December AOTM Winner
Jay Croft
- @jay_croft -
- @the.mindful.society -
1) Q: Give us an introduction about yourself?
A: I’m Jay. 23. I coin myself as an adventurepreneur, it’s a word that I made up. I’m a content creator, and a digital marketer. I got into this field when I was about 13. I have been in this space for a long time. I played football at the collegiate level while doing digital media. I’m a retired NCAA athlete, and now a content creator. My passions are traveling the world, and giving back.
2) Q: Where are you from?
A: Tumwater, WA
3) Q: Where do you live now?
A: San Diego, CA
4) Q: How did you get to where you are today?
A: That’s a big one. The one word that comes to my mind when I hear that is intuition. Following that little voice in the back of my mind that tells me what I should be doing. Not doing what society or outside influences are pulling you down to do, but instead following that little voice I mentioned. That’s what led me to pursuing my passion, and giving me purpose to why I’m here.
5) Q: Is there anything notable that happened while growing up that shaped you into the person you are today?
A: I grew up in a sports family. Literally my entire family was D1 athletes. My grandpa was my coach, and my whole family worked at the school. I always felt like I had to follow that path, and I was a quarterback that played college. In the back of my mind I knew that wasn’t who I was or what I wanted to do though. I think growing up in that environment, and being seen as someone who has to be a certain way really impacted me to go different route where I could find my true self. I wanted to migrate away from the sports realm, and no one in my family had really done that previously. They played sports always, and I was the first one to rebrand myself in a different light. Growing up where I was seen as someone that I’m not pushed me to be more uniquely creative.
6) Q: If you could live anywhere in the world for free, where would you choose?
A: I mean maybe right where I am dude. If i could live rent free in SD that would be great. Maybe somewhere like Bali too, but Bali is already dirt cheap. I would say if I could live in Southern California for free then that would be it.
7) Q: What are your talents?
A: Leadership, and working with people to work towards a common goal. As I said, growing up as a quarterback that’s pretty much what I knew growing up. Being inspirational, and motivating people around me. I have always been a freak networker too ever since I was little. Another talent I have is just visuals. I think it’ s a natural born talent I have of creating content that sparks emotion in people. Specifically my Instagram page; it just flows through my brain. I think that my style, and my approach to content is different. I’m more of a photographer than a videographer. I picked up a camera back in 2014. Digital storytelling. Copywriting. I think I’m just good at visually displaying content in a way that is super engaging. I have good people skills as well, and I never judge anyway.
8) Q: Are you naturally talented, or did you acquire your skills?
A: I definitely think it is a mix. As far as photography stuff goes I definitely spent hours watching tutorials online, but I think a lot of the photography stuff came natural. I have an eye for photos, and capturing moments in time. As far as leadership goes, I think that it was acquired from my upbringing since I would play on teams a lot where I would make the moves. I have built several businesses since I was 14 years old, so throwing myself into the fire at a young age in the entrepreneurship world helped me acquire my talent too.
9: Q: How do you develop your skillset & improve your talents?
A: I would say just always be a learner. You can never know enough. Even the most successful guys are always learning. There will never be a point where you know too much. I am a constant learner, so after I got my degree in college I kept going. I knew it didn’t mean anything, and I just wanted to learn more. I think always having that mindset that you can never know enough, and wanting to expand your knowledge is important.
10) Q: How do you leverage your talents in your professional career?
A: By not being afraid to put myself out there. I know so many photographers & musicians who are afraid to put out there content. Getting past that first step of being scared to put out your work is number one. Committing to it means having the courage to put yourself out there. It’s important to be yourself instead of putting on some facade, and to just be radically you.
11): What are some opportunities you have gained because of your talents?
A: I have had the chance to travel quite a bit at a young age. I have worked with tons of brands. I had one brand send me over to Thailand all expenses paid. I went on a trip to Hawaii all expenses paid for 6 months, and that was a photography gig too. Recently, I managed the social media for Blenders eyewear, and they got acquired for 90 million. Those are definitely the top 3 opportunities. I would say working with brands, and having the chance to contribute to someone else dream is super rad.
12) Q: What do you do for work in the industries you are experienced in?
A: Few things here. First off, social media management. I help brands manage their social media profiles. They provide the content, and then I’ll organize it in a beautiful way to post on all of their platforms. I’ll also engage strategically on their profiles, and respond to all their messages. Digital management basically. Next is e-commerce. I have ran a few brands myself when I was younger, and I just recently started my new apparel brand. That’s a new avenue that’s fresh for me. Also, I work with brands to produce content for them. Media production projects.
13) Q: Who, or what, inspired you to get started in your career?
A: I actually got started on Twitter when I was super young, I literally googled how to make money online when I was like 12 years old, and then I got into this internet marketing forum called black hat world. I was a little 12 year old reading up on this forum for hours, and I was fascinated at the fact that people could make money online that easily. I saw my parents trading their time for money, so I knew how valuable time was. I just looked up how to make money online, and that’s how the digital age journey started for me.
14) Q: Do you enjoy the work you do?
A: I do for sure. There are still points where things are stressful. Even if you’re working with pure passion there will always be roadblocks. Obstacles will always arise, but overall I would say I do enjoy my work.
15) Q: What is something you have failed at, and did you learn from it?
A: I have failed a lot, and I am a firm believer you have to fail to succeed. One that comes to mind is drop shipping. I have had minor success, but I wasn’t passionate about it at all when I first started it. It was more of a money grab, and it wasn’t something that was fulfilling me. It wasn’t helping the world, or making an impact in any way. Once I realized that it changed my mindset. I realized I didn’t want to do it to make money solely, but really wanted to create something that would make an impact to live a life that I’m proud of. Failing in drop shipping and failing on my past business ideas really helped propel me into where I am at right now.
16) Q: What are some of the biggest myths about the work you do?
A: People think I make a shit ton of money that I went to high school with. They think just because I travel a lot that I’m loaded, but I’m actually just going for it. A plane ticket is nothing if you’re smart about it, so I just don’t limit myself with that. I don’t like living with a scarce mindset.
17) Q: What are some recommendations for others just getting started in your field of work?
A: To just go for it, and have the courage. Having the courage to make the first step is the most important piece. So many people just sit there with their ideas, and they never go for it. My biggest piece of advice is to just start with whatever resources you have, and make the most of the hand you were dealt. Always be a constant leaner as well. Hit youtube, and study what you don’t know. Don’t buy guru courses. look up exactly what you want to learn, and you can do almost anything. You don’t have to waste your money on these phony courses that have no substance. Utilize free resources, and take advantage of the internet.
18) Q: What is your opinion on social media?
A: I have mixed feelings definitely. First off, we have never been more connected for opportunities because of it. It makes it much easier to showcase your work to millions of people which is the positive part. Having a platform to use your voice, and connect with people all over the world is super cool. On the flip side it has created this completely fake world filled with jealousy, and people are always on social media comparing to others. I catch myself doing it quite often myself. Part of the jealousy aspect of social is negative, but the content that uplifts you can be positive. Yin & yang for sure.
19) Q: What are you most passionate about?
A: At this point in time I am most passionate about experiencing as much as I can on this earth. I’m very passionate about travel, and I think that the world is so big that it is ridiculous not to explore it. I love seeing new places, and experiencing new things as much as possible. New cultures with new ways of life is what I want to open my heart to. That is definitely my biggest passion. The other thing I am passionate about is leaving an impact. A positive impact. I don’t want to make money to just pay the bills & die one day unsatisfied. I want to create a legacy, and that is what I am looking to do with my brand. Even with the captions on my personal brand. I always try to make them uplifting, and inspiring for others.
20) Q: Whats your top 3 goals in life?
A: To be at peace, and to be truly happy. I want to make sure my mom never has to worry again. Create a brand that impacts lives every single day that is larger than myself.
21) Q: What motivates you daily to achieve your goals?
A: Knowing that life is finite. I know it sounds morbid, but knowing that I have a time limit gets me up in the morning. That is what triggers me to give it my all every single day, and knowing that the present moment is all we have. The past is the past, and the future didn’t happen yet. Truly the present moment is what keeps me on my toes.
22) Q: Best advice for increasing productivity?:
A: Meditation. If I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed I’ll take 5 minutes to get into my meditative flow state, and then I’ll hop back into my day. Aside from that, putting stuff in writing is key. When I put it all in writing then it helps me keep track of my daily tasks to complete. Lastly, chrome extensions. Lifesaver. To-do lists, posture reminders, etc.
23) Q: What is your philosophy on life?
A: Kindness goes a long way. If you treat everyone the way you want to be treated I’m a firm believer your life will improve. Your mindset is a direct reflection of your life, and how your thinking equates to what you manifest. The law of attraction is real, and having an abundant mindset makes a difference. Treating people with positivity is most important. At the end of the day, if you’re positive with an open mind then it will keep coming man. The blessings will roll in if you carry yourself with a good head on your shoulders, and treat people with the positivity you wish to receive.
24) Q: If you could be any animal, what would you choose?
A: Dolphin for sure
25) Q: What is a fun fact that no one knows about you? // or // a fun story that you would like to share?
A: I got a fun story from Thailand for you. I was on Koh San road which is this main road, and keep in mind this is my first time traveling internationally. Back in 2014-2015. First night in Thailand I was fresh off the plane, and a lady boy approaches us. She is like 6’4, and puts her arm around my friend. He was like going with it, and I was like telling him “no bro she’s a ladyboy.” She backs it up, and clocks me in my jaw. I’m like spitting blood, almost went unconscious, and when I look up she’s vanished.