Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to DemonTrae Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi DemonTrae, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

So, I have multiple business ventures I am currently pursuing. My primary focus is becoming a full-time content creator/influencer. Secondly, I’m trying to obtain my physical trainer certification and my cosmetology license. The one I’m going to be speaking about is my content creation.

As an entrepreneur I believe I am my business/brand. To actually start, I’ll never forget, it was 2017 and I would HEAVILY consume a YouTuber named DDG’s content. And being a 17 year old kid, I remember one day just thinking to myself, I can do what he’s doing too…

So I would start by posting “story times” on Snapchat for my viewers to see and after a while of doing that, people started telling me to start a YouTube channel. I STILL have screenshots from 6 years ago of people encouraging me to do just start.

So I did, I did my research, tried to ask popular YouTubers and local social media influencers in my community for help… and nobody gave me anything. I got a few tips here and there from one or two, but I was reaching out to 100s of creators daily.

It was a bit discouraging at first, but I just made up my mind that I didn’t care how bad it was going to be, I was going to figure it out. I’m still trying to figure out this social media thing, to this day, but I can proudly say I haven’t quit, I won’t quit and I want my story to inspire that little boy sitting in his college dorm, watching videos on his TikTok For-You-Page, contemplating why it’s not him getting recognition for his creativity.

As the years started progressing I started improving my editing, my concepts, my consistency, and I started enjoying and falling in love with the entirety of the content creation process. I’m no pro, but I’ve improved drastically in my craft compared to my humble beginnings in 2017. The thumbnails, captions, value in each piece of content, etc it’s starting to make a lot more since now. I’ve learned to GIVE value in EVERY piece of content instead of EXPECTING people to GIVE me likes, shares, comments, etc. it’s a transaction, and when you put people first selflessly, I’ve discovered, that’s how you business a genuine following. There’s a human being attached to that view. Whether it’s 10 people or 100,000 people who consumed something you did, they didn’t HAVE to do it. And they are MORE than a like, comment, subscription, follower, etc. that’s a person with a life, aspirations, dreams, goals, etc and they have just extended something (time) to you. After viewing each of my analytics like that, it’s changed my mindset and outlook. Even if a video or piece of content doesn’t “perform” like I envision, after taking a step back and realizing I’m blessed to even be in this space, to even have one person see me… I realize that that one person is more than enough (as cliche as it sounds).

I aspire to encourage the WORLD, my moniker on social media is Trae World, because I truly believe ANYTHING in the world is possible. And I believe one day, I’ll be able to use my story to influence the WORLD and ultimately change it.

I remember being scared to start, I didn’t know if people would like me, agree with my message, engage with my content, but after a while I just decided to step on faith, trust Christ, and take the plunge. I figured over time I would improve, but I just need to start now. My first few pieces of content are disgustingly bad, I cringe watching them, BUT I’m grateful for them because those terrible videos were the foundation for who I am, and who I’m becoming daily.

My biggest advice to anybody looking to start anything, is to be well-researched. Look at people in your career path, the success stories, the failures, and everything else in between. That way you get a broad understanding of what you’re getting into.

I also would include being patient, and learning to enjoy the process. It’s not going to happen overnight. Although we live in a society where we’re so used to instant gratification, the process of consistency (even when you don’t see results) is the ONLY way that you’re going to truly appreciate how far you’ve come.

I’m truly excited for the future, and I hate to be so long winded but I just can envision my future, the opportunities Christ is going to open for me on this journey, and the opportunities I am going to be able to extend to others because of my hard work.

Sorry, if it’s a bit messy and wet, I was salivating a few paragraphs ago, I just get SO passionate about this, sometimes I can’t control myself!

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 Trae Davis, and I am a content creator and aspiring entrepreneur. Firstly, I want anybody reading this to know that I am no different than you, in any capacity. I’ve always had a passion for people, making connections, improving the quality of life, and making the most out of every interaction I have throughout the day. I think these outlooks on life led me to the projects I am adamant about pursuing today.
I saw how the process of creating something you love and building a community of strangers was changing the lives of people my age and I knew immediately I could do it too. My personality has always been larger-than-life, I have so many creative ideas I want to bestow upon the world, so once I watched this popular YouTuber named DDG, I just knew I could do what he does too. Talk into a camera, take viewers through my day, post pictures of what I’m doing, create a persona, I knew I could obtain this lifestyle, but I didn’t realize the work and effort it takes to maintain. However, I wouldn’t trade it for the world because what’s the alternative? Being unhappy at a job that pays well? No thanks, I’ll take a job that makes me happy to go to daily that pays me little-to-nothing over the alternative, any day. There’s no price on the peace of mind.

So, I desire to help create that peace of mind for anyone who is willing to take it. The service I provide currently is self-improvement advice. Soon, I will be able to monetize my business and offer more products and services such as consultations, workout plans, skin care products, outfit templates, hair care products, clothing, etc. But, for now, all I sell is my two cents. I want people to be able to understand self-improvement is a journey that can singlehandedly change the quality of one’s life. It is not easy to do, but it can easily improve many aspects of one’s living. I want everybody to succeed, even if I have never met somebody. The same way you can hate someone or dislike someone you don’t know personally; is the same sentiments I feel towards aiding in total strangers’ success. I think by offering advice that has benefitted me or offering advice that has been thoroughly researched to assist in improving somebody else’s quality in life can directly, or indirectly, contribute to their success, which is always my goal.

I want people to know that life is entirely what you make it, and it is never too late to self-improve. This can come in many forms. Improving your mental, physical, spiritual, emotional health; learning a new hobby, skill, or pastime; changing an aspect of yourself to develop better habits, etc. These are just to name a few of the numerous variations of ways people can vastly improve the quality of life. I want this for everyone badly, so what better way to prove that than to improve in my own life, and let it be a testament to oncoming viewers?

All I want for anyone, coming across my business, is to be inspired to be the very best version of themselves that they can be.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This is an easy one. I post content on every social media outlet. Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube, you name it. I have been doing this for a little over 4 years, as of today. Many times I receive little-to-no engagement on these pieces of content. It gets discouraging, almost daily. I can’t tell you how many times a week I think about that age old question, “if a tree falls in the middle of the forest, and no one is around, does that tree make a sound”? This job is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you, you have to be one solid, prepared, grounded, resillient individual to put hours upon hours of research, editing, conceptualizing and creating content for only a few views or likes.

The payoff, is not always immediate, oftentimes I wonder if anyone would even notice or care if I were to stop. If nobody is watching me now, who would care if I quit? Maybe I can just settle and try something else, right? No, not exactly. Because no matter how long I take a break from content creation, I always miss it. I come running back, excited to come up with a new concept, photo, or video to benefit the public. I get excited to see a piece of content go from an idea to reality, at my hands. I love this job and I realized that this is my purpose. So, it no longer bothers me like it did to see little-to-no engagement, I don’t want a pity party, I don’t want it given to me on a platter. I want to go through the fire, I want to earn my audience and when they come, in God’s timing, I want them to be able to understand that I am a living witness to what I preach. I want them to know that I was willing to sacrifice things, I was willing to work hard, I was willing to be disciplined to EARN their followership. That process of grinding, without seeing instant gratification, is self-improvement. It’s preparing me to be a better leader.

A lot of people don’t realize that having a large following is a tall responsibility. You have a flock of people who look up to you, sometime even idolize you. Who am I to desire having this flock of people, but not have completed the work it takes to be mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to lead them? I’ve learned how to work hard, continuously, even if the payoff is not immediate. I love being able to make something to help someone and make something that has value, so if it doesn’t go viral, it doesn’t matter because it will be timeless. If someone was to view my current content, forty years from now, they would still be able to receive some form of value from it.

Once I changed my thought process, this journey has become something I look forward to.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This was one of the HARDEST lessons I had to unlearn. Those closest to you are always going to support you couldn’t be further from the truth.

Having family and friends doesn’t automatically grant you unwavering support. There are members in my family and people I thought were my “friends” who could care less about the things I do. Many times they view what I do to keep tabs on me, but will never repost my content, leave a comment, share it with someone else, or engage at all. However, when I have found success or virality, these people are quick to relay to me how they see me…when everyone else does.

Many times they don’t see you, when no one else does, when you desperately NEED someone to see you. Mind you, this is not the case for everyone, many content creators have a healthy and loving support system! However, more times than not, many of your closest friends are not going to support you like you need to support yourself.

You have to learn, in this journey, that you WILL be your biggest supporter, you WILL feel isolated, you WILL get tired and burntout, you WILL question your worth, and you WILL constantly evaluate yourself and make comparisons. I have had to accept those truths, and charge it to the game.

However, because of these happenings, I am currently grounded in myself. More so than Trae in, 2017. I am more confident, ambitious, persistent, and I am dedicated to becoming a better leader. There is no way I would’ve learned these skills without this business and I wouldn’t trade any of my experiences for anything in the world.

Sometimes, your family and friends are not going to care to see you, or care to view what’s important to you as high as you desire them to. You have to be okay with that, you have to forgive them, and you have to understand that sometimes nobody cares until everybody cares.

So, I use that as motivation to continue pursuing my dreams. Because of all I’ve learned through this journey, and with Christ on my side, mark my words, I will not be denied in my success.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/trae_world?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/traew0rld/status/1592556935420968961?s=46&t=evW531JK_kDj5tsuk-e1Yw
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@traeworld
• Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@trae_w0rld

Image Credits
Alyssa Grace