Tia, a woman who counts

“My job today is dynamic, which is what scares me the most, but as the old saying goes, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.” Raised in Connecticut by a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother, Tia Taylor flew from the US to Italy to study when she was just 18. Today, she is an entrepreneur and content creator with thousands of followers. Hers is the story of someone who succeeded in inventing a profession and forging a unique path that led her, in 2020, to found a company in Nigeria, in addition to Colory*. This digital platform tells the story of ethnic diversity in Italy, an online space that gives voice to inclusion-related topics using simple, direct language.

She tells us: “I got into my field by chance. I did the BIEM (Bachelor of International Economics and Management) at Bocconi and graduated in 2017. I worked in digital marketing for two years, and then I started working at a start-up for another four years. During that time, I founded the Colory* project, and I recently launched a new business in Nigeria too.” Meanwhile, Taylor tells the story of her life as an American in Italy on social media, from Instagram to YouTube. She talks about fashion and makeup, but also customs, culture and inclusion, and her following is growing fast. With over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and almost 100,000 followers on Instagram, she now talks about her business as an entrepreneur and has recently published RacConti, a book full of advice on personal finance and the importance of investing. In fact, her social media bio describes her as “a woman who counts,” precisely because she pays attention to her pocketbook. 

Reflecting on her career, she describes it as a fluid journey; determination and ingenuity have been indispensable along the way. “Everything is always changing. You have to get used to change; it’s an added value. But after years of working this way, I have to admit that now, when everything goes according to plan, I feel almost anxious. I’ve always had to invent solutions to problems, and I don’t give up, despite the challenges.”

And there have been many in Italy, from fitting in to learning the language. 

“I am a young black immigrant in Europe. People don’t usually expect me to have achieved everything I have. But I’ve come to accept that this is how it is in this moment in history, and it doesn’t upset me anymore. I keep following my path,” she adds. And to keep moving forward, it helps to have role models, which for Taylor are giants like Harriet Tubman, Madame CJ Walker, Femi Ransom Kuti, Nanny of the Maroons. But also modern icons such as Bozoma Saint John, Portia Simpson-Miller, Michelle Obama, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Stacey Abrams.

“I would tell young people to ‘think outside the box,’ always come up with innovative and creative solutions to problems. When you see a lot of people doing the same thing, do things a little differently. It always pays off in the end. Leaving the US to study in Italy at the age of 18 was not a common choice at the time, but the rewards were enormous. Ten years later, it is a path that many more people 
are following.”