Crystal daye

WHO IS CRYSTAL?

Crystal is a Jesus Girl, mother of Christelle, International Speaker, Kingdom Entrepreneur, Podcaster and Author of nine books. She loves to read, write, travel and cook. She is passionate about empowering women of faith to live wholesome godly lives through her books, speaking, coaching and mentoring sessions.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN BUSINESS?

My primary business is Dayelight Publishers; a faith-based publishing and consultancy company where I help new and emerging authors write, publish, market and monetize their books. I launched the company in 2016 and since then, I have worked with over 400 authors to birth the books God has placed on their hearts.

HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO BUILD A FAITHBASED BUSINESS?

Building a business has its challenges; whether faith-based or not. But, some of the things I want you to keep in mind when trying to build a successful business are: Ensure your business solves a problem for a specific target group. Understand your unique selling proposition. What is different about what you are adding to the market.

Partner with God as Kingdom women to build your business. God wants to be involved in every area of your life. He will supply all your needs.

Learn to serve in excellence, not perfection. If you strive for perfection, then you will feel as though you fall short.

With these four things in mind and more, you will be equipped to build successful and profitable kingdom businesses.

HOW DO YOU JUGGLE THE ROLES IN YOUR LIFE AS A WOMAN?

Honestly speaking, I don’t think there is a perfect way that I juggle these roles. I think I have fallen short in some roles, but one of the things I try to do is to be intentional about planning my goals. As a single mother, I ask my family and friends to help me on my motherhood journey, so I don’t have to be the supermom in all areas of her life. I also get accountability from friends for different areas of my life, spirituality and business.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THEM?

Some of the challenges that I face as an entrepreneur are:

I live in the Caribbean which consists of third world countries, so resources are limited compared to a first world country.

As women, we struggle personally with insecurities. We sometimes think we are not good enough or experience what is called Imposter’s syndrome. I also experienced issues such as poor money mindset, charging my worth in business and marketing.

Finding an ideal audience that is willing to pay for your services. Finding persons that value your expertise and are willing to pay for it, is important.

I overcome these challenges by reading relevant books, doing research and investing in courses that broaden my scope of knowledge. I stay on top of marketing and ensure I am always following the trends.

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO WOMEN ON THIS WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL DAY?

My message to women is that while we are expecting to be treated equally and fairly by our male counterparts, I challenge you to empower your fellow woman. We must first respect ourselves and respect each other in order to break the biases that revolt against us.

WHO IS NATKESHA?

I’m a young, confident, ambitious, hard-working, dedicated, trustworthy, and enterprizing individual who is the first born to simple parents―a Police Officer and Entrepreneur. I am very passionate about fashion, and I love to be different. I also love uniqueness and authenticity. I am a child of God, a worshipper, and faith warrior who executes stubborn faith. I have a degree in Accounts and Finance (Honors).

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN BUSINESS?

In 2015, as a Business Studies teacher, I decided to further develop myself by learning a skill. After much thought, I enrolled in a Makeup Artistry Course. It wasn’t my intention to take up Makeup Artistry as a career option, however that was how my business, Beauty2NV started. I sold cosmetics, skincare products, and offered beauty services to customers. I fused my business with my mother’s clothing business Moda Per Sempre Boutique (in Italian, it means Fashion Forever Boutique) which is located on Fairchild Street, Bridgetown, Barbados. In 2017, God spoke to me, and I resigned from my job as an educator. God reshaped my purpose and give me a vision, ideas, goals and aspirations. I amalgamated my business with my mother’s business, and we began to work together as one. Together, we joined our finances and we both are winning. My dream became a reality.

HOW DO YOU JUGGLE THE ROLES IN YOUR LIFE AS A WOMAN?

I believe life has to have balance, so I utilize my time wisely since I have a very busy schedule; working long hours from 9a.m – 6p.m (Mondays to Saturdays). This gives me one off day which I set aside for worship. Yet, I still find time to pray/worship, exercise, do chores, run errands, enjoy entertainment and leisure, perform self-care activities, rest and of course spend time with my family and pets.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THEM?

Some challenges I face as an entrepreneur are: Increasing cost of raw materials for production

High fixed and variable operating cost of the store

Custom taxes and duties on importation of merchandise

Limited parking facilities at the southwestern side of the City. This imposes a challenge in a number of ways since it is an inconvenience for some customers who have vehicles.

A reduction in business activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused a global ripple effect on all sectors since there were restrictions on social gatherings. Nevertheless, God has kept us and we are still in business.

Challenges are overcome by the execution of faith and wisdom. God spoke to me, and I had to diversify fast. He refreshed my mind and blessed me with a fresh vision, ideas, tools and strategies. Then, He took me to a different direction which opened new markets and suppliers.

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO WOMEN ON THIS WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL DAY?

My message to all women is that women have come a long way having being marginalized for centuries. We have made great strides in the social, economic, political and science arena, so let’s embrace our strength, progress and beauty. Let us feel special, unique and on top of the world. The world would mean nothing without women. Our faith, courage and inspiration saves our world every day.

Today, we celebrate EVERY WOMAN on the planet. We bring so much love, beauty and happiness into the world, and there is no limit to what we as women can accomplish.

The Sun shines brighter when you smile, Ladies, so keep smiling and keep shining. Remember Psalm 139:14, “You are beautifully and wonderfully made.”

Happy International Women’s Day! God bless!