Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jazmin Castello. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jazmin , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

When I discovered how underserved the beauty community was in terms of business services, I took action immediately. The first thing I did was come up with a business name and brand strategy that communicated exactly what I wanted to offer and that cultivated the type of energy that I wanted to attract. I decided on The StartUp Shop as a business name because that’s what I do – help entrepreneurs start new businesses. I also wanted my brand to feel fresh and exciting because starting a business is the beginning of something new, so using bright colors and bold fonts was important to me. I think spending time on this step and being really thoughtful about how my brand would be perceived by my ideal clients has contributed so much to my success.

After I had my brand, I decided what services I wanted to offer and for how much. I began with really low prices to draw in my first few clients and did not raise my prices until I had a significant amount of reviews and a good-sized portfolio. Marketing my new services to my friends and family first helped me land my first client, but what really helped me was directly reaching out to people on social media. I spent a lot of time looking for potential clients and analyzing their social media pages and websites to look for problems that I could fix. If I found any, I would send personalized messages to them along with a flyer that I created on Canva as well.

Once I started gaining consistent clientele, I made my business official. I registered my business with my city and state and invested in things that would help me build a more professional presence – things like a website, brochures and flyers, and professional videography and photography.

I think my story highlights the importance of just taking action, no matter how small it is. So many people never see their ideas turn into their reality because they feel like they need to wait until they meet whatever random prerequisites they set on themselves. It’s okay to have an idea and not have money or to have an idea and not have a business plan. Just start. Take that idea and turn it into a business name. Take that name and design a logo. Use that logo to create a social media profile. Use that social media profile to connect with people. All these little steps, these minor actions – they all add up to successful execution and ultimately, a successful business,

Jazmin , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The StartUp Shop is a business-development company and training facility. We specialize in helping women entrepreneurs who want to join the beauty industry start new businesses and grow them into thriving, sustainable operations.

We help our clients register their new businesses and obtain proper licensing and permits; we help them grow their businesses with brand and marketing coaching or training; and we help them sustain their businesses with virtual assistance when their workload exceeds their availability.

What makes us special is our dedication to helping women achieve their dreams of business ownership. We are a woman-owned business, so we understand how difficult it can be to enter into a world that is predominately male. Our mission is to destigmatize business women and to support them as they build businesses in the hours that their kids are at school or asleep, in between running a household, and after working their full time jobs.

If you are thinking about starting a business or feel like you are lacking knowledge and support in your current business journey, we want to work with you!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I started my business while I was in grad school and working a full time job to support my family. Like many middle-class citizens and college students , I had very little money to invest or use as capital for my new business. So instead of letting my lack of funding stop me from starting my business, I started small and worked my way up. I prioritized tasks that cost me little to no money, and I leaned heavily on social media for marketing my business. As I began making sales and earning revenue, I reinvested those earnings back into my business to pay for the higher ticket items that would help me grow. Reinvesting into your business when you’re first starting out is SO IMPORTANT. If you’ve never made a lot of money at once and then suddenly do, it’s very enticing to want to spend it on a vacation or a car or to pay bills – but choosing to invest back into your business will double, triple, maybe even quadruple those initial earnings.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Staying true to my core values has helped me build a wonderful reputation within the beauty community. One thing that is essential for me is honesty because all of my clients are trusting me to provide them with all the information that they need to make business decisions that will help them. Something I noticed early on was the amount of gate keeping and misinformation there was when it comes to the actual business side of starting a business. I didn’t want that to be me so I always tell the truth and share everything – even if it means I don’t make the sale because there is someone out there better suited for it. My transparency in my business coaching and consulting has rewarded me with partnerships and clientele that found and chose me because of my reputation. Granted, my business is still small. But the small community that I have built is filled with resilient, strong, and influential women who continue to refer me as they find success themselves!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.the-startup-shop.com
• Instagram: @the.startup.shop