We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jashaun Carter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jashaun, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Growing up where I’m from in Savannah, Ga it was never easy. As a black male the two main options you are presented as a child are sports or the streets, one of the toughest battles to fight when there’s no guidance. I was always quiet and observant as a child which were great traits to have because I always had a thought process behind every decision I made and it helped me overcome all the obstacles that were in my way growing up. One of the biggest things that can really discourage you and change direction in your life is FAILURE. I started to experience failure when I was in the 10th grade as I attended a school called Calvary Day School, a school where I didn’t fit in but it was the best option for me if I wanted to stay on track and go far in sports. I attended that school for two years and it was my second year when I started to fall behind academically because I was so focused on being the best athlete I can be and mentally because I was at a school where the students were very privileged so it made me feel like I didn’t belong but it also taught me that there’s so much more to the world than sports and I could be anything I wanted to be if I held myself accountable. I want to give a big shout-out to a great person Coach Mark Stroud who really pressed character and responsibility on me which stuck with me for forever.
I ended up transferring out of that school and I went to a public school called Sol C. Johnson where this place felt like home and I could be myself, only difference was now that I was there academics were less of a focus for me and it was all athletics. Throughout my years here I did great things in athletics (basketball, football, and track) that helped me obtain athletic offers and awards. As I got to the end of the year when it was time for me to choose a school I realized that my grades didn’t meet the criteria to be admitted to any of the schools that offered me. This is when reality and failure hit me because now I had to figure out what my plan B would be in life because I thought sports was the only way for me. I also want to give a big shout-out to Coach Thomas Tedder because if it wasn’t for all the long talks and speeches he gave me I don’t know where I would be, a real stand up individual who’s going to give you the real and making sure you understand life values. After graduating high school and no direction, I applied to Clayton State University and they accepted me as long I could obtain a certain GPA throughout my 1st two semesters.
This was big transition for me now that I had to make academics my priority but I vowed to myself I’d make it happen. My 2nd semester I had a chance to return to football the next semester to Clark Atlanta University if I passed all of my classes that semester. Failure struck again, I didn’t pass all of my classes so now I was back to square 1. After all of this I started to focus on what my problems were and how I could better myself. Once I decided to do that my life changed for the better forever. Big thanks to Clayton State University for giving me a chance to better my life and also for giving me the opportunity to run track at the collegiate such a great experience. I graduated with my Bachelors of Business Management, a year and a half later I graduated with my Masters in Business Administration, obtained an Area Manager position for Amazon, and currently I operate 3 different businesses. I said all this to say, no matter what you are going through DON’T GIVE UP and always stay working on yourself never get content with life.
My biggest motivation behind my mission is to motivate and guide the youth and always remember my “why’s” as to why I go so hard in life. My loved ones that I lost on this journey really motivate me to keep going no matter I know they are looking down proud of me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Jashaun Carter, a 25 year old from the West side of Savannah, Ga. I recently graduated from Clayton State University with my MBA in Business Admin and graduated in 2020 with my Bachelors in Business Admin, big shout out to CSU for giving me another opportunity. On this journey I’m on I’d like to say I’ve become a very multifaceted individual. My two main occupations are Area Manager for Amazon and I am also an Audio-visual Technician. I am an entrepreneur, Co-owner of Motion Boyz and owner of C.R.U.S.H. Fitness and Motion Boyz Kennel. By any means, I gotta have me some motion going on in my life. Motion Boyz? It’s a lifestyle not a brand, I say that because there is so much backstory and determination for success that goes into this to feel where I’m coming from. Motion Boyz was created by my brother, Caleb Shell and I, during COVID when the world started to open back up and he started to train with me at the gym and gym sessions started to become networking sessions. We put together business plans where we always had opportunities to bring in multiple sources of income and that’s is where the name comes in at. The definition that we go by for Motion is, “The act or art of hustling; Constant movement, Never Stagnant” with our slogan “Slow Motion better than NO Motion” on it as we dropped a hoodie with this printed on it. That slogan really helps me get through life because no matter what I ensure I got some motion going on whether it’s slow or moving at a steady pace. Motion Boyz is a lifestyle and we have different branches of it where we can offer clothing, dogs, gaming, fitness, etc. In my opinion, I can sell water to a whale because of my determination and I won’t stop grinding to have everything that I want and more, with that being said I salute everybody who got some motion going on in any way, shape, or form!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
A recent story that that could illustrate my resilience is my transition into my new job back in April 2022 when I started working for Amazon. I was based out of Atlanta but the Amazon that I worked for was about 2 hours where I stayed from at the time. For about two months I use to drive two hours to work and I worked a 12hr shift and then drive back daily because I had to come home and manage my dog kennel. I was handling all of this on top of being a full-time student in my MBA program so you can imagine the toll all of this took on me. I admit it was hard but I never expected it to be easy and I’m an individual who thrives off challenges. On my off days from that job I would work at my technician job and train my clients in my fitness program. This whole situation built me to be the strongest I’ve ever been as now I am settled thriving in my Manager position at Amazon, businesses are flourishing, and I recently finished my MBA and I’ll walk across that stage on December 10th 12pm to receive my degree. I will never give up on my dreams and I know where I want to be in life so I’m going to take what comes with so I can receive the greater outcome. During hard times or your “stay down” periods, never give up because like Kodak said, “One day you gone wake up with your dreams in your face”.
How did you build your audience on social media?
On social media, I built my audience by simply being ME. I have a lot of walks of life so I just thought to myself if I start posting content of different avenues of my life it can potentially influence others so I went for it. For years I would post content of my life which consisted of fitness, dog breeding, tech work, my cooking, and motivational posts. I noticed after awhile that my post would start to grow more and my favorite motivation post circulated Instagram which showed me that people are always watching and that I just need to keep pushing because I wanted to influence others as much I can. My biggest piece advice to build your audience is to stay consistent and to find your lane in the game and stay in it, it’s easier being yourself because all your post will feel more natural and authentic. Also be sure to know your algorithms of your social media and to network with other content creators.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://motion-boyz.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: @thacarterr_ / @motion_boyz / @c.r.u.s.h.fitness / @motionboyzkennel_
- Facebook: Shaun Mbkennel Carter
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jashaun-carter-mba-36792616a/
- Youtube: Motion Boyz Gaming – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1IU0t0POpznJNsFSi3kn_w
Image Credits
Image Credits Joshua Talley Jeremy Eison