Meet Yolanda Dare Williams of GRIND in Compton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yolanda Dare Williams.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
With skill and determination, my “Grind” is without procrastination, I have my own clothing/Logo line “GRIND”. My motto – “Grind is a movement of the mind, your focus, your work ethic, your dreams and your visions. What you do to reach those goals is how hard you grind.” As a young woman, I always had a dream to make a difference in
other people lives, Whether it was a smile, a hug, something I said with words of encouragement. When I discovered how their feel-good moment made me feel, I knew this was something I wanted to stick with. It took me years to recognize my passion, as I have two of them.

My first love is acting! I grew up incredibly shy but was so attracted to the outspoken, the courageous, the confidence in a person. Because I had a heavy shy spirit, I would act confident, courageous, and force myself to be outspoken. Having a light complexion, I could not hide my shyness, because I would turn red from my ears to my cheeks. Lol, but no matter what I would push myself to become fearless, over time, I grew to become more social and attach myself to those I admired. I would join acting classes in school, I always had a major interest in the arts, it wasn’t until I graduated from high school that I experienced my first time in front of a camera. I loved every minute of it, and from there I never looked back or put my desire for acting on the shelf. This opened my creativity even more; I went on to take college courses and fell in love with the comfort of being a woman. We as women are always the beauty of one’s eye, so it comes with a grace and style. I would study the type of woman that I wanted to be, from etiquette to hair, to heels, to perfume, to education.

My research was a delightful one, but I noticed my perception never saw the woman in her comfort place which is her Peace. That Peace that comes with feeling comfortable in your quiet space. This made me realize that what women wear makes them the most comfortable. I noticed that sportswear, T shirts, Cute hats, Knit hats, Bandannas, Cute Headbands are the type of clothing we relax in, so in 1998 I decided to go to fashion design school, T shirts have been my main focus, but I wanted to create something that would push people and be comfortable doing it. Finally, after 18 years of creating many designs for the front of my shirts, I finally found something of meaning and motivation of the mind “GRIND”. I didn’t just want to be another piece of fabric on the rack, I wanted to create something that left you feeling good about yourself, something to remind you of your dreams and your visions.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Losing my Mom at 14, causing me to bloom late. Distractions paused a lot of my journey, being young and being attracted to the fast come up or having fun over focus. Only seeing what’s in front of me and never realizing the future me.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am most proud of sticking with creating something that ties to my purpose, and it’s kind of funny because I don’t see how things come together for me, but I can help push and motivate another person’s mind to wake up that drive that they know they have. “Grind is a movement of the mind, your focus, your work ethic, your dreams and your visions. What you do to reach those goals is how hard you grind.” Those words were my own Aha moment, keeps my wheels spinning in my own mind. My logo is seen on Women, Men, Children, T shirts, Hats, Bandannas, sweat suits, loungewear, soon it will be on pens, compact mirrors, bags, and a dream of bed sheets and necklaces. Wherever you are the “GRIND” is always there. I even created a song called “What’s Your Grind Like”. in this world everybody has a “GRIND”, everybody has a gift, you just have to use it.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I grew up incredibly shy, but was so attracted to the outspoken, the courageous, the confidence in a person. Because I had a heavy shy spirit, I would act confident, courageous, and force myself to be outspoken. Being light completed, I could not hide my shyness, because I would turn red from my ears to my cheeks. Lol, but no matter what I would push myself to become fearless, over time, I grew to become more social and attach myself to those I admired. I always had a major interest in the arts, acting, running track, and designing clothes with my best friend for our barbie dolls. I loved being outside, being a daredevil I always knew that I had a purpose, but needed to shake the little girl so I dared myself a lot and hung around older people. I would never talk much, but I would just soak up their knowledge.

Pricing:

• Women Racer Back Tank Tops $20.00
• Mens Crew Neck T shirts $20.00
• Multi-use Bandanna with the GRIND Logo Headwear/Facemask $10.00
• Womens Black and White GRIND Sweat Suit – Jacket, Tank & Pant $35.00

Contact Info:

• Website: yolonda7105.wixsite.com/myteegrind
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whats_your_grind_like/

Image Credit:
All photos are courtesy of GRIND

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