Yajaira Montano is a young 27-year-old female entrepreneur. She goes by “Yaya”. She started her clothing brand through the love of fitness but also because during the time of 2017, there were not many comfortable activewear in the market, specifically the legging designs available brought out insecurities in her at the time. It seemed like the designs did not support women’s bodies.

Photo credit: Yajaira Montano

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born and raised in Houston, Tx, my parents are from El Salvador and Colombia therefore my ethnicity is Latina. I am fluent in Spanish but most don’t know because I don’t fit the stereotype at all. I was raised in a single-parent household. Went to college for a bit but I was not interested nor could I sit and learn about things I was not passionate about.

What inspired you to start your business?

t’s funny because I created my business solely because I desired leggings for myself and my body type. Leggings that specifically did not have a waistband seam on the top of the legging or a crotch seam (camel toe central). I used to train very hard at the gym and it was an important hobby of mine. I was very consistent. Usually, when you are an active person you tend to own a lot of activewear. 

The leggings that were available years ago and that I could afford had this thick seam on the waist that dug into my stomach plus a seam line running through the middle of the crotch that gave me an unpleasant look. It made me feel insecure. I believe even the more expensive brands also had this same design and no one was talking about it. So I decided to try out a new design. The leggings I designed do not have a seam running through the middle front crotch area or along the waist.

 Where is your business based?

My business is based in my home town Houston Texas.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started my business on my employer's computer. I had a full-time job at the time and this job did not require much of me. I made a few calls a day and then was bored most of the time. Sometimes my coworkers would fall asleep, that's how slow this job was. I started to use this time to educate myself on owning a business and how to start one. I made myself aware of the legalities and of the manufacturing side of starting a brand.  The first steps were google searching. I also watched a lot of youtube videos and really tried to educate myself in the little free time that I had after work as well. Around this time I’m sure I either had two jobs or was going to school. I was always busy.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

At the start of my brand, I sent out some leggings to a couple of influencers. But the most effective way for me right now is by posting on all social media platforms consistently and staying informed about the trends or any social media algorithm changes. I create a lot of fresh content so I try to maintain consistency and really put my brand out there as much as I can.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge has been working a 9-5 full-time job and battling mental health. While attempting to maintain my brand. I overcame this by either waking up earlier or taking a nap then getting up to work on my brand. I also did have to prioritize other parts of my life leaving my business as the last priority. It has honestly been a strenuous journey and I believe this is the reason why my growth has been a slow process. But with discipline and self-awareness/self-discovery it’s gotten a lot easier.

How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by snacking while I work, I don’t know why but it keeps me focused. Also, I take the time to expand my business skills and when I start to notice my creativity and skills evolving it motivates me to keep going. Entrepreneurship really requires self-motivation and it is your responsibility to maintain focus on the task at hand.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

My business’s face is me. I am a girl with long, blue long curly hair for one. But I think my brand mixes in a bit of optimism, rawness, and self-reflective qualities.

 In my personal life, I've had to overcome a lot which has driven me to want to help people in subtle ways, so my captions may state something about overcoming low times in your life or just bringing up truths about life. For example, my brand is big on promoting “evolving” (it’s in the name) but my twist here is that I want people to know that evolving takes diving deep into the inner workings of yourself, to pull out the real you. Because we've all conformed in some way, and most have not been allowed to be authentic or they are afraid. Sometimes we don’t even know who we are. So my brand promotes coming back to the true version of you. I think the words evolving paired with coming back kind of contradict each other but I like it.

 What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Honestly, marketing has changed and become a lot more tedious. Or maybe as a growing entrepreneur, I didn’t fully learn the details of SEO, ads, etc. Because those topics are a bottomless pit it seems like. I honestly don’t have an answer to this question. I'm still teaching myself as much as I can about marketing.

 What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

My best piece of advice is to take a lot of time to research. I know that when you start a project you are excited and want to jump in and start with the creative process. But fill yourself up with as much knowledge as you can for as long as you can. Because things go deeper than they may seem. Don’t rush

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

My favorite app is the famous TikTok. I've learned so much about entrepreneurship there, as well as new tips for my business that actually catapulted me into new research topics which lead me to changing up my business. I don’t have a favorite blog. My favorite book at the moment is Chosen ones by Tiffany Truitt, it’s a fictional novel based in a dystopian world.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tools/ resources would probably be Youtube and pinterest. I can find immediate answers or ideas on there and they both lead me into discovering new information about expanding my business. Sometimes it takes watching multiple videos or reading about the same topics more than once to fully grasp all an understanding of all the information.

 Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Aaron Doughty. He is actually a spiritual coach/motivational speaker. He takes the time to become aware of himself and call out his faults. Then transform himself and advances in his work. Either his camera quality gets better, he starts a new project, etc.

How do you balance work and life?

I balance work and life by maintaining awareness of when I’ve pushed myself enough, I can work all day long. I am really passionate and obsessed with my business but I realized that in order for me to be efficient and not get burnt out, I have to stop and go live life some days. So I force myself to say yes to certain outings or text/call people back. I also make sure I make time for nature and meditation that week to stay centered and not get lost in the rat race.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I have two favorite ways to decompress either by going out into nature and being present or by blasting music and dancing in my living room. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

For the next 6 months I plan to continue to keep creating quality content for my brand. Expanding my creativity and really discovering more about who my brand is. I realized that as I uncovered the hidden layers of myself somehow I was able to understand more about what I truly want my business to stand for. Apparently it is a common, natural thing that as you grow your business evolves with you. I am excited to expand and evolve.

How can our readers connect with you?

You can connect with me on my business Instagram: @arisevolve Website: www.arisevolve.com