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

Hi Jaylen, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from Albany, Ga. My background and upbringing shaped me into the young woman I am today because I had to work for everything I have. I lost both my parents at only 9 years old. From that point until now, I basically had to figure things out for myself. True enough, I had family, but as I got older, I realized I needed to make the life I wanted for myself. Everyone has always encouraged my siblings and I to beat the statistics because with the tragic loss that we faced, and are still facing, you would expect one to give up — but we didn’t and for that, I am so proud of us. We do have our days, but for the most part we are holding it together for each other.

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?
Hard work — hard work is what got me to where I am today. Coming from my background, I honestly didn’t have a choice but to do whatever I had to do for myself. It was not easy at all. There are days where I am drained. There are days where I am excited, sad, mad, frustrated, etc. but I always have to remember the end goal. A couple of lessons I learned along the way is patience is the key/good things come to those who wait. I tend to be an impatient person and very hard on myself, so I had to learn to be very patient because everything will work out the way it needs to as long as I keep believing. The main thing I want the world to know is to keep pushing and never give up, because hard work will definitely pay off in the end.

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?
Honestly, I am a homebody (lol). If I were to take a week long trip, I would probably go somewhere calm to a beach or something. I do not like to be around big crowds or chaos, so I try my best to avoid those type of sceneries. My favorite restaurant, though, would have to be Longhorns. I will take someone there in a heartbeat. As long as I can enjoy someone’s company, I am perfectly satisfied.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank my entire family, but most importantly my aunt Shernell. From the beginning of time, she has always kept me afloat and always pushed me to be a better version of myself. There have been times when I’ve called her having mental breakdowns about who knows what, and she just always reassures me that everything will be okay. When I feel overwhelmed, she always reminds me to take a step back and get together mentally before I proceed to do anything. I always appreciate the random check-ins and the random “Jay I’m coming to Atlanta this weekend.” Whether she knows it or not, I appreciate all of the smallest things.

Website: www.shopeleven8.com

Instagram: @_eleven8

Facebook: Eleven Eight

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