How Jasmine Lawrence Started A Million-Dollar Business At Age 13
"Find your passion and live your dream."
It's a motto Jasmine Lawrence lives by and if the phrase seems fairly light, the 24-year-old entrepreneur believes it's a heavy declaration for one to make. “It says, 'I'm responsible for my future, I'm responsible for the choices I'm going to make.'"
Jasmine adopted the mantra at the age of 13, when she began a business that started off as a side hustle in her parents' home. After a bad reaction to a chemical relaxer left her without most of her hair, Jasmine took the initiative to do something about it, especially after realizing there wasn't anything on the market catered to hair growth for young girls like herself. She was the change she wanted to see.
During an NFTE (The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) Bizcamp for teens, the future Girl Boss found just where she fit in the world and how she could leave her mark on the map. "The summer before I attended, I had broken my thumb at a different camp. I wanted to try something a little less intense [laughs]. I was enticed by the opportunity to spend time at New York University to learn more about the business world." Throughout the duration of those weeks and how it manifested itself into her company, Jasmine says she learned how to be committed to something that made her different and understood how to capitalize off of that aspect.
If instructors asked what problems were participants uniquely solving, the response lied in Jasmine's basement in hopes of helping others with their own hair troubles, using her experience as the catalyst for something bigger. The foundation of EDEN BodyWorks was birthed from that pivotal moment and it was an interminable journey for Lawrence ever since–a journey that began from a personal desire to find self-love after losing the very thing that often defines who we are.
“Once you have that locked away in your heart, it's just a fire. You can do your own thing once you find your own thing," she proclaims during her chat with xoNecole. That fire has been ablaze for 11 straight years, beginning in her basement, where she experimented and whipped up her first batch of products with the help of natural remedy books and her family.
“I made a lot of different natural ingredients like lavender, peppermint, lemon, etc., and noted their beneficial properties. I started to combine ingredients in different ratios and formulas based on my need," Jasmine says of the beginning stages of her line. She began selling the items after seeing results on her own hair and the rest was history.
Jasmine's business expedition including an inaugural stop on Oprah's couch in 2004, after one of the producers at Harpo Studios learned about the products from a family member. Initially reaching out for a phone interview, they pitched the idea of being on Oprah's show. “I was more than willing to participate and was very excited when they allowed me to bring my parents and my sisters to Chicago for the filming." That appearance elevated Jasmine and EDEN BodyWorks, now a thriving business with homemade products in Walmart, Target, Walgreens, and CVS.
She is proof that ambition doesn't hold the same weight as age. If you need a dose of encouragement this morning, Jasmine Lawrence's journey to a multi-million-dollar business is sure to kickstart your own fire within you.
Your journey began 11 years ago, and things kick started itself when you attended the NFTE Bizcamp. What was your business plan and what was that overall experience like?
My overall experience was kind of up and down. In the beginning it was a little rough, but I would say that was when I had the most excitement and energy and motivation. When I first started the only people who really supported me were the people from camp, my family, and my parents. They kept telling me, “you can do anything and you learned a lot" and “you're doing this for a good reason, so you should keep pushing forward." But whenever I go to do my business plan pitches or set up a booth at a trade show and I had to talk about where I wanted to go, a lot of people were like, “Are you kidding me? You're 13 or 14-years-old and you should be watching cartoons." It didn't deter me, but that really fueled the fire for me to just want to do more and be better and kind of be like, “Hey, I don't have to be 30 with a MBA to have the right to start a business."
What I went through was so hard and I felt so lonely in my whole experience of my hair being severely damaged. I just wanted to help people. From a high level, that was my business plan--to make sure no one had that negative business experience with chemical products that I had experienced in the past. At that bizcamp I learned, here's how you develop a product and understand the cost, and understand what you need to invest in to make it profitable; here's how you take time and really understand your customers. Think of them as individual people and not, some market that you're just trying to get market share from.
You started at 13 and the startup was funded through saving your allowance and your parents loaning you money to help with production. Before the big break in the company after appearing on Oprah, how was the company doing financially?
We were doing good. We were doing well, and I would say, it was a very maintainable level. It was a steady stream of customers. There wasn't a huge uptake and I will say, before Oprah, I was not overwhelmed by orders, but I definitely came home and sold several orders a day and it was something that me, as just a student, could do on my own, or sometimes my siblings would help me. It was very manageable and for me, that was success.
I would say, I didn't set out to have a company that made millions of dollars. In that aspect, I wasn't disappointed that we were making only a couple of hundred, or a couple of thousand. For me, I just still could not believe people were purchasing this stuff that I was making in my basement. I can't believe that people get what I was trying to do and they see that it's more than just products.
I think we were doing really well and I think that the opportunity to be on Oprah was just a huge validation of what I was trying to do and who I was trying to become. I loved the opportunity and I still see the spike that coincides with reruns of the show and the recent appearance I did last year. I never thought that 10 years later, it would be 50% of my life, and it matured me and changed me into this person.
You mentioned a challenge you faced during the start and growth of the company was being taken seriously because of your age. Do you still face that same challenge? What are some challenges you do have?
Age is not so much a factor because I feel like I'm at an age where people expect me to be beginning my career and there's still that look on their face like, “Ten years? What do you mean you've owned a company for ten years? You just graduated college? Who are you?" (Laughs) My current struggle is balancing the space I'm in with working in technology at Microsoft and the space I'm in with health and beauty care. I don't mind them being separate, but I feel like I've been getting a lot of push to combine them in some way, like the best of both worlds. To me that feels greedy. I want both my dreams and I want them when I want them and how I want them. I feel like that's asking for too much and God has really blessed me to be successful in the STEM field and casually, I've pursued STEM. I went through this hard trial and out of it came a successful business. They feel like two separate parts of my life, even though there's something in me that makes me happy with both of them.
The other thing I'm currently struggling with is how to be a good role model. But it's definitely something I think a lot about.What am I trying to be an example for? Am I trying to be an example for poor kids to become rich? Am I trying to be an example of young people doing what they want to do? Is it how to start a successful business? There's all these different kinds of channels and messages that I could be about.
How did you find balance at 13 and how do you find balance now at 24?
It's very similar. I think that now I prioritize fun a lot higher than I used to and the enjoyment of life. When I was 13, I said I have nothing better to do than to make a business. Finding balance comes with knowing what's important to you and being able to constantly make decisions that are right in your eyes. I don't have to overexert myself just because I'm driving for excellence in all of these things. I can give myself a break. I can do nothing.
I could lose my job at any moment. My company could crash at any moment and when that stuff is gone and when I look around and see what's left, I don't want to be alone. I don't want to have never invested in a person or a friendship. I don't want to not know what flavor of ice cream I like or books that I always wanted to read, I don't want to miss out on those things as I'm trudging along and trying to move forward.
There are similar products on the market that focus on the being affordable and natural, but the longevity of EDEN BodyWorks stands out against the competition. Why do you think that is?
I think that a differentiator that we have is commitment to the community, and not just fundraisers and things like that, but trying to listen to what people are struggling with and trying to be a part of their lives instead of being like a company that they buy from. It's a certain level of trust that we've been trying to attain with anybody who's been to our events or tried the product. It's more like, what do you need or what do you need to learn or how can we help you with a better life, and how can our products be a part of that better life? But not necessarily the solution. I'm not growing you a solution for you to grow your hair down to your butt.
If that's what you want, I'm sure that we can give you nutrients. If you're coming to the company and you want a quick fix solution and that's the way the products are being marketed, like “yeah, take this one" this is a different kind of brand than that. This is a brand that asks, “Are you drinking enough water? Are you exercising? Are you good, mentally? How do you feel about yourself, because we can give you shampoo, we can make your hair grow, but that alone will not make you feel beautiful.
EDEN BodyWorks branched off a bit to include a line specifically for children. What has the feedback been so far?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I will say it's probably the second best reception of products we have since the launch of the coconut shea line. It's the first line of product that's really tied into our commitment to being a part of your life. When we launched, we were actually giving away books by self-published female authors and having these events where it's not just about, 'here's the product; here's how you use it; here's how much it cost.' It's really about here's how you can educate your child and spend quality time with them. The reception has just been great from parents, and it's just been adorable to kind of watch reviews on YouTube and Instagram and kids loving it, too. It's been heartwarming and it makes me want to be in that place in my life where I can spend that time with my children.
We [EDEN BodyWorks] do 'Mommy and Me' dates. We know if we foster the relationship with a mother and a daughter, that's going to help families. Having strong families is better for the economy as a whole. That daughter who spends time with her mom, learning how to take care of their hair is less likely to be caught up in superficial beauty. They'll understand things like “My mom used to deep condition my hair, so my hair will be soft." They'll know these things growing up, familiarity with the brand–that's great for us. But when you walk away from those Mommy & Me sessions, you don't just feel like 'EDEN BodyWorks has a kids line and they're just trying to get me to buy their shampoo.' It's “Wow, I'm closer to my daughter now or that was an opportunity for me to take care of her and to encourage her how to care of herself." It's kind of like a dual role we're trying to do. I think over the years, people have started to pay attention to that and started to see that and that's enabled us to be around for so long because we do more than just make money.
Have you ever encountered comments about your natural hair in the workplace?
It totally comes up. It's not so much what they say, it's how they react. It's, “Oh, that's how you wore your hair today? That's interesting. Is that 'tribal' or something?" You can tell in the media that long, straight hair is professional. All the women you see in suits and are successful, that's how they look. And it goes back to what I was saying about being Black in STEM; you just look at that model you and say, if I want to be that, I need to look like that and conform to that. At my workplace, we are super casual so it doesn't matter what you wear, what you look like.
I definitely don't think there are legitimate companies with actual rules about how your hair can be. It's a part of you, and it's so crazy that people will judge you for that. Clothing, I feel very different about. There are uniforms designed for specific types of roles and those uniforms are supposed to aid in you doing your job better. I know a lot of industries prefer suits because they want you to look like this is serious and I can get that, because sometimes it's even cultural. But there's a time and a place where you should just do you all the time. I wear my hair however I want, but there is real social pressure out there and it's scary. I'm sorry for anyone suffering through that, especially if you're alone and there's not another woman there wearing her twist out or wearing her locs.
What advice would you give in starting your own business in a world where it seems everyone is doing the same thing and it's difficult to bring something new to the table and be labeled “innovative."
My advice would be to examine your motivations and to be super clear why you want to start the business. It doesn't matter what kind of business you're starting if you're starting it for the wrong reasons. So, examining your motivations and understand what's driving you. Whatever that is–if it's to impress somebody, if it's just to get rich–those things are not going to be what allows you to wake up at 5:00 in the morning and that get work done. Or fly across the country several times in one week to get to those meetings. People will hear your passion in your pitches, in your writing, and in your work, and those motivations need to be powerful.
Figure out who you are, what you want, and what kind of impact you're trying to make.
And not just these blanket 'I want to change the world.' You have to know your niche and your market and be like, this is how I want to make impact and this is my thing. Nobody's going to have the energy and the desire and the drive to accomplish that thing that you want to do. You don't have to be afraid someone is going to steal your idea because if you're doing you, driven by some unstoppable force. If you can feel confident and still push forward, that's stuff you can't just make up. It's way too late to try and figure that stuff out once you already have something on the shelves or online. That's my advice: figure out who you are, what you want, and what kind of impact you're trying to make. No amount of money or fame is really going to satisfy you if you're not doing that thing that you were meant to do.
All images courtesy of Jasmine Lawrence
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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The Power Of Your Big 3: Understanding The Astrological Significance You Hold
Explore your sign’s 2024 horoscope predictions to learn what is in store for you this year in love, career, and more. Check out the love compatibility of each sign to learn more about zodiac pairings and all things compatibility.
Astrology has become even more mainstream and a phenomenon than it ever has in the past. We have gone beyond the, “What’s your sign?” and have moved into “What’s your big 3?” seemingly overnight, and rightly so due to the significance of knowing these important details. Your Big 3 in Astrology represents your sun sign, your moon sign, and your rising sign.
This trifecta is thought to be one of the most significant details of your birth chart and gives you and others more of a full-picture look at who you are beyond just your sun sign.
What Does Your Big 3 In Astrology Say About You?
Knowing your big 3 is important, especially if you are someone who has never really resonated with your sun sign. You read about what it means to be an Aries, but may not align with what you see or your experience with other Aries. Meanwhile, the whole time, you have a Libra rising, the complete opposite sign of Aries, and this is why you have always seen yourself as a more laid-back and less confrontational Aries.
Elements hold a key role in your birth chart and having a big 3 where the elements are all compatible or the same often signifies someone who knows who they are and is comfortable in their skin. Whereas someone with a different element for each part of their big 3 may have challenges with identity or defining who they are or how they want to present themselves. It’s a different type of perspective when looking into your big 3, and it helps you see where your strengths and needs are in life, and how to tap more into this potential.
Your Big 3 In Astrology Explained
Your big 3 can help you navigate life by understanding which part of you comes out more in different circumstances. At home, you are most like your moon sign, when you are out and about, you are most like your rising sign. Whether you are at home or out and about, your goals, purpose, and interests are most like your sun sign.
You can find out what your big 3 is by looking up a ‘Birth Chart Calculator’ on your search engine, typing in your birthday details (you will need to know your birth date, location, and the exact time you were born), and generating your birth chart.
Read below for your sun, moon, and rising signs.
YOUR SUN SIGN
Your sun sign represents the core of you and what motivates you to shine and be your best self. This is your personality, goals, purpose, identity, ego, interests, direction, and where you light up in life.
FIRE SUN (Aries Sun, Leo Sun, Sagittarius Sun)
If you are an Aries sun, a Leo sun, or a Sagittarius sun, you are outgoing, confident, fearless, and in tune with yourself and your personal goals and desires in life. You go after the things you want, and you are not afraid to take up space. You are someone who prefers to be more independent, and you are often in more leadership roles in life.
EARTH SUN (Taurus Sun, Virgo Sun, Capricorn Sun)
If you are a Taurus sun, a Virgo sun, or a Capricorn sun, you are grounded, dependable, loyal, hard-working, and logical. You prefer the finer things in life but also work hard to get where you are. You are someone others feel they can rely on, and you are often a support for other people in your life. You are very connected to the material sides of life, and have a gift for manifesting.
AIR SUN (Gemini Sun, Libra Sun, Aquarius Sun)
If you are a Gemini sun, a Libra sun, or an Aquarius sun, you are light-hearted, free-flowing, intelligent, and communicative. You speak what is on your mind, and you love to connect and communicate with others. People know you for the things you say and your out-of-the-box ideas, and you are someone who is open-minded and provides a safe space for people to be authentically themselves.
WATER SUN (Cancer Sun, Scorpio Sun, Pisces Sun)
If you are a Cancer sun, a Scorpio sun, or a Pisces sun, you are thoughtful, generous, emotional, loving, and compassionate. You care deeply about the people you love, and you are always there for others. You may be more emotional than most, and this is due to your strong intuition and open heart. You are creative, inspiring, and motivated towards connection in life.
YOUR MOON SIGN
Your moon sign represents your emotions. This is the way you express yourself emotionally, how you process your emotions, what you need in love, what makes you feel safe and nurtured, your desires, intuition, your inner world, and what’s going on beneath the surface.
FIRE MOON (Aries Moon, Leo Moon, Sagittarius Moon)
If you are an Aries moon, a Leo moon, or a Sagittarius moon, you are someone who is not afraid to communicate your emotions or how you are feeling, and you can feel your emotions from a mile away. You are confident in yourself and are someone who stands up for what you feel is right. You have a strong need to be seen and heard in your relationships, and a certain type of understanding is needed for you to emotionally thrive. You may have some challenges with anger or high energy and are working through emotional impulses in this lifetime.
EARTH MOON (Taurus Moon, Virgo Moon, Capricorn Moon)
If you are a Taurus moon, a Virgo moon, or a Capricorn moon, you are someone who is emotionally grounded, safe, comforting, and logical. You aren’t overly emotional and may not show your emotions to people much at all, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have them. You think before you speak, and you process your emotions before acting on them, and you tend to be more down-to-earth and understanding when it comes to other people’s emotional worlds as well. You are someone people go to when they need someone to talk to you as you are a very good listener.
AIR MOON (Gemini Moon, Libra Moon, Aquarius Moon)
If you are a Gemini moon, a Libra moon, or an Aquarius moon, you are someone who is fun, outgoing, and emotionally open-minded. You don’t like heavy emotions or too much emotional drama, and you tend to be more go-with-the-flow in this area of your life. Good conversation and mutual understanding are very important to you in your relationships and you want funny banter and inspiration in your connections with others.
WATER MOON (Cancer Moon, Scorpio Moon, Pisces Moon)
If you are a Cancer moon, a Scorpio moon, or a Pisces moon, you are someone who lives by their heart and values your emotional world deeply. You crave a deep type of intimacy in your partnerships and you need a partner who is going to give you that type of emotional connection. You are more private with your emotional world and you tend to hold a lot in, but this can often lead to sudden outbursts as well. Overall, you are the definition of emotion and others learn a lot from you on what it means to love and to feel.
YOUR ASCENDANT (RISING SIGN)
Your ascendant sign represents your perception and the energy you put out into the world. This is the way you come across to others, the way you express yourself, your physical traits and aesthetics, how you manifest, society, and what you expect from the world around you.
FIRE ASCENDANT (Aries Rising, Leo Rising, Sagittarius Rising)
If you are an Aries rising, a Leo rising, or a Sagittarius rising, you come across to others as confident, bold, and stylish. You are known for the way you look or the way you present yourself, and you are usually adorned in bright colors or wearing something that others take a lot of notice of. You are someone who walks into a room, and all eyes are on you, and you love that. You want to be on the move and on the go, and you love to show up in the world exactly as you are today. You see the world with a lot of possibilities and like it's yours to have fun and enjoy yourself in.
EARTH ASCENDANT (Taurus Rising, Virgo Rising, Capricorn Rising)
If you are a Taurus rising, a Virgo rising, or a Capricorn rising, you come across to others as responsible, beautiful, natural, and dependable. You are a hard worker, and you may be known for your career or the work that you do. You are someone who walks into a room and people feel an immediate sense of comfort and like you are someone they can trust. You have strong values and goals, and you are someone who knows what they want. People love to be around your down-to-earth energy, and you make others feel safe and grounded.
AIR ASCENDANT (Gemini Rising, Libra Rising, Aquarius Rising)
If you are a Gemini rising, a Libra rising, or an Aquarius rising, you come across to others as outgoing, friendly, and talkative. You see the world as a place to learn, connect, and be inspired, and you are on a quest for knowledge and understanding. You connect with people from all walks of life, and you tend to have a pretty open-minded and unique friend group. You care a lot about your style and aesthetic and always strive to be authentically you wherever you are. You can talk to people for hours and are often meeting new people and making new friends wherever you go.
WATER ASCENDANT (Cancer Rising, Scorpio Rising, Pisces Rising)
If you are a Cancer rising, a Scorpio rising, or a Pisces rising, you navigate life through the lens of your emotions, and you are deeply connected to the undercurrents of life. You are ruled by your emotions, and this side of you is not something you can keep hidden away easily. You get emotional when you think about society and others at large, and you want to be known for the kind and sincere person you are. When you walk into a room, you feel other people's energy right away and are highly empathic and intuitive.
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Featured image by We Are/Getty Images