Life and Work with Jazmine Whitlock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmine Whitlock.

Jazmine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story is an interesting one. It all began in San Francisco, California, where I am from. Both my boyfriend and I were frustrated with our jobs, the cost of living in the city and where we were headed in life. The idea of minimalism and simplification had lured us into converting a shuttle bus into an RV. Were traveled throughout the U.S. for a year visiting over 30 states in the process and getting a complete travel addiction. So, we upgraded to traveling internationally. We went all throughout South East Asia and Eastern Europe and during these two years of travel, I became an entrepreneur. I made my own products and started selling them and worked odd jobs remotely online.

Once we returned to the U.S., we decided it was time to settle down a bit more and picked Colorado as our spot. We both decided getting jobs would be best and took the first things we could get. One, two weeks in and I was already becoming restless, feeling uncertain about my choice and wanting more fulfillment in life. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait long for that fulfillment because after only a month on the job I was fired. I was shocked, my first time ever being fired from a job and I was actually really good at the work I was doing, but deep inside, I knew I had just been set free and now it was time for me to fly. I instantly took the anger I felt and made a promise to not only never return to another 9-5, but to start something I was going to love and be able to do for the rest of my life with joy and gumption. This is where Whittyjaz was born, a lifestyle brand, I began just creating with no real direction. I have slowly molded and created a real business and something I am so proud of overtime.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If you are going into business for yourself and the road is smooth the entire time, I honestly think you may just be delusional because I don’t see how that can be possible when you have, you know, life. There is always something unexpected coming up whether that be good or bad. You make a mistake in pricing, you send an awful response, you have terrible time management, your organization skills aren’t what you thought, you name it, I have done it. But I am so grateful for all the mistakes I have made because every one of them has been a learning moment. I have grown and only gotten better at what I do because of them.

My recommendation to anyone who wants to go down the entrepreneurial path especially a young woman is to change your mindset early. We tend to be so afraid of failure, which is funny because we need to fail to learn. Instead of being afraid of it, embrace it. The faster you fail and learn from that failure, the better you will become. It really isn’t failing unless you don’t learn from it and keep repeating it or you give up, otherwise, you are just learning. I love the quote: “fail a lot and fail fast.”

I also recommend that you wake up early, and have a morning routine. I have been waking up at 5 am and it has made a huge difference in my productivity. When you wake up before, most people you are able to do things in a way less crowded space, you also have much more time during the day to get stuff done.

My morning routine looks a little like this:
5 am: wake up drink water and go to the gym
6 am: read a book drink some coffee
7 am: respond to all my emails
8 am: work on the most important things on my list
9am-12pm: Shoot photos if needed
12 pm: Eat Lunch
1 pm: finish tasks on my list

I usually finish work around 3 pm to 5 pm depending on the day and amount of work. I also take micro-breaks if I am stressed out where I may just go and take a walk around the neighborhood or read some more to get my brain a rest.

Please tell us about Whittyjaz.
So, I am a content creator. I create media for companies. I do a lot of product photography and I also promote some of these products on my Instagram page Whittyjaz. My main space is health and fashion. My motto is feel good, look good. So, I promote a healthy lifestyle while dressing geat! The number one thing that will always set yourself apart is you. There is no one else in the world who is exactly like you. I get most of my jobs because of my personality and my candid nature. I am happy that people find me authentic and original I feel like those can be the hardest things to have.

Who have you been inspired by?
I come from a soccer background, I have played from the age of five all the way until I was 22. I still remember seeing mia ham play in her last world cup in Portland. My grandma bought tickets for the game and I was so excited, I didn’t even fully understand what I was witnessing but when I watched her play all I knew was I wanted to be her. She broke so many boundaries for women in soccer and not only was an amazing player but was also an amazing woman and a huge inspiration.

Oprah always amazed me because you didn’t see too many black women with the caliber of success that she had managed to achieve in the ’90s. I always loved to watch her talk shows and see how much compassion and honesty she showed to people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.traveltheoffseason.com
• Instagram: whittyjaz
• Facebook: xfactorgrowth

Image Credit:
Jazmine Whitlock

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