We recently connected with Colorway Jay and have shared our conversation below.

Colorway, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I started being a Youth Advocate from my experience of working as a school bus driver and a BST (Basic Skills Trainer) in the mental health field. There was a realization that there needed to be a supplemental way for the kids to learn that I was working with. It was an offer on the table for me to be part owner of a 2nd location that was planned on being expanded. Those plans didn’t end up happening due to a decrease in funding from Medicaid. I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spirit, so it was still in me to find out how I could be an entrepreneur. During the pandemic when everyone was home, I start looking online to see how could I fit into what was the “New Norm” of working online. I love books so I became familiar with content creators making YouTube videos on how they were making ebooks, coloring books, and children’s reading books. That was an interest to me but I was still trying to figure out how I could separate myself from everyone else!? So after brainstorming I came up with the need for quality education, being located in Las Vegas, NV the (Entertainment Capital of the World), and a online business. That sparked the idea of creating notebooks that were thematic + educational + entertaining making it a hybrid way of learning. Many youth aren’t interested in school because the curriculum is a cookie cutter method and they don’t relate to the material. That’s also excluding that the (School Age & Grade Level) system is super outdated! So then the mission became to come up with subjects, careers, and hobbies that children are interested in and compile those topics into a notebook similar to what activity books include. However the notebooks contained more of writing about that particular theme as Las Vegas and the country in general struggle with proficient literacy skills. So after doing research and finding out how writing about your interests enhances learning, the many benefits, and possible opportunities that can come from this was a game changer. So for 5 years I spent much time creating over 40 notebooks which all isn’t published yet. Because I had prior experience with online business, I decided to reverse engineer and create the products before launching the website and any type of media of what I was creating. That gave me time to create my own path by not advertising what I was doing too early & prevent keeping up with demand as well as staying unique to my niche. The execution came the first time I pitched my service to an independent book store owner on how I could create custom notebooks including both exterior and interior. It was fortunate that she was a former English teacher that was currently in her “THINK TANK” and wanted to create her on own curriculum for children she was tutoring on the weekend.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The name Colorway Jay was originated from my passion for fashion. I was born in Chicago, IL in 1990 where the Chicago Bulls was the talk of the decade as we were crowned with 6 NBA championship titles. As a child it was the norm for me to have all of the “Air Jordan” shoes. I use to win best dressed awards and that was an identity that I held on to from the beginning. So specifically with the shoes, they mostly came in 3 different colors that represented the Bulls colors which was red, black, and white. The colors were expanded to represent many other things outside of the Bulls and to describe which retro shoe was being discussed it was called “COLORWAY”. Did you see Denzel Washington in the “He Got Game” movie? He was wearing the white/true red/black COLORWAY Retro 13s! That’s how conversations would happen, and then I added Jay to represent Jordan and it rhymed lol. I use the name Colorway Jay more in depth because my brand is advocating for the youth. As I reminisce on my childhood, I’ve heard/read many successful individuals and psychologists highlight that reconnecting with your inner child and childhood memories can foster a sense of joy, creativity, and resilience that fuel’s goal achievement and helps overcome life’s challenges. I’m making that connection of tapping into what I was passionate about as a child and assisting children today to keep that ambition they have or help them find what moves them! I got into Creative Writing from being an individual who’s observant, a listener, introverted and found that I was able to express my thoughts clearly through writing. Writing wasn’t a career I ever thought of until the time of the pandemic in 2020. It was a bittersweet moment during that time as many lives was lost as well as many people felt “Reborn” after taking a timeout on life. I was that individual that put my mind to work and took the skills that I had working with the youth and created products. The products that I originally created are Edu-tainment notebooks for children age 5-12. That’s educational and entertainment content for each product that’s created. Whether the child is interested in becoming a “first responder,” athlete, doctor, attorney, or like video games, I have or can create value tailor to that niche. All of my notebooks contain (EMPOWERMENT, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, PRODUCTIVITY, CRITICAL THINKING, LIFE SKILLS, & FINANCIAL LITERACY). Those are the problems that I’m solving as I am confident that children attending a public school are less likely given the attention to be taught these values and principles. What sets me apart from other youth advocates/mentors is that I create a wide range of products for kids to learn from while their focus is following a syllabus that’s handed to them. I also partner with individuals in that industry who are connected with community engagement or is willing to create their own workshop that will teach the youth. I don’t have to be an NBA player, or a college basketball coach to create a basketball notebook that has writing sections for kids to write about their “work ethic,” “how would you handle having a teammate who’s ego is effecting the team, “here’s 2 contracts to read, which one seem like it’ll be a disservice to you?” I am most proud that I can take my creativity and apply it to other age groups and give the notebook a different spin as well. This summer I created a notebook for one of my favorite hip hop artists -Curren$y-. I created it as a fan, however we did discuss future plans for the project. He’s an artist who actually writes his music down old school in notebooks. Many artists today type lyrics in their phone and/or voice record and have their song edited that way. Curren$y has many lyrics of him talking about writing and in my opinion that’s a contribution on his longevity. I also like to come with credible sources so I’m not just giving personal opinions. According to Guthrie & Wigfield (2000), students who write about subjects they are passionate about develop stronger reading habits and literacy skills because they are personally invested in the topic. You can find that source on the AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION website. I would like parents/guardians/teachers/coaches to know that I am a leader in this youth advocacy space. For too long in the community and the culture there has been much gatekeeping when it comes to assisting the youth. I would like to end with the proverb from philosopher -Lao Tzu- “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I think Nft’s are a beautiful thing! We are in the digital age and I’m embracing the technology that we have to be creative!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pivotal moment in my life that led me here is during the pandemic when the world was shut down and I sought the internet to help me figure out my next move. As a bus driver, I was overwhelmed with the inconsistencies of the driving routes I was given, the times being on and off the clock, and the pay. When we were virtual and off for the summer, I was able to think clearer and be able to save money. My expenses were lower from not traveling and eating out, and my income increased from the stimulus checks that we were getting. When I found out what platforms that I needed to create my notebooks and the subscription overhead, it created the journey that I knew would be a path that will assist me in making the impact that’s intended.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @officialcolorwayjay
• Other: Amazon Author Page and Storefront https://bit.ly/3K1qd0M

Image Credits

Semaje Kline
AG Visuals
Charles Holbert