KAYDIAN JOHNSON: The technologically inclined go-getter
KAYDIAN JOHNSON is armed with technological adroitness and she’s making a profit from it.
Like many who enter into a commitment with bad intentions, but found their purpose along the way, Johnson had a similar encounter a few years ago. The 27-year-old entrepreneur decided to choose the high-tech field because of an urge to learn to hack computers, simply to enjoy the benefits of the then trendy social networking platform, Hi5.
Now, she is the brains behind Service List Ja. It’s a modern online directory that makes finding service providers and skilled entrepreneurs much simpler than before. Babysitters, painters, hairstylists, nail technicians, photographers and freelance accountants are some of the resources one can find on the website.
“I always found
computers to be fascinating, and coming from a poor background, having one back then was considered to be for the rich. So, when the class was offered as an extra lesson to me at Norman Manley High School, I signed up right away. I lived with my aunt at the time and she had a desktop, and she would turn it off before she went to work every day. And I couldn’t check my Hi5, which was like Instagram then,” she explained.
So, she enrolled at the Portmore Community College to learn how to manipulate computer programmes. However, she’s yet to master that, although she has amassed exceptional prowess in the other areas of the vocational field.
FOUND HER PASSION
Although she spent five years studying in the sunny city, where she earned both an associate degree and a bachelor’s in information technology, it had never crossed her mind to develop a website. In fact, she was forced to, when she sought the services of a mechanic, and after being unsuccessful in her quest as she searched around her community and the Internet, she decided to make one.
“If someone told me that I would become a developer of a website when I was studying, I would have laughed them to scorn. I did not like it one bit. But when I needed a mechanic and checked online I couldn’t get a recommendation or information about their capabilities. All I got was a number. And I asked myself, ‘why can’t I get this information?’ And that’s when I got the idea,” Johnson told Flair.
Service List Ja is also a launching pad for other burgeoning businessmen and women, building their confidence in their highly competitive field. Plus, with unique advertising packages, Johnson declares that the platform plays a crucial role in the marketing strategies of those who want to excel in their arenas.
This, however, is not her first attempt at producing a virtual product. A babysitting application was Johnson’s initial attempt. Lack of time, however, resulted in a discontinuation of her efforts. At the time, she struggled between finishing school and maintaining a job. Now that she has finally created merchandise, the go-getter intends to develop an app that will complement her site.
MORE IN THE FUTURE
Although she has a nine-to-five, working as a database administrator and a growing virtual commercial business, Johnson has plans of becoming a marriage counsellor. It’s the ultimate desire of the Kingston 13 native. Until then, she intends to enjoy the benefits of the two hats she wears, in hopes of expanding the latter to better meet the demands of those who sought her service, especially within the Caribbean.
“Being a marriage counsellor is my dream, ever since I was a child. And although I have been sidetracked by my love for computers, I am not giving up,” she firmly said.