We were lucky to catch up with Jada Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jada, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Simply Jay began as a leap of faith, pushing past my doubts and fears to pursue something I truly love. I’ve always been crafty, enjoying all kinds of arts and crafts. To me, creating isn’t just a hobby—it’s a stress reliever and a form of art. I find peace and fulfillment in the process of crafting, and it became my personal escape. During the pandemic, I had plenty of time on my hands and, like many, I found myself scrolling through TikTok. That’s where I first discovered resin art. It was something I’d never seen or heard of before, but it immediately sparked my interest. I spent a month diving deep into the world of resin art, and soon after, I ordered all the supplies to start creating my own.

From the moment I poured my first resin, I was hooked. There’s something magical about seeing a piece evolve and come to life—especially because every resin creation is truly one-of-a-kind. I started making a ton of pieces, and they began piling up. At first, I didn’t think about selling them—it was purely a hobby. I shared my creations with family and friends, and their encouragement motivated me to consider turning it into something more. But the idea of starting a business terrified me. I had no experience, no roadmap, and I wasn’t sure where to begin. Yet, through faith, I gathered the courage to move forward and take a chance on myself.

In March 2021, I began working on building my website, researching shipping supplies, determining costs, brainstorming my logo, choosing business colors, and developing a pricing strategy. My mission was clear: to create beautiful, creative, and unique pieces of functional art for every home. By August 2021, I launched my Instagram page to share my work with friends and family, and on September 26, 2021, Simply Jay officially opened for business. My very first product was resin keychains, and the support I received was overwhelming. To this day, I am incredibly grateful for every word of encouragement and every sale.

Since launching, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in pop-up events and even host my own, giving other small business owners a platform to showcase their talents. My product line has since expanded to include home decor, tumblers, t-shirts, and personalized gifts. Starting and running a business has not been without challenges, but every sale, every pop-up event, and every customer review has been a valuable learning experience. I’m excited about the future and all that’s to come.

To anyone with an idea and the desire to start a business, I encourage you to have faith in yourself and take that leap of faith. You never know where it might lead.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jada Harris,
I am 29 years old, and I am from Baltimore, MD. In 2011, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. This condition has led to many days spent in and out of the hospital. During my time in the hospital and while recovering at home, crafting became my escape. It provided me with a sense of peace and helped me focus on something positive during difficult times. Crafting became not just a hobby, but a healing process that brought comfort and calm when I needed it most.

In 2018, I began my YouTube channel, where I shared reviews on clothes, vlogs, and my journey of having myasthenia gravis. Beyond YouTube, I am a family service advocate, and I am also studying to become a child life specialist. In my journey to help children find ways to be more creative, I sparked creativity within myself. I realized that I feel most at peace when I am creating and crafting.

As I started experimenting with different crafts, I finally discovered my niche—and that’s when Simply Jay was born! Now, I’m able to share my passion with you through my resin art. I offer a variety of products, including keychains, trays, trinket dishes, and custom game sets. Additionally, I sell tumblers, t-shirts, gift baskets, and other personalized gifts. I’m so excited to continue this journey and share my creations with you!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Living with an autoimmune disease has been a challenging journey, especially while managing a business. I remember one instance where I had committed to a pop-up event that I was really looking forward to. For these events, I like to tailor my products to match the theme. This particular event was a dance concert, so I knew I needed to have dance-themed keychains and tumblers. I usually give myself at least a month to prepare for pop-up shops, but this time, I ended up getting sick. With Myasthenia Gravis, rest is essential—along with medication to help me feel better. Despite the event approaching, I was physically unable to work, and the stress of being unprepared only made things worse. I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to attend. Ultimately, I had no choice but to stop and focus on resting. Instead of a full month to prepare, I only had about a week and a half. Thankfully, I was still able to attend the event. Although I didn’t have everything I had hoped to, I managed to sell some items and connect with other businesses. That event ended up being the catalyst for my first bulk order.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

Aside from selling at pop-up shops, I also had a website through Shopify. With Shopify, I was able to design the site exactly as I envisioned, allowing me to showcase only my products. However, one challenge I faced was the monthly fees required to maintain the website. There were months when I struggled to cover the costs. Currently, I’m selling on Etsy, which has been a great platform for reaching customers across the country, and even internationally in Canada. Etsy has given me valuable exposure, as people who may not know me or live in my area can easily discover my work. The only downside is that many others sell similar products, which pushes me to find creative ways to present my art and stand out from the competition.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Shop_simplyjay
• Other: https://simplyjayshop.etsy.com/

Image Credits

TDW PHOTOGRAPHY