always pray that the choice continues to be made to be resilient and faithful to my purpose.

The advice I’ll always give is to be practical. I wasn’t. While I did save, I had some clients that ended up not paying within 2-3 months and that ate what I thought I would have held me up (did I mention that airplane?!). I couldn’t be mad at the clients (though I did decide to remain working with one, another mompreneur, and had to release the other), I always decided it was up to me to be brave enough to step up to the plate and do what I needed to do to keep the lights on. Definitely leaning on God in those times, because confiding in other people tends to only put those negative feelings out in the air, with few SOLUTIONS coming back to support you and take you where you need to go.

Sit down with yourself and honor who you are and know that where you think you’re headed may change — and oftentimes that is a very good thing.

Please tell us about Rose and 5th – Premium Web Design & Visual Strategy.
In a title, I’m a Brand Strategist + Web Designer. I love working with WordPress, Showit, and Squarespace. My specialty is connecting the brand’s visual vibe to their monetization strategy. This also includes online course design + promo launches, strategizing the right lead magnets, designing inspiring PDF workbooks, and mapping out email funnels, creating launch schedules and content calendars, etc.

I am so proud and excited to use my mind-mapping abilities to see the connections between small business needs for automation (email, sales, social), and different touchpoints to delight my clients’ audience and customers. A website is so much more than a URL online to me, it’s a hub that my clients OWN and can build their legacies on and through.

Connecting my clients with the software/apps and business strategies that allow them to see the true potential of their online brands and SCALE is amazing to me. Hard work, lots of sketches, wireframes, matcha tea lattes, and prayer, but the end result is always their own foundation to build on and evolve with.

I am more than just the web designer or graphic designer they hire to complete the one project, I’m the digital creative partner with advice and the latest tips on how to be effective in their business’ day to day.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
SO MANY.

Apps:
VSCO cam for photo editing and saving presets of editing steps to help with visual consistency.
Planoly for Instagram grid planning + scheduling (with auto post now!).

Unfold for creating chic, multilayered Instagram stories without having to bust out Photoshop or Canva.
Sunsama – it’s like Trello and Google Calendar had a baby. And it is BEAUTIFUL!

Podcasts :
Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer
The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher
The Productivity Show Podcast
Living Over Existing Podcast
Black Girls in OM
The TED Radio Hour
Creative Smart Talk
Unstyled by Refinery 29
She’s Beauty and the Beast by Tracy G
My Taught You by Myleik Teele
The Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn
The Mattie James Show

Books (opens up the Kindle app):
Successful Women Think Differently – Valorie Burton
Dot Journaling
The Giver (helped me quit Apple)
Building a StoryBrand (IMPORTANT for all business owners!)
BIG MAGIC – Elizabeth Gilbert
The art of discarding
Ask. – Ryan Levesque
Getting Things Done
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle

Image Credit:
Narsha Njoya

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