We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jaira B. Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jaira B. below.
Jaira B. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
The importance of a meaningful mission for my brand, JBW Enterprises, DBA Jaira B., cannot be overstated. My brand’s mission is to create a successful culture of motivation, mentorship, and inspiration while helping others discover their own stories of strength. My belief is that our strengths hold immense value, both for my business and for the individuals I aim to empower.
My personal journey of facing and overcoming challenges, while recognizing the strength within you, serves as a powerful foundation for my brand’s mission. By sharing my experiences and beliefs, I’ve inspired others to tap into their own inner reservoirs of strength, resilience, and potential.
The reason my mission is deeply meaningful is because it advocates for choosing oneself. Life has presented numerous difficult changes, challenges, and losses, forcing me to delve deep and persevere. I realized that in my relentless pursuit, I neglected to heal. I hadn’t processed the loss of my parents, the heartbreak I endured, or fully embraced being adopted and realizing I had two living biological parents whom I would later build a relationship with. While I could elaborate on the challenges I’ve faced, the truth is that these adversities led me to uncover my story of strength. It is my desire to guide others toward a similar discovery.
I truly believe nothing about my life was a coincidence, it was a part of God’s plan for me. I may have strayed away trying to find my own understanding, but despite the choices I chose to make, I couldn’t be happier with where it all guided me.
Jaira B. , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Jaira B. Williams “Jaira B.” I’m an Army Veteran, Author, Entrepreneur, Strength Coach, and soon-to-be Publicist from Columbus, Ga. I attend Kennesaw State University, where I will receive my Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing. While serving seven years active-duty Army, I started my first business, Pretty Mink’d Out in 2018, a luxury eyelash brand designed to inspire beyond the eye of beauty, and self-published my first book, “The Story of Strength,” in 2019. Through that journey, I decided to follow my heart which led me to my brand JBW Enterprises, an education and consulting company, and pursue an additional career in public relations.
I initially got into my current career field because I wanted to learn new ways to expand and place myself in rooms that empowered me and inspired me. In 2022 I realized I was headed in a completely different direction and decided to temporarily close my lash company to expand my overall knowledge of business and strategy. Aside from pursuing a place in the media world, I’ve continued to build my company around my Strength Coaching business and online community, “The Sistah-Hood.” Within that, I host individual and group sessions, I have a new digital e-book, “Discovering Your Story of Strength,” that will release soon, and I’m also expanding with my new podcast, “A Dose of Strength,” launching August 4, 2023. I aim to assist others on their strength-building journeys while transforming their perception of strength. This way, they can discover their story of strength and unlock their fullest potential.
What separates me from others is my story. I believe that is why God led my heart to dig deeper and find my inner strengths to share my story and help others dig deeper and find their true selves as well. We get so conformed to what the world expects of us or what our individual lives should be or look like through different social presences, but for me, your impact on others doesn’t always come from how you live or the nicest things you possess. It can come from how you confidently walk in a room, how you speak, carry yourself, own who you are, and your truth.
Looking back over my life, I honestly say I’m most proud of my resilience. To have the ability to overcome some of the darkest moments in my life, to lose the only parents I knew and find that strength to build a relationship with my biological family, to lose many other relatives along the way, to go through life learning lessons that I could have avoided with just a simple question to an adult but to then see the blessings within it all, is what makes me the proudest. This is what makes me my strongest inside and out. One thing I want to leave people with, especially my “sistahs,” is this, I know society has made us feel like being strong means we have to carry the world’s weight on our shoulders because it’s natural for us, or believe we must take care of everything and everyone forgetting about ourselves along the way, but I want you to know you should take pride in your strength. When I see or hear someone say they don’t want to be defined as “strong” or are tired of being it, I feel them, but I also know that they aren’t even realizing that it took strength to acknowledge that for themselves. The next time you feel tired or overwhelmed, know that you shouldn’t exclude your strengths but embrace them and move forward within that moment how you see fit for you. Your strengths are what you make of them, not the world’s opinion of them.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I wouldn’t say I’ve had to unlearn any lessons, but I have had to unlearn some habits. When you embark on a path of true healing and building a relationship with God and yourself, you notice some ways about you that were never truly of you. The things we think are normal are mainly stuff we get from our surroundings, and they may not be all bad habits, but when you realize who you are by looking at your heart, it’s best to release old habits and make room for new ones. The way you treat people matters, your mannerisms matter, but also how you treat yourself most. I grew up with great parents in my eyes, a big family of cousins, and just the feeling of safety and security, I knew no wrong in the world. Once my mom got ill and passed away, life change for my dad, and I and I always define that as my most humbling moment, even at just 11 years old. The biggest habit I had to unlearn is that the world didn’t revolve around me; it was not going to hand me something for nothing, and from that moment, I have never felt bad for myself, I just learned to play the hand I was dealt. By unlearning that at such a young age and realizing how life changes in the blink of an eye, it taught me the meaning of value and what to cherish in life most, which plays a major role in my life today.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
One of my favorite things I love about marketing is that you can truly make your vision come to life with the proper concept and strategy. I believe my biggest marketing impacts were related to showing my personality through skits and different forms of comical entertainment. There are so many people in the world who are interested in not only what you have but mostly who you are, and the way you showcase that in your most authentic form is what builds true community. One of my favorite marketing ideas was a mini commercial where I played separate roles to market my eyelash sale for Mother’s Day. I was stationed in Kentucky at the time, and it was only me, so I decided to make a video from my phone and just figure out how to put it all together after. It turned out to be a nice video and mini commercial, which led to a few more sales than I was getting at that time. I also remember the time I had a brand-new product launch prepped and ready to roll, and somehow, I was sent to Facebook jail the day before, for someone I gave permission to use my account through a different IP address. The best part about this encounter is that we were quick on our feet, and that’s the blessing of being surrounded by people who can help bring your vision to life. We made a graphic, and I created a jail call using a sound from YouTube, I text all of my friends and family and sent it to them; needless to say, the next day, my campaign launched, and I had major support. As I often have to remind myself, I want to remind anyone reading this it’s — to find the fun in what you do, have a deeper love for it, and you’ll always find a way to reach the people that you and your product or service the most. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jairab.com
- Instagram: @iamjairab
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamjairab/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jairabwilliams
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamjairab
- TikTok: @iamjairab