Darshaun McAway is a best-selling author and businessman. His businesses include a fragrance line, children’s publishing company (BabyAuthors.com), clothing line, and podcast. With all of Darshaun’s success, he is proudest of being a husband and father. 

BY SHERRELL VALDEZLOQUI | PHOTO COURTESY of DARSHAUN MCAWAY

WHEN DARSHAUN was about 23 years old, he wanted to be a well put together young man held in high regard with prestige. He shares that he sat down with his thoughts and prayed to God for direction. “After praying, a feeling of comfort came over me, and I started to jot down my thoughts. They were poetic and intriguing, so from there, my passion grew.”

As the years went on, Darshaun started writing content in different genres. “When Stephanie and I had Anaiah. I knew I needed to put a solid plan together.” Darshaun began writing books and attached his daughter Anaiah name to it so she could receive a profit from the royalties. He shares that the moment his daughter was born, he knew he needed to start building a legacy for her. He recalls taking a daddy boot camp course while his wife was pregnant. “After the class, they give you a book as a guide to assist you with parenting, but for me, I looked at the structure of the book and decided to write stories about Anaiah to help secure her future with adventure stories.” Darshaun didn’t want to allow any financial struggles to be a part of his daughter’s life. “I dislike to state it like this, but growing up black is unfortunate in certain areas of life,” he says. “I struggled with money because my parents didn’t put away money for me, so when I knew I was going to have my child, I wanted to create a stream for her to pull from at any time. Starting at a young age and keeping her in it becomes normal and a force of habit. Being the boss of your life and business is a great habit to establish.”

Darshaun took securing his daughter’s future a step further and secured placement for her books with Walmart. I asked him about this achievement, and he briefly shares his story. “In 2016, I took a trip to Walmart headquarters to see the procedures of getting books placed in the store. A gentleman was coming out, and I asked him, ” Sir, do you know how I can get my children’s books inside Walmart”? He said, “yes, I do. My name is James Cameron, and I’m the Vice President of Walmart. Give me your business card, and I’ll contact the book buyer on your behalf”. We set up a meeting, negotiated a deal, and the rest is pure history. Let me forewarn you. That’s not Walmart’s usual way of conducting business. You have to know someone who knows someone. So God was looking out for my family,” Darshaun says.

I shifted the conversation and began talking about Darshaun’s cologne called “Balance,” a fragrance he says weirdly came to him. “I’m in love with smelling good. I think smelling good leaves a lasting first impression. I’ve used that technique throughout the years. I was always curious about having my line, so I reached out to a few manufacturing companies, listed my ingredients, and they shipped me a bottle. Since I’ve been married, I figured out how to have a certain amount of balance in my personal life and work life. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible to have balance because I bottled it. Lol.” 

Darshaun is a very successful man. I asked him how his faith impacted him spiritually, personally, and professionally. “My faith has been tested more times than I can count. I know it’s apart of the contrast. Spiritually, it’s been hard to see the sunshine due to the current events happening in 2020,” he says. “Personally, I feel rested. Professionally, I see a bigger picture, and I desperately want to remind everyone that it’s possible to pursue your vision, but you have to believe in you.” Speaking of 2020, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and most of America is just starting to open back. The past few months in quarantine and self-isolation Darshaun says he used that time to work on his speaking skills. “I’m starting to see that people want information so they can access it later. I want to be that platform of information.”

So what can we expect from Darshaun for the remainder of 2020 and beyond? “I’ve invested in a children’s face mask company because I noticed that most outlets cater to adults. Therefore, in 2020 I’ll be just managing cash flow with my remaining companies. While looking to invest in others.”

To learn more about Darshaun, visit his website at www.darshaunmcaway.com