Tyla-Simone Crayton can’t be limited. The three-time founder graduated from UC Berkeley this spring with a degree in Business Administration, a minor in Science Technology and Society, and three certificates. Now, she’s opening the second location of Sienna Wings as the youngest restaurant owner in Houston.
From being a homeschooled entrepreneur for her brand Sienna Sauce in high school to a full-time college student, Crayton has lived an array of experiences. Keep reading for insights and lessons from this dynamic founder’s life.
Adaptability is key
Crayton entered Haas from a different perspective than most of her peers. She’d been a real-world entrepreneur since founding Sienna Sauce in 2017, and saw the less-discussed sides of textbook situations.
“Sometimes in class they make things black-and-white, best case and worst case scenarios, but a lot of life is just in between,” she said. Some days you’ll make a great sale, and the business will look good and profitable, and then something crazy happens and you have to pivot.”
In May, the building of Sienna Wings’ first restaurant closed, kicking Crayton out with three weeks’ notice in the midst of her graduation. It was thanks to that flexible mindset and community support that she was able to pivot and transition into a new spot. Recently, Sienna Wings got a unique opportunity to open a second location.
“So I went from no locations less than two months ago to two now. They don’t teach that in college,” Crayton quipped.
Silver linings in scarcity
“Sometimes in marketing classes, we were taught as if we were working in C-level positions in big companies,” Crayton recalled. With that much hypothetical power, students gain a lot of freedom in navigating marketing.
But Crayton contended, “I’d also realistically draw back and imagine, what if this company didn’t have any money, didn’t have an unlimited budget? Working with small means but big ideas – it’s fun. I’ve been in a position where we’ve had a big budget, and I’ve also been in a position where we’ve had no budget.
“You get scrappy. You come up with even better ideas. You’re a lot more risk-averse, so you try to figure out how to handle things internally and challenge ourselves to think outside the box and be creative. So when you do get the money, you know how to use it. Or realize you know how to work without it, and can save it for something else.”
Currently, Sienna Wings is looking to add more staff to their community, giving people the real-world experience of working for a business.
Your community is your voice
When Sienna Wings nearly shut down in May, it was the local community who helped Crayton raise money for a loan to switch locations.
“Community was a big part of Sienna Sauce,” Crayton said. “Me and my partner still own over 90% of the company, but we were able to raise a significant amount of capital through our community, and through crowdfunding and crowd investing raises. Your customers are your biggest superheroes, your biggest supporters. They’ll advocate for you and your brand when you aren’t around, because they genuinely love the product.”
More than that, connecting with a variety of people unlocks doors.
“Having a good core connection with your customers is important for any brand, because they speak life into you when you’re not in the room,” Crayton said. “And there’s a lot of rooms you may not be in. There’s a lot of rooms I don’t get in, as a Black woman. So having customers that have been on different platforms and have different exposure has allowed my brand to come up in other spaces that I probably would never even get into.”
So what happens when you do get into those rooms?
Make the most of resources
“Walk up to people, network. Tell them who you are,” Crayton urges. “That is what is going to take you places. You have to talk to people, you have to tell them about yourself, because we’re in a generation where people aren’t really asking.”
“And ask people about themselves, because you never know who you’re talking to and how you can help each other. If you don’t necessarily need what they can offer right now, still build the connection and they might help you later. You never know, that person might need you too.”
At UC Berkeley, Crayton made a point of getting outside her comfort zone. She’s entered new academic spaces: “I didn’t want Business Administration to be the extent of my education, so I decided to do the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Technology.”
She also prioritized making genuine connections with other innovators. “[Dr Christyna Serrano’s] class stuck with me,” she said. “There was no box, you could think anywhere. So I took more classes with her.”
“Find your story.”
That’s Crayton’s advice, especially for young women and marginalized people in entrepreneurship.
“Figure out who you are,” she said, “because that’s what differentiates you from every other brand out there. What resonates with you about the product and how can you connect your story to a bigger audience?”
Sharing this story isn’t a one-time thing, but an ever-changing process.
“When we first started out, we called every local radio station, we told them our story, we told them about our product and what we’re doing,” Crayton reflects. “They’re either going to take your story or they’re not. But they’ll also give you feedback, and you can craft your story towards that. If it’s Women’s [History] Month, and you’re a woman founder, shape your story around being a woman. If it’s Black [History] Month, and you’re a Black founder, shape your story around being Black.”
But once you have your story, it’s an incredibly powerful tool for connection.
“It’s Black Business Month right now. I’m about to reach out to different news stations and publications [and ask], how can we get a feature? They’re looking for it, so you’re making the producers’ jobs easier by bringing the story to them. And once you get that one feature, you’re more likely to pop up [in future searches.]”
Don’t get lost in the sauce
Enjoying life in balance is a priority for Crayton.
“I left high school sophomore year, and I was homeschooled for my junior and senior year. I didn’t really get that high school experience because I was traveling, missing school, doing pitch competitions. I had debated for a while whether I was even going to pursue a higher education or not, because I already had a business,” she said. “But it was important to me to spread my wings and learn about myself as a person so that I could be a better founder.”
Stepping back into a “normal life” when moving to the Bay didn’t slow Crayton down – instead, it only helped her flourish.
“I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know who I was going to be doing it,” she said. “And if I don’t know who I am, then I’ll have all this imposter syndrome talking to people about myself!”
What’s Crayton’s advice for balancing the frenzy of work with these calmer moments?
“Take life day by day,” she says, “and take every day by storm. Do the most that you can do in that day. You’ll have good days and bad days and everything in between, so learn your equilibrium, and do as much as you can do.”
Tyla-Simone Crayton can’t be limited. The three-time founder graduated from UC Berkeley this spring with a degree in Business Administration, a minor in Science Technology and Society, and three certificates. Now, she’s opening the second location of Sienna Wings as the youngest restaurant owner in Houston.
From being a homeschooled entrepreneur for her brand Sienna Sauce in high school to a full-time college student, Crayton has lived an array of experiences. Keep reading for insights and lessons from this dynamic founder’s life.
Adaptability is key
Crayton entered Haas from a different perspective than most of her peers. She’d been a real-world entrepreneur since founding Sienna Sauce in 2017, and saw the less-discussed sides of textbook situations.
“Sometimes in class they make things black-and-white, best case and worst case scenarios, but a lot of life is just in between,” she said. Some days you’ll make a great sale, and the business will look good and profitable, and then something crazy happens and you have to pivot.”
In May, the building of Sienna Wings’ first restaurant closed, kicking Crayton out with three weeks’ notice in the midst of her graduation. It was thanks to that flexible mindset and community support that she was able to pivot and transition into a new spot. Recently, Sienna Wings got a unique opportunity to open a second location.
“So I went from no locations less than two months ago to two now. They don’t teach that in college,” Crayton quipped.
Silver linings in scarcity
“Sometimes in marketing classes, we were taught as if we were working in C-level positions in big companies,” Crayton recalled. With that much hypothetical power, students gain a lot of freedom in navigating marketing.
But Crayton contended, “I’d also realistically draw back and imagine, what if this company didn’t have any money, didn’t have an unlimited budget? Working with small means but big ideas – it’s fun. I’ve been in a position where we’ve had a big budget, and I’ve also been in a position where we’ve had no budget.
“You get scrappy. You come up with even better ideas. You’re a lot more risk-averse, so you try to figure out how to handle things internally and challenge ourselves to think outside the box and be creative. So when you do get the money, you know how to use it. Or realize you know how to work without it, and can save it for something else.”
Currently, Sienna Wings is looking to add more staff to their community, giving people the real-world experience of working for a business.
Your community is your voice
When Sienna Wings nearly shut down in May, it was the local community who helped Crayton raise money for a loan to switch locations.
“Community was a big part of Sienna Sauce,” Crayton said. “Me and my partner still own over 90% of the company, but we were able to raise a significant amount of capital through our community, and through crowdfunding and crowd investing raises. Your customers are your biggest superheroes, your biggest supporters. They’ll advocate for you and your brand when you aren’t around, because they genuinely love the product.”
More than that, connecting with a variety of people unlocks doors.
“Having a good core connection with your customers is important for any brand, because they speak life into you when you’re not in the room,” Crayton said. “And there’s a lot of rooms you may not be in. There’s a lot of rooms I don’t get in, as a Black woman. So having customers that have been on different platforms and have different exposure has allowed my brand to come up in other spaces that I probably would never even get into.”
So what happens when you do get into those rooms?
Make the most of resources
“Walk up to people, network. Tell them who you are,” Crayton urges. “That is what is going to take you places. You have to talk to people, you have to tell them about yourself, because we’re in a generation where people aren’t really asking.”
“And ask people about themselves, because you never know who you’re talking to and how you can help each other. If you don’t necessarily need what they can offer right now, still build the connection and they might help you later. You never know, that person might need you too.”
At UC Berkeley, Crayton made a point of getting outside her comfort zone. She’s entered new academic spaces: “I didn’t want Business Administration to be the extent of my education, so I decided to do the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Technology.”
She also prioritized making genuine connections with other innovators. “[Dr Christyna Serrano’s] class stuck with me,” she said. “There was no box, you could think anywhere. So I took more classes with her.”
“Find your story.”
That’s Crayton’s advice, especially for young women and marginalized people in entrepreneurship.
“Figure out who you are,” she said, “because that’s what differentiates you from every other brand out there. What resonates with you about the product and how can you connect your story to a bigger audience?”
Sharing this story isn’t a one-time thing, but an ever-changing process.
“When we first started out, we called every local radio station, we told them our story, we told them about our product and what we’re doing,” Crayton reflects. “They’re either going to take your story or they’re not. But they’ll also give you feedback, and you can craft your story towards that. If it’s Women’s [History] Month, and you’re a woman founder, shape your story around being a woman. If it’s Black [History] Month, and you’re a Black founder, shape your story around being Black.”
But once you have your story, it’s an incredibly powerful tool for connection.
“It’s Black Business Month right now. I’m about to reach out to different news stations and publications [and ask], how can we get a feature? They’re looking for it, so you’re making the producers’ jobs easier by bringing the story to them. And once you get that one feature, you’re more likely to pop up [in future searches.]”
Don’t get lost in the sauce
Enjoying life in balance is a priority for Crayton.
“I left high school sophomore year, and I was homeschooled for my junior and senior year. I didn’t really get that high school experience because I was traveling, missing school, doing pitch competitions. I had debated for a while whether I was even going to pursue a higher education or not, because I already had a business,” she said. “But it was important to me to spread my wings and learn about myself as a person so that I could be a better founder.”
Stepping back into a “normal life” when moving to the Bay didn’t slow Crayton down – instead, it only helped her flourish.
“I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know who I was going to be doing it,” she said. “And if I don’t know who I am, then I’ll have all this imposter syndrome talking to people about myself!”
What’s Crayton’s advice for balancing the frenzy of work with these calmer moments?
“Take life day by day,” she says, “and take every day by storm. Do the most that you can do in that day. You’ll have good days and bad days and everything in between, so learn your equilibrium, and do as much as you can do.”