We recently connected with VayaDee and have shared our conversation below.

VayaDee, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

You never really know what’s going to happen. The last thing I expected to do was run a whole business during what is still, an ongoing pandemic. Once the pandemic hit, everything slowed down which there wasn’t much I could do about that. So any weddings I had booked to take pictures for got cancelled, people weren’t requesting graphics like before and helping people with brand management fell off. Taking a hit like that financially wasn’t the best thing to go thru. It wasn’t until the end of 2020 when my business started picking back up. It’s almost felt as if I was starting over in a way, just for the simple fact that I went months without utilizing my crafts. My drive was different and I almost came to the point of not even wanting to run a business anymore. Then I thought about it and realized I came too far and worked to hard and LEARNED too much to not get back to where I was heading.

So, I shook the pandemic off and got back out there. Once I did, business started flourishing again. Also, on top of that, I landed what would be my next job in radio, as an on air talent for 96.5 The Box, right here in Little Rock, Arkansas. I was working weekends for the station at the time up until January of 2022. I’m now currently on air during the drive time slot (2PM-6PM), Monday through Friday. I never expected to be in this position, at least not this soon. I knew accepting this offer could cause for my business to slow down again but it was worth the risk.

My business once again did slow down, but only long enough for me to adjust to my new schedule. I’ve been shooting weddings, building brands, creating designs and so much more after settling in the new position. I’m even currently working on starting a new business for body scrubs called Body Suga by VayaDee.

I say all of this to say, expect the unexpected but don’t think about it until or IF, the unexpected happens. With the unexpected problems and even unexpected opportunities, I used those times to get better and grow. Things happen for a reason. Whether the reason is to slow you down to give you a break you didn’t know you needed, give you time to reevaluate how things are going or simply to grow and go to the next level, God is putting certain things in place for you because he’s about to bless you.

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?

Here’s a short background of who I am and what I’m about:

My name is Javaya but I have branded myself as VayaDee. I can sit here all day and tell you all the things that I do. Only to scratch the surface, I am a photographer, graphic designer, public, media & community relations specialist. I have taken all of these skills to create my ongoing business, VayaDee PRoductions, LLC. I’m actually in the process of moving everything under The VayaDee, LLC, because my brand continues to grow.

Aside from running my own business, I work as a full time, on air radio personality with 96.5 The Box. I’m on air Monday through Friday, doing what I love from 2pm to 6pm, during drive time. I’ve been apart of radio since 2016. I’ve had as many highs as I have had lows. My journey to get to my current position was not easy at all. It was a challenge to keep faith through all of the no’s, lack of responses & application updates. But, that faith of a mustard seed got me through anytime, every time. It took a lot of praying and patient waiting to get to where I am now. The reminder that God puts people in position on his time, and not your own time, was the reminder I needed to continue to work in my wait. I was at two stations previously before I made my way to 96.5 The Box. They were not the ideal station that I had in mind for myself, but God put those stepping stones in place for me to be where I am now and where I’m heading.

Even with all of what I’ve shared, there’s still so much more to VayaDee. I’m a whole Zumba Instructor, which for me was unexpected. I also create a weekly curated playlists called ‘Dope Dynamics’. The range of playlists goes very long. Playlists such as Tis’ the Season, Wall Scratcha’s & Vaya’ Vibe are some of my favorites. On from that, I’m in the process a launching a new business for body care called Body Suga, by VayaDee. This was also something I never had in mind. However, once my favorite body scrubs and fragrances started getting discontinued, I jokingly to myself was like “You know what, I’ll just make my own.” Once the thought settled, I realized I could actually do it so why not?

The brand of VayaDee is constantly growing. As we’re coming up on the end of the year, my main focus will be to solidify everything that I have, and start 2023 off with a bang. I’m definitely in that all work no play phase, but I understand breaks are needed.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding thing to about being on this path is being able to look back to where I started, and seeing how much I have grown. Being able to see growth for myself, means I’m reaching goals and doing what I say I’m going to do. I’ve come such a long way in both the entrepreneur world as well as the radio market, while picking up several gems along the way. For me, the most growth I’ve seen has been with radio. I was literally doing campus radio at Arkansas Tech University to being on air full time. Doors continue to open for me and my networks continue to get deeper. Going from hearing celebrity interviews in the car to being the one conducting them is still surreal a lot of times. I’ve interviewed celebrities such as Vedo, Juvenile, Muni Long, Armani White, Melody Holt, 8Ball & MJG and many more. I’m not sure what the next level looks like for me, but I do know when it’s time to get there, I’ll be ready and well prepared.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are many things I wish I would have done and known about earlier in my journey in both running a business as well as radio. Between the two, the constant remains the same of utilizing the resources I have and creating more. In my opinion, you can’t have resources without networking. I had several resources that have helped along the way that would have helped me a lot sooner if I spoke up. The phrase “closed mouths don’t get fed,” is more than a true statement. I used to let the mindset of “not wanting to bother anyone” hold me back. I’ve grown to learn that it is less than a bother for someone that wants to see you excel and win.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vayadee.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/vayadee?igshid=MDE2OWE1N2Q=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VayaDee
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/javaya-tramble-aaba68100
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VayaDee

Image Credits
Devin Dendy : Phly Pixels & Films