We had the good fortune of connecting with Janaia Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janaia, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?

My work-life balance changed over time was very difficult due to the fact of I always work and I kept telling myself that I don’t have time to start my business. Although that was not the case that was just something I was telling myself and never actually attempted to do. Then I started thinking about how much time I really have when I get off work because yes, I have Saturday and Sunday off but as a regular person who work you like to get out and enjoy your weekends plus I do must of my errands on my off days. The way I balance is I will cook or make anything that comes to mind when I get off work. So far, its be working very well for me and if I’m tired from work thats okay I take a break and start back again tomorrow. When you make it a daliy habit to do it becomes easier as you grow each and every day. So then eventually your tired days becomes days where you still motivated to do what you love. With me doing that I’m still able to go out on my off days and do everything else I gotta do then come home and if I don’t cook that week I always cook every Sunday.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is food I loved cooking since I was little I always wanted to a chef. Although I didn’t want to college like everyone else I still wanted a way to do what I love and make a living out of it. I feel like I stand out because although I ain’t the best chef around I still make recipes fun and creative and I just learned more skills as I go along. I don’t feel the need that you always got to go to school or take a class to become big. If you feel like you can do it without it then do it so thats kind of what i’m doing right now and its going well for me. Although I’m mostly proud of the fact that I started in April 2020 and I will just make anything that seem easy to make. I had stop my business due to the fact of I felt like I was losing more money then gaining and I wasn’t working at good paying job at the time. So I decided to stop although the business was going really good but I had to get my money up. Fast forward I ain’t start my business back but I continue to cook and learn new skills so now I finally have a stable job its 2022 I decided to set out my goals plans for the year and one of my goals for March was to start back my business. My start day was March 25, 2022 but I been posting everything I make so people know what I can do and the different things I can make. That been going really good for me I started my business back before the date because I had people seeing what I made and was wanting to buy and try it. This honestly made me so happy because I felt like everything I cook was basic and not good enough that nobody was gone want to buy from me but that wasn’t the case. I had people actually telling me everything looks good and your doing a good job and was the confidence I needed. It was so many times I didn’t want to be start my business back because I was scared of that I wasn’t going to get far. I learned that I always let my thoughts get in the way of what I can actually achieve and accomplish. Starting this business back have honestly broke me out of my comfort zone I realized if I wanna get myself known and out there I got to do things I’m not used to. I overcame my fear of talking to people I don’t know in public and promoting my business to people also in public. It took alot for me to do it because I’m a shy and a antisocial person I get nervous when I’m talking to people but I learn how to become more social and getting the word out about it changed my vision on how I see my business. I want to the world to know that along you might not think your the best because your not as good as someone else thats never the case all you got to do is keep a positive mind and stay focused what your goals and make it happen.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We will go to downtown Atlanta, GA because there so many things to do out there. We would try different cuisine restaurants because thats the type of person I am I don’t care what it is as long as its different. In my opinion I feel like if you not exploring your options and trying different things then you will be a circle literally doing the same thing, going to the same place over and over. I feel like your not going to be enjoying your life that way. As far as activities I love physical activities like we can go skating ice or roller, go karting, escape rooms, movies, laser tag, etc. I like to really to get to enjoy myself and I would want them to too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

My shoutout is for my business Naia Taste Shop

Instagram: naia_taste_shop

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