Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Edwards.
Hi Jasmine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Originally from a tiny town in Alabama, I moved to San Antonio in 2017, and that was when my life truly began. I served in the United States Army for 10 years and grew up a bit of a military brat, so I am no stranger to traveling. It’s always funny when I explain how I got into the travel business to people. So I have been a travel advisor for the last 15 years, although professionally, I have only been a part of the business for two years now. I was always the resident travel lady in my circle of family and friends; if anyone needed to look for any form of travel, I was always more than happy to look for it. Always being an avid traveler and “student” of travel, I was the one they would come to if they had a question or wanted to gain knowledge on a specific destination. But as I started doing it more, I began to notice a need. There were so many individuals I knew personally or even others I didn’t. I noticed the lack of knowledge and misinformation being processed about the proper way to travel. So that is when I decided to stop running from my purpose and make it official, so I joined one of the greatest industries in the world. September 28, 2020, yes, in the thick of the pandemic, I joined a business that had essentially been completely shut down. Travel is like your favorite song; when you need it, it gives you the comfort and peace you’re searching for. That is how I have always felt about travel, so when I identified the need, I jumped headfirst into how I could make a change. It was the best decision I could’ve made for myself and my family!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road; joining the business during the height of the pandemic presented me with a few head-on collisions. Starting with zero business sense, no initial direction, and no clients initially drove me to question what I was doing this for. Over the last two years, that question has presented itself in different forms at least once a week. I have certainly unlocked and maintained the highest level of patience I’ve ever had because of being in a service-based business such as travel. Patience gets tested often when dealing with other people. Since starting my travel business, I have been taught that it is perfectly ok to filter your interactions. The most important takeaway for me from my business is that perfectionism is truly the destroyer of dreams and legacies. When I started my business, I used to believe that if I weren’t presenting this perfectly packaged presentation. I would never reach the audience I wanted to reach or gain the clientele I was trying to build to support my family. That was the biggest lie that I had to stop telling myself.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My mission statement for Jazzy Ventures is “Making Travel Dreams Come True, One Wanderer At A Time.” My Wanderers are what I call my clients because they are much more to me than just another name on a list. I call them Wanderer’s because by coming to me, they have expressed that they have the same heart for travel that I do, subsequently making them a part of my travel family. I consider myself more than just your friendly neighborhood travel advisor; Jazzy Ventures is a travel valet. I curate and specialize in travel experiences based on the expectations and desires of the Wanderer because travel is supposed to be experienced, not just something to be done. If you need a question answered about a destination, Jazzy Ventures can help. If you want to plan your trip but need to know where to look for things to do while you’re there, Jazzy Ventures can help with that. My Wanderers will tell you that I am heavily noted for my level of customer service to them and any potential Wanderer. I pride myself on leaving a good taste in the individual’s mouth’s that I encounter; whether they choose to utilize my services or not, I stand by my customer service. It is one of the things that sets me apart from others. The other component that sets me apart from others is my absolute adoration of travel. I take my business seriously because I love to travel; the thought of a new destination makes my soul happy. I am a perpetual travel student, and I love learning from experiencing it. My brand is me. I am my brand. From the name’s creation to the current design of my logo, my brand authentically represents who I am and my pure love for travel.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
When people ask this question, the most straightforward answer I can give them is, “tell a traveling friend to tell a traveling friend.” Referrals mean the whole world because my service to them was trustworthy and transferable. Of course, they naturally like, share, and follow social media posts. I am majorly on Facebook (Jazzy Ventures) and Instagram(@jazzy_ventures), and you can also find me on TikTok(@jazzyventures2506). You can also reach me by email at jazzyventures8810@yahoo.com.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jazzy_ventures
- Facebook: Jazzy Ventures
Image Credits
Jeff McDaniel Photography
