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

Tiffani, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Seven years ago, when I lost my sight to diabetic retinopathy and was on dialysis from type 1 juvenile diabetes, my Mother’s advice to get supplemental insurance became a financial lifesaver. I know what it is like to be on peritoneal dialysis 7 nights a week for 9 hours each night, work a 9 to 5, bootstrap a startup and maintain a hustle while your Spouse, your caregiver, cannot get employment at the time because they are supporting you.

Supplemental insurance is especially crucial for disabled and African-American entrepreneurs, offering an added layer of financial security amid the uncertainties of running a business. Managing a disability often brings unforeseen costs and periods of reduced productivity, which can shake the financial stability of your enterprise.

The systemic disparities in healthcare and financial resources faced by African Americans amplify these risks even further. Given these challenges, I strongly encourage any entrepreneur, especially those who are disabled or African-American, to consider supplemental insurance as a vital tool for both personal and business resilience. I have been on it for years, and I can honestly say it has been a tremendous help for my family.

Tiffani, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a DEIA strategist, author, award-winning disability advocate, and the founder and CEO of JancynCo and it’s subsidiary, Visiotech. After losing my sight at the age of 28 due to diabetic retinopathy, I began to realize how limiting society’s resources were for those with disabilities. I longed to bridge the gap between technological brands and the community often ostracized in product development—people like me.

After graduating from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in business entrepreneurship, I worked with some of the nation’s top brands, developing their personal and unique marketing identities, and thrusting them into a new realm of recognition.

I am a fierce believer that although I may have lost my sight, I have not lost my vision. In 2014, I established JancynCo, LLC., a digital strategy studio, and I recently restructured the business to specialize in accessibility marketing. There are disparities we see within marketing and advertising, pertaining to true inclusion and diversity. It is at this pain point I hope to be a solution for organizations who have the desire to speak to consumers that reflect the true American identity. With services ranging from AI integration, digital ecosystem development and content strategy, we hope to integrate inclusion within the fabric of businesses from the ground up. I realize that this work transcended way beyond programming. There were opportunities to be a disruptor within systemic oppressions that hinder all aspects of my intersectionality. It is through this realization that I determined that access is the key to turn the tides.

In 2019, in my hospital room, being treated for kidney rejection, I created Visiotech, which aims to build software and hardware for persons with disabilities. Technology levels the playing field. To ensure that this vital tool is accessible, I wanted to be at the forefront of development. Currently we are focused on innovating interactive learning management systems that teach students with disabilities all four (4) branches of STEM. My business is access and being a social entrepreneur affords me the opportunity to work for the community, I hope generations after me have the liberty of enjoying.

I am most proud of my business partners, who emulate a spectrum of diversity that should be duplicated. We range in age, gender identity, ability and ethnicity. I am proud of my people.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

In 2013, I worked for an international non-profit and it was there I would meet my future business partner, Jason Caston. I was impressed by his business acumen, but more so his competitive nature. My first encounter with this ambition came when Google Glass was introduced and you had to submit applications in order to win a pair. We had a friendly wager to see who could create the best presentation and of course, I won, but it taught me the unique perspective Jason took when it came to his body of work.

When I founded JancynCo a year later, he was the first one to come to mind when I wanted to scale. When I got sick 2 years later he sustained by business and kept it afloat until I gained by health back. He taught me how to write, market and publish my first book. He secured my first speaking engagement on an international stage and he taught me how to code. I can attribute a great deal of my success to his unwavering loyalty and foresight, way beyond other industry leaders I have encountered. In my book, he is the most known-unknown and for a well established man to support a disabled minority woman, he should be celebrated because of his character.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

My dad has always been an avid reader. At 4am every single morning, since I can remember, he would wake up and read until it was time for him to get ready for work. With reading being a common practice with my parents, there were books everywhere. When I was 9, I grabbed this blue hardcover book that had gold print on the spine. When I read the title, it said, “Think and Grow Rich – A Black Choice” by Napolean Hill. My dad read and excerpt to me and said when I got a little older to read the book in it’s entirety. I did just that right before I left for college.

When I lost my sight, my dad came into my room and downloaded that exact book through audible on my Amazon echo. Every night after he would hook me up to dialysis, he would say out loud “Alexa, read “Think and Grow Rich”. This is what I heard every night. The book has been an anchor in my approach as I navigate the business world. My parents instilled in me that knowledge is power, but they showed it to me through their consistency in learning. Not only is this a fond moment I share with my dad, but I can always lean back on what I know from a legacy established by him through the power of literature.

At the time black billionaires were an anomaly. When I first introduce to the book at the age of 9, Oprah was the only paradigm for a black female CEO. It warms my heart decades later to see so many women pass that threshold. Most notably, one my exact age, Grammy Award Winner and founder of Fenty Beauty, Rhianna. It is the incremental choices throughout our lives that build wealth and “Think and Grow Rich” preaches to the mind shift that catapults one from aspiring to just be rich to actually obtaining generational wealth.

Contact Info:

• Website: jancynco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanijancyn/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanijmartin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffanyjancyn
• Other: visiotech.co