Meet Jay Smith | Clothing Designer

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

Hi Jay, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought of being a Young, Black & Successful man inspires everyday and keeps me going, I’ve always had the drive to do things above and beyond. I would consider my business journey a manifestation unfolding day by day. I dreamed of having a product being sold worldwide as a teenager but didn’t have an idea of what the product would’ve been. I imagined me waking up daily to batches of orders, making my own schedule and setting up monthly sales quotas. Today I’ve established a clothing brand called 2PAID which was founded in 2019, My brand name originated from my popular instagram name J2PAID. My passion for fashion has alway lived in me since high-school, my 9th grade year to be exact, By 10th grade I knew I was best dress no award needed. My style Inspo has changed so much over the years, but Kanye will forever be #1 for me. High-school was definitely a start point for my entrepreneurship, I was able to develop and learn skills right at school without having to pay someone. I learned how to use photoshop, Microsoft, Excel and a few other software’s, These tools play a big part in my success today.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
But with the good comes the bad, Not everything is perfect of course. Ive been striving to be great but then there’s always hiccups on the way. Along my way up, I was working for a company with a high turnover rate and bad management. One bad job would definitely have you out here questioning your character. All of these worries and doubts behind a job that could resign you today with know thoughts about your livelihood. That definitely wasn’t how I imagined my life and that’s where my drive comes from. I put so much work into my brand, blood, sweat & tears and years in the game. Another obstacle / frustration for me would have to be the fad surfers (those who jump on to the latest bandwagon of business ideas) that come in and think this looks easy “let me start selling trend”. It just hurts when you have people like me who really stand 10 toes down about their craft and what they been doing not only as a brand but a mogul for the youth. Needless to say pursue things you are passionate about, so you can have background in it and you are then able to relate from experience and create your own story !

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My Fave spots in the city of Atlanta would have to be CRU on a Tuesday, we love us a good 2 bottle special. Weekday fun would be Hide, Blue, Cirque Blu, Escobar and my top spot would be Encore on Rnb Thursdays. I love to hang out with my friends at spots we feel comfortable and secure, we always come with the vibes of course !

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my mom, She’s help me with my character and patience. This Quality has played a big role in my success, Not rushing into things and letting things take their natural course. This shows you how to grow at your on pace and learn from your mistakes as they present themselves.

Website: SHOPJ2P.com

Instagram: J2PAID & SHOPJ2P

Twitter: J2PAID & SHOPJ2P

Facebook: SHOPJ2P

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/j2paid