Christina Gwira The Original Girl Boss

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Not all money is good money.” ~ Christina Gwira, (Founder of NOYADesigns)

Toronto Caribbean Newspaper could not be more delighted in presenting the Woman Empowered this week; she currently runs three successful businesses, has a popular YouTube channel with over 1.5 million views, and has been equipping bloggers, brand builders and business owners for the last ten years with the framework needed to build a brand ready to impact this digital age. I am proud to present to you, our very own technology specialist, and innovator, the Original Girl Boss, Christina Gwira.

 “One day in the 11th grade, my father handed me three big computer books and asked me to build his website for him.”

In Christina’s time, when many of her classmates were painting with brushes, or using pencils to draw artistic masterpieces, she was painting with JavaScript, PHP and HTML. Yes, many of us have no idea what these acronyms mean, but for Christina, they are her pencil and paintbrush. “When I was younger, I wanted to be an artist. However, due to circumstances in life, my parents put me through music school as opposed to fostering my artistic side. However, that passion and love for visual art was still there.”

Every waking moment she spent learning Joomla, playing in Photoshop, or downloading illustrator brushes. Christian saw her own potential, so she stared freelancing, offering her talent for graphic and web design to new business owners. People began to see the talent in this young woman, and requests for her services grew quickly. In 2012, NOYADesigns was born, and Christina soon began to support a wide range of different clients. Some of her partnerships have been with established organizations across Toronto including Ryerson University, University of Toronto, Spectrum Health Care, Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, Compass Group, and CIBC.

“Say no loudly and often. When you come into business, there are some projects you feel you should take because of exposure or money, but sometimes those are the exact things that can hold you back. That is one of the many lessons I learned early on in my career.”

Christina’s entrepreneurial journey started in 2009, when her father asked her to take over his company Eldan Telecom (Eldantel), a VoIP telecommunication company that assists in providing business and residential services to individuals and businesses.  It was while running Eldan Telecom that she founded NOYADesigns. It is with a heavy heart that as of December 31^st, 2019, Christina will no longer be continuing services and will be shutting down the company. They had been providing services to the community for eighteen years, but she has grown, and she has decided that it was time to forge her own path in the digital world.

As the founder, head designer and creative visionary behind NOYADesigns, Christina manages a fantastic team of designers who help their clients maintain a tenacious and pervasive presence in three integral categories: web, print and media. Her company is currently made up of: a web developer, graphic designer, videographer, app developer, UI expert, social media specialist and photographer. Services offered by her business include: web design, videography (promo videos, video editing), graphic design (flyers, logos, poster, or banners), business development and consulting, photography (photo shoots, event photography, and headshots), social media (content creation, and account management), and finally apps (True Vine Ministries, Family Life Christian Centre, Harvest Christian Church in Detroit and The New Hope Church of God). Working with like minds allowed her to establish “Creator’s Corner,” in January 2019, a now flourishing network of entrepreneurial minds who are all just as passionate, driven and compelled, as Christina is to create an artistic community.

Of course, Christina didn’t stop there; she took it a bit further when she was selected to come on as Toronto Caribbean Newspaper’s Technology Specialist, and although at times she doubts herself, she continues to prove that she is more then capable to take on any task that is given to her. “Before being a girl boss was cool, I was hustling my way through high-school. Even before then, I was always selling something or another on the playground in primary school.” This attitude is exactly why Christina is now a proud and self-assured owner of three successful businesses.

Alongside her writing gig at the paper, Christina has pushed her boundaries even further and is now the co-host on a growing media platform, MyTCNTV Network. She co-hosts with Simone Jennifer Smith on a show called In the Now, a show that shares the perspectives of two strong, beautiful black women who come from different cohorts (Generation X, and Millennials), and have two completely different perspectives. This has now given Christina an opportunity to grow her brand outside of her media space and allow the world to hear the opinions of an accomplished, and brilliant woman on topics ranging from technology to arts and culture.

One of Christina’s joys is serving minority women who work as freelance professionals, and she does so by equipping them with the necessary tools to grow and build their businesses. Some women do not have the support, or the experience needed to grow a brand in this day and age, but Christina assists with her progressive insight and savvy know how.

I am personally honoured and proud to be acquainted with such a dynamic soul. There is still so much for this young woman to achieve, and I know for sure that there is no stopping this Girl Boss! To learn more about Christina, or if you think you may need her services, you can find her at https://christinagwira.com/