Meet Daijha Johnson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daijha Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daijha, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

As a public relations professional and Black woman, I had to quickly learn that sometimes being the only person in the room that looks like me is one of my superpowers. Often, in the Black community, we are conditioned to only see and recognize the disadvantages that come with having melanated skin. We only ever hear about all the reasons that being a Black person, especially a Black woman, is tough in today’s society. But when I really thought about the people in my own life that I felt were powerful, successful and all-around superheroes, they all looked like me. And that helped me realize that there is likely someone out in the world who views me the same way. After having that realization, I began to view my skin color and gender as two of my greatest assets. Being in a room where I may be the only Black woman means that I bring a unique perspective to the table that no one else has. It means that my voice truly matters.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Daijha Johnson, and I am a storyteller. Ever since I was kid, I have loved stories. I could read at a very early age and spent a lot of time with my head buried in books. But even more than reading, I love helping and advocating for people. When I was younger, my grandmother gave me the nickname “Activist” and would use it when introducing me to new people. Through my two passions of telling stories and advocating for others, I found the world of Public Relations.

Today, I am the owner of Arrow Communications LLC and the senior manager of corporate media relations for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And, yes, that is a lot to juggle. I constantly tell my friends and family that I have my 9-5 and my 5-9. During my 9-5, I spend my days at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse supporting the Corporate Communications team in telling the business narrative of the Cavaliers organization. And when I leave, I immediately head into my 5-9, where I am owner and employee of my own public relations agency, focused on going outside of the box to tell untold stories.

Arrow Communications was born out of a desire to tell the stories that often go untold because small-business owners and other entrepreneurs do not always have the resources or funds to hire the large PR firms or specialists to help tell their stories with media and the general public. I began my career at a mid-sized PR firm, where I learned the business, how to create an effective media strategy and run a successful public relations campaign. But still, I knew that I wanted to do more, especially in Black and brown communities. So when a family friend asked me for a reference for a Black-owned PR and marketing agency to help her as she launched her second cookbook and I could not think of one, I decided to fill the gap and become the change I wanted to see.

Being an entrepreneur who also works a 9-5 can be difficult. What keeps me going are the praise reports I get from clients who get a feature story in their dream publication, or hear positive feedback from their constituents about the thoughtfulness of a statement that we poured over for hours. Seeing the joy on their faces not only seeing their story being told but also seeing the impact of their stories and testimonies propels me forward and encourages me to continue making the difficult decisions to work when I could be resting. Their is power in our stories and our voices, and I do my best to provide access to the platforms for others to share their stories with the world.

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?

Discipline: It takes an immense amount of discipline to own your own business. Unlike working for someone else where you take orders and are given work, you must seek out work and customers. A lot of people get caught up in the idea of “freedom” in entrepreneurship. Freedom from being told what to do. Financial freedom. More free time. But what many fail to realize is that the first few years of launching a business are some of the hardest. Those first few years require the most of you, and you need discipline to keep you going and keep you sane. And at some point, along the way, you do achieve “freedom,” but only after putting in the work and developing the discipline it takes to get there.

Confidence: It can feel embarrassing or awkward to promote yourself or your business. You don’t want to feel too braggadocious or salesy, especially in front of those closest to you. But the only way to grow your business is to be bold and confident. Know that there is someone out there who needs your product or service and is just waiting for the information. They won’t know unless you tell them.

Time Management: As an entrepreneur, especially one who still works a full-time job, time management is the key to keeping everything organized and on track. I try to keep a routine so that I balance my 9-5, my business hours, my personal time and my time for friends and family. When you where many hats (e.g., employee, entrepreneur, daughter, sister, niece, friend, dog mom), it can be very easy to become consumed in one or two areas and neglect the others. But one of the biggest keys to success isn’t necessary learning to balance all of them proportionately. But to give each area the time and space it needs for you to be fulfilled. There are days where I don’t do anything for my business because I set aside time to intentionally spend time with my friends and family, and I usually walk away with ideas, thoughts and information that help me to propel my business forward. There are days where I use my PTO from my 9-5 to focus solely on my business and disconnect from everything else. Use your time wisely, but also don’t feel the pressure to be everything to everybody all the time. You only end up stretching yourself thin and doing everything at less than 100%. Instead, find pockets of time where you can focus and give your all.

The best piece advice that I can give someone who is just starting their entrepreneurship journey is to find mentors who can encourage and advise them along the way. I was very fortunate to have a number of professors in college who had successfully owned and operated their own PR and marketing agencies. I would spend office hours talking to them about their entrepreneurship journeys, what inspired them, how they began, what mistakes they made and how they learned to pivot and change with the times. To this day, I still ask them questions, bounce ideas of them and ask them to review things. The key to making those relationship successful is being open to learning. Over the years, my mentors have given me hard feedback about things I would need to improve on in order to be successful and many of those things weren’t easy to hear. But all their feedback helped to make me a better person, professional and now business owner.

The best pieces of advice that I have received from my mentors are to never allow someone to believe in me more than I believe in yourself and to do it afraid. There is never a right time to do anything, but especially not to start your own business. You are never going to feel completely ready or feel like you have everything together. But don’t allow fear to stop you from pursuing your dream. Believe in yourself enough to start and be willing to learn, improve and pivot along the way.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The two most impactful things that my parents did for me were make me work for everything I had and teach me the power of networking.

When I was younger, my parents made sure my siblings and I had the basic necessities: clothes, food, water and shelter. Everything extra, outside of Christmas and birthdays, we had to work for. When we asked our parents for a new toy on a random Tuesday, the question that usually followed was, “What are you going to do to earn it?” That simple question taught me that sometimes you have to work to earn the things that you want. It was in those moments that I began to cultivate my work ethic and drive because I knew I wanted the best that life had to offer.

My parents, specifically my mother, also placed a huge emphasis on networking and getting to know people. When my siblings and I were younger, no more than 10 years old, my mom would make us introduce ourselves to new people rather than making the introductions for us. That’s when I learned how to quickly give my life story, otherwise known as an elevator pitch. It also helped me overcome my fear of talking to new people. Today, I have no problem walking up to someone I don’t know and striking up a conversation with them. It’s actually how I’ve found some of my past and current clients.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/daijha-johnson-17a98a18a
• Other: For more information our public relations capabilities, please email me at [email protected]