University student finds creative ways to make money
LIKE MOSES and the children of Israel at the Red Sea, Shalayne Walker of Springfield, St Thomas, found herself stuck at a roadblock which, at the time, seemed impassable. And like Moses, Walker found out that she was carrying the solution to her problems all the while – her rod was her talent.
With only a year left of her university studies, the 23-year-old told The Gleaner that she was forced to discontinue studies after encountering financial and emotional difficulties.
“After a period of just going under the radar, a dear friend of mine encouraged me to get back out there because I have much to offer. With no nine-to-five job to provide an income, I sat long and hard trying to see how I could make a living because I was broke! I didn’t have any money to start up a fancy business, but I was determined. And with only J$2,000 to my name, I bought three rum creams, three beers, three Guinness and some cartridge paper,” she said.
With the items, Walker said she made sample gift baskets and boxes and with her special touch, an aptitude for writing, she added personalised quotes and uploaded the finished products to social media.
“I woke up the next day and realised that people from all over Jamaica were placing orders. I was in awe and shock! I had always loved writing, and to see it being pleasantly received was a feeling I was not prepared for or knew how to handle so I cried,” she shared.
The week-old business, called YAADCRAFT, is an online gift shop where personalised packages for various occasions are made with, according to the creator, a Jamaican twist.
The young and new entrepreneur revealed that since then, she has had over 50 orders from people across the island and a waiting list for those interested in her Valentine’s line, which will also be released soon.
In sharing that she is governed by the popular words of the Irish novelist Samuel Beckett, which read ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better,’ Walker said that YADDCRAFT now has a plethora of products which are available for islandwide delivery.
Shedding some light on the items she said, “Among our products are personalised mugs, photo and quote frames, wine gift packages, candy bouquets and thought jars. I usually speak with the customer first to learn about who they are gifting then come up with a personalised gift package tailored around the person’s personality and likes.
“We also have our standard alcoholic thought boxes. All gift packages are wrapped with our signature ‘yaad’ style colours and our translator cards, which help non-patois speakers to better understand the poems.”