Oct 2

Oct 2 Janeya Griffin: CEO of "The Commercializer"

Winter 2018

From Providing strategy to NASA, to helping aspiring entrepreneurs monetize their talents through technology

By: Mercedez McIntyre

Shy, reserved, and quiet is what you may presume when you read the resume of Janeya Griffin. She must spend all of her time locked away behind closed doors with book after book with all of the knowledge and wisdom she attains. Au contraire! She is well educated, informed and living with a lifetime of experience already.

I had the utmost pleasurable and enthusiastic conversation with Griffin. Her voice springs with joy and peace simultaneously in such a way that you can't decide if you want to be friends with her or taught by her. Armed with passion, vision, and an upbringing which taught her tenacity through faith. Janeya Griffin is a down to earth example of hope for a generation. Also an answer to our community who hasn't yet begun asking themselves the right questions when it comes to building and monetizing our own technology instead of just being consumers.

*Please note this interview was not conducted on behalf of NASA or any affiliation. Janey Griffin is a contractor for NASA through Jacobs Engineering.

@UrbanFreedomMagazine:

What was your upbringing like growing up?

@Janeya Griffin Response:

I had a very good and stable upbringing for the most part. Around 16 both of my parents were incarcerated. Not for major reasons or a very extensive amount of time but it was life-altering. After my parents returned things were still rocky. They both tried their best to land back on their feet. I specifically remember how hard it was for my mom to find work again. She had a good job before things shifted but with her record smudged finding work became a battle that sent her into a depressive state. She would go into interviews courageously and humbly being honest about her record with the ability to explain exactly what happened. Yet and still it impacted her in ways that made me look at incarceration differently. My mother, my role-model took that hit extremely hard. To go from such success to struggle from a small mistake took a very long time for her to recover. It becomes so hard for people even with the smallest infractions.

I can say growing up it made me into who I am. My life has always taken unexpected twists and turns but I am a firm believer that things will always turn out for my good. Of course in the during those moments it was hard to see but as an adult, I realize that such independence so early shaped me into being such an independent woman in a positive manner.

@UrbanFreedomMagazine:

Who did you look up to and why?

@Janeya Griffin Response:

My mom was always who I looked up to. As I said before the previous struggles around the age of 16 made it hard as I watched my hero go through so many phases. Yet her will to succeed I inherited and am grateful for.

I would also say my best friend growing up. She read a lot, always had ambitions of college at a young age. She set a standard. She ended up going to Princeton, working at Morgan Stanley, joined the Navy and now she is in Law school. Watching go through all she has to accomplish these ambitions let me know that I can do anything I put my mind too.

@UrbanFreedomMagazine:

What were your passions growing up that you can see was the doorway to where you are now?

@Janeya Griffin Response:

Growing up I didn't know I was an entrepreneur. As I got older and found out the meaning I realized I had been an entrepreneur my whole life. When I was younger my mom would let me pick out candy that my friends and I liked. So I would go out and make friends. I am a people person. I would meet them and sell them candy. Then when my mom and her friends would go out I offered every time to babysit for a price. I always liked to keep busy and enjoyed coming up with ideas and following through.

At the same time, I remember my dad used to always.....

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