Meet Jaida Henley | Singer Songwriter and Media Business Owner

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

Hi Jaida, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I grew up with my dad and aunts constantly couponing and then selling it at the flea market. Whenever I would go with my dad, he would offer me 10% of his sales if I bagged and kept him company. I spent a lot of hours bored out of my mind at that flea market but I will always be grateful looking back. Being my dad’s mini employee, I learned just how obtainable income can be if you just make it make sense. Whenever I turned 16, I started to see photography less as a hobby and more as a career. I slowly began offering paid photoshoots. This time in my life was pivotal because each moment of accomplishing a paid shoot started to make me realize just how far owning my own business would take me. At the time, I was still in school and working a job at Party City. I only made $8/hr there. With photography, I could make anywhere from $25-$100 doing exactly what I loved. I am still growing my business to be at the scale comfortable for me, but I’m so proud of all the growth my business has experienced. Now known as JHenley Media, we started in Atlanta and restarted in Los Angeles. Now it’s just a matter of attracting the clients I desire for my brand.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel like a true creative entrepreneur. I absolutely love acting and making music. I also adore photography and marketing. All of this contributes to my story and my brand. I have always written songs, made homemade fan videos, and acted in plays my whole life. The entertainment business is like my sport, and it really does take hours of skill and practice to even be considered for the drafts. My current success was built on a foundation of determination. Determined to grow up knowing I can really do anything. I really felt a lot of extreme emotions as a child due to my surroundings. Taking on a lot at such a young age, I quickly realized the life I didn’t want. One day I just woke up with this drive to change my family’s cursed experiences. I refused to follow my parents’ footsteps as much as I love them. People tend to see my ambition as naivety or annoyance. At times, I feel taken advantage of in my career. I have had to learn a lot to get where I am. In all aspects as a business owner, singer, actress, and even just a girl with a dream, I have had to experience heart-crushing moments. A huge lesson I’ve learned is the importance of having at least one person on your team. I have my mentor Ariel. She is so good to me. Connecting from a mutual network, we really look out for each other. I have had so many conflicts in my business where she has stepped in and saved the day. Whether it’s asking her to communicate on behalf of me or even customer conflict, she has saved me a lot of business in moments that were difficult for me to navigate.

I just want the world to know that I’m not letting up anytime soon. Give me a few years, and I’ll be on tour and acting in major films. I don’t care for the fame but for the people’s lives we’ll touch with our art. I also want the world to know I’m just as talented analytically so I will have more educational content eventually. I actually wrote an e-book teaching financial literacy to 18-25-year-olds. I may have a lot of goals, but I want the world to know we will accomplish them. As a girl from a small town, I want the world to know you really can do ANYTHING you put your desires towards.

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.
Whenever my best friend comes to town, I like to show her my lifestyle. It makes me feel less isolated when my friends and family enter areas of my new life. I did up and move to Los Angeles at 20 years old so things felt very foreign for a while. My friends visited me and we had the best time. I got them into a few influencer events to network, walked a fashion show with my friend, and we explored the nightlife scenes. Los Angeles has so much to experience, but my friends are all on missions too so I like to make their experiences purposeful. On days with nothing to do, we would go to the hot tub or some type of nature. My friends are happy no matter what we do, and that’s another reason I love them so much. I don’t have to “host” as much. To answer a little more of the question, when my dad visited, we went to the One Love movie premiere and the Golden Globes After Party. As I answer this question, I’m starting to realize I don’t go out much unless it’s purposeful. Selfishly I like going to the gym and taking my dog hiking on trails. Other than that I either Instacart, go live, or just chill at home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This may sound so cliché, but I have so much honor and respect for Taylor Swift. It’s crazy; I don’t get starstruck by people. With Taylor, I definitely have been practicing my first conversation with her for years. I was introduced to her by my sister who is 5 years older than me. I was maybe four when my memory started developing, and that’s the age when Taylor dropped her debut. My sister being obsessed with country, we listened to this album a lot. Then came Fearless, Speak Now, and Red. The Speak Now era was when I really learned about Taylor’s stories about her resilience. I was always inspired by her ambition as a child and held myself to the same standards. Even though I have never met Taylor Swift, somehow, she has remained the most consistent comfort for literally my entire life. The way she handles herself, her feelings/rejections, her fans, and her business… She’s so intelligent it blows my mind. I’ve seen Taylor in concert a few times and even had a fan page where she interacted with me occasionally. I feel like I haven’t met Taylor yet because it’s supposed to be special. I really want to communicate with her in an intellectual conversation and learn from her. A simple “hey” interaction isn’t what’s in my cards… I can tell. I’m seeing Taylor in Paris for her Era’s tour next month. I can’t help but hold onto hope of collaborating with her one day. Ideally, I would love to write a song with her and act in one of her music videos. I wouldn’t know how to pick just one ambitious idea. Like I said, that woman is a genius. Regardless if I never meet Taylor, she is still such a role model and inspiration for me. I learned to really take care of my fans because of the way she would take care of us. Swiftie for life! I’m so proud of her.

Website: jaidahenley.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaidahenley?igsh=MmVlMjlkMTBhMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/jhenleyy?mibextid=uzlsIk

Youtube: https://youtu.be/djLdVCGgAX0?si=I-RVvdWUBQ-2Woaf

Image Credits
James Vazquez ShotbyNerd JHenleyMedia