Today we’d like to introduce you to Coach Jay.
Hi Coach, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, my career started off as a Singer, from starring in local Community Events to State Events to even Federal Events. At age 8, I was given an opportunity to tour the State House where I was able to sing for former Governor, Mark Sanford. Throughout the years, I continued to further my career in Entertainment and joined the Phylis Wheatley Dwight Woods Repertory Theatre, where I learned true discipline and the importance of my craft! I went on to participate in the program for nearly a decade. Upon my departure, I continued to stay active in the Entertainment Industry and became a prominent teen “Promoter” owning the former company; “HoodBabies Empire” which I decided to start alongside some friends and family members. The company went on to be very successful in its 3 year duration, accumulating around $30k in revenue just in the first year. From there, I stayed into the Entertainment Market and went on to the Hospitality & Retail Industry. At age 18, I was given the opportunity to work as the Director of Operations for a small chain Seafood Restaurant & Lounge located here in Greenville, SC. My career begin to grow and progress pretty significantly, even to this current point.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely been a very rocky road. A lot of times people won’t see the vision you see either for yourself or for the work or product you put out. As a young man, most won’t see the true value and potential just due to one’s age and others beliefs or worries however, I can say that I broke the odds, I showed different, changed the narrative for what they may have seen in every younger individual coming into either industry. My best advice to my younger self and all other young people, professionals, etc. is to keep pushing and believing, having the faith to know things will and can be exactly how you want it, if you work hard enough for it!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I see myself as a jack of all trades, my knowledge, experience and expertise doesn’t start nor end with just 1,2, or even 3 things. I am one of South Carolina’s youngest prominent Managers & Entrepreneurs, at age 24. I am best known for my placement in the Hospitality, Entertainment and Music Industry. My line of work consists of Management, Artist Management, Consulting, Marketing, Sales, I’m also a Celebrity Booking Agent, Community Advocate, just to name a few. I am most proud of my commitment, as easy as it is to quit things, I never gave up! I continued to work as hard as possible and educate myself in every aspect possible. I’m also very proud to be that someone who anyone could come to for more so anything. I am known to be able to get things handled, done and situated, to come from a place with no help to being able to help everyone that crosses my path, means everything to me. My willingness and generosity is what sets me apart, my lack of need for just the monetary gain, i’m a firm believer in opportunities sometimes being worth any monetary gain. My mindset alone sets me apart from the average individual apart of my generation and in a way, it’s actually a good thing, I’ve always wanted to set the example, for those coming behind me and even those who watch me. For me, it’s all about being an inspiration and showing everyone that you can come from wherever and from whoever but it doesn’t define your destination and it doesn’t form your whole story.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I actually fell short of a lot of the things I believe in now. My mindset as a kid of course was totally different than my mindset now, considering all of the things I was apart of as a kid, I still made time to do things that actually wasn’t befitting nor beneficial to my upbringing. A lot of times peer pressure and just your surroundings period can affect you tremendously. I’ve learned that it’s all about what you allow, eventually I came to terms to know that those acts weren’t apart of my plan, it wasn’t the route designed for me, upon my realization of that then came my decision to focus on the betterment of myself and my career path.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjay.1?igsh=dW9hazVqN3p4YTdn&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/12Gt1UxBDjV/?mibextid=wwXIfr
