We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Colby Janine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Colby below.

Alright, Colby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

I have a few heroes, but my mom is definitely at the top of the list! She is so smart, compassionate and loving– honestly she’s just all around goals! She moved to the U.S. from Jamaica when she was 18, overcame a ton of obstacles, and founded several successful businesses. She’s taught me so much about entrepreneurship, taking risks, following your dreams, and resilience. She’s one of my biggest teachers, and also my biggest cheerleader! I’m a Virgo rising and a bit of a perfectionist, so I can be pretty tough on myself sometimes. My mom taught me the value of self-love, self-care and compassion– and to always be kind to yourself, no matter what is going on in the external world.

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?

I have been a professional songwriter for over 10 years and never imagined I’d make such a huge career shift–but I’m loving every minute! I started my crystal shop during 2020 during lockdown. Like a lot of people, I craved community and connection during that period. I started a personal Tiktok account to share the things I love– spirituality, consciousness, and crystals! It ended up taking off and before long everyone was asking me about crystal shop recommendations. I’d always shopped locally so I had no idea about online crystal shops. I searched online for an ethically sourced crystal shop that I’d feel comfortable recommending and couldn’t find a single one. This is how GEMZY was born! At first I just planned on starting a small shop to serve my online audience. But after a few months, things completely took off, and they haven’t slowed down since. It’s crazy– I always had this idea of what my life and career would look like, but it has gone in a completely different direction, and I’m so grateful for it! It’s better than anything I could’ve ever imagined.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers is an amazing, practical book that really helped me step understand my value and step into my full power as a business owner. Highly recommend to any entrepreneurs, but especially for women of color. A lot of the books I read until this point were written by white men *laughs*. Not that they don’t have great advice to offer, but representation matters, and this book really resonated with me.

The Abundance Project by Derek Rydall is a recent favorite, and it really helped me reframe the way I viewed money, wealth and success. It speaks more from a spiritual perspective– it’s kind of a mix of Untethered Soul, 7 Spiritual Laws of Success, and Ask and It Is Given.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

It feels weird calling GEMZY my “side-hustle”– I actually avoid that term because I don’t believe in “hustling” anymore. Lately I’ve been focused on creating a more peaceful, aligned life where things flow with ease. As I mentioned, I’ve been a full-time songwriter for over 10 years, so when I founded GEMZY, it started off as a passion project. I had no idea it would become as successful as it is today. Within a few months, the shop became so popular, it was bringing in the same amount of money as my music. I decided to split my time between songwriting and GEMZY, but I didn’t mind because they’re both things I love. My mom would always tell me “do what you love and the money will come” and now I understand what she meant. That’s not to say that you may not work a job you dislike for a while (I worked MANY jobs before making a living with my own business). But when you love what you do, it’s so much easier to go the extra mile, put in the extra time and give it your 100%. And that extra love and attention makes all the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.GEMZY.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovegemzy/
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovecolbyjanine

Image Credits
Colby Janine Justin Benjamin