We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daria Dana a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Daria, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from following my heart, soul, and intuition, and my fundamental belief that when you do that, you’ll never be led astray.
As long as I’m listening to my inner guides and guides from the Universe, I believe every single thing that happens is meant to happen, and that I will achieve everything I desire and more.
I also believe that in doing so, I best serve the world and society at large. Bringing your unique gifts to the world makes the world a better place.
I maintain and nurture my optimism through spirituality, specifically through my daily gratitude, manifestation and journaling practice, and meditation.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the owner of Zigleys, a fine jewelry brand specializing in accessories for locs, braids, and twists. It’s exciting because we are one of a growing population of black luxury brands, and our focus on hair jewelry not only makes us unique but makes a statement as well. Black hair is profoundly culturally significant and I’m honored to not only create accessories that accentuate our already beautiful hair but to contribute to the shifting conversations and narratives around our hair.
We’ve recently expanded into high-end hair care and will be kicking off a 6 city tour around the beginning of 2024. There’s so much more to come. Mostly, I believe that we deserve the absolute best and I am committed to Zigleys becoming a company you can always trust to deliver just that.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Steadfastness & a Dash of Unreasonability: I’ve always been stubborn and that has both hurt and helped me. In this case, it was a blessing, as I could have changed my mind about our business model a million times at the urging of other more “reasonable” people and in favor of “reasonable” arguments. There were so many reasons not to start a high-end hair jewelry brand. The economy, the niche, the price points, etc. But I felt in my heart that this was something we needed and deserved, and I felt in my bones and spirit that it was part of my destiny to create it.
2. Faith: When things don’t go how you thought or when people’s comments get to you, it’s easy to lose faith in your wild, crazy idea and think you should take the easier route or maybe that you shouldn’t have even started. My daily faith practices kept and still keep me in touch with my vision and purpose.
3. Outsourcing and Team Building: One of the most beneficial things to know is that you don’t know everything. There will always be people who know things you don’t know and moreover, who are professionals in areas that you’ll need to demonstrate well to succeed. Sure, you can try to do it all yourself. You may spend months or years perfecting it, but you’re absolutely capable. Or, you can hire someone (when you’re financially able) with years under their belt, add them to your team, and learn from them directly while they simultaneously use their expertise to help your business accelerate. Time is precious, so I prefer the latter. I’m a firm believer in outsourcing and in building a strong team. There can be trial and error, but when you hit that sweet spot it is so worth it.
My advice is to be willing to be unreasonable and take risks. There are always reasons to play it safe and people will, even lovingly, project their fear onto your best ideas (bigger ideas require more risk which requires way more courage). But if you deeply believe in your idea, do the research and take the actions to make it happen. You’ll get discouraged and scared, but keep going. You only fail when you stop. I believe most “failed” businesses were probably just given up on too early. Follow your inner callings and divine callings and all will be well.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents are so incredible. #1 is the deep, deep sense of confidence they instilled in me from a young age. I was never low on affirmations. They constantly told me that I was brilliant, capable, and that I would do amazing things, and when you hear that enough from a young age it simply becomes part of your core beliefs about yourself. Even on my bad days, I still fundamentally believe those things.
Whenever I had an idea, they supported it. If I wanted to start painting, they took me to get paints the next day. Any book I wanted to read, they got me. If I wanted to dance or try to bass (true story), they got me in classes. They nurtured my spirit, creativity, and passions so that rather than growing up with a stifled inner self, riddled with doubt, I grew up passionate and with deep inner trust.
Lastly, as two first-generation immigrants from Jamaica who started extremely poor, I watched them work their way up and they did everything possible to make life easier for me than it was for them. I’m eternally grateful.
Don’t get me wrong, childhood and teenage-hood was not all rainbows for me, at all. But they did their absolute best and I’m so grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zigleys.com
- Instagram: zigleys.co
- Facebook: zigleys
- Linkedin: zigleys
- Twitter: zigleys
- Youtube: zigleys.
