We were lucky to catch up with Jasmin Butcher recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jasmin , thanks for joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
I spent a week creating customized appreciation boxes for a handful of my best customers. They are always consistent with their purchases and continually support the vision I have for my company. I wanted to let them know that I greatly appreciate their business. I took the time to listen to them in conversation and take note of their needs and wants. From there I chose items from my business that would fill their needs in addition to brightening their day with things they wanted (ex. face masks for self care and new lip gloss for on the go glam).
After I completed the boxes, I wrote personalized thank you notes and put them at the top of the box. I wanted them to see the notes first when they opened their gifts. I mailed each of the gifts and days later received text messages and calls if appreciation. Many of them were emotional because they weren’t expecting anything and they felt seen and cared for. It warmed my heart to be able to serve the people that support me. I’ve now made it a point to show my customers appreciation whenever I can.
Jasmin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born and raised in the DFW metroplex. I have always been an ambitious person and that produced what I would call “good fruit” throughout my life. I grew up attending only one school, Universal Academy, and it was there that I learned to dream big and utilize every resource I had access to in order to get where I wanted to go. I say that because it was a small charter school and my graduating class was twelve people including myself. I graduated as the Valedictorian of my class and received a partial scholarship to attend The University of Texas at Austin. I’d say this is where my story started to get good (lol). I originally wanted to go to UT to major in Business, and that was short-lived as I did not get accepted into the McCombs School of Business and instead entered as an undeclared student. I learned so much my freshman year of college that both humbled and forced me to grow. I recognized that I was only interested in majoring in Business because it’s what I was told would be a good path for me growing up. I instead explored different majors and discovered African and African Diaspora studies. I took a class called Black Power Movement, and I felt seen and understood for the first time in college. The professor of that course didn’t just cover the material of that time period but he genuinely poured wisdom into his students. I learned about myself, life, and how to be proud of who I was becoming. By the end of my first year, I declared that as my major with a concentration in Theatre, Literature, and Art (three passions of mine that I was discouraged to really pursue because there wasn’t “much money” to be made in those areas). Throughout my time at UT, I had the privilege of interning with phenomenal African American professors who were still active in their fields, performing with an organization called Umoja, studying abroad in Accra, Ghana, and gaining leadership experience with the university and organizations that I was involved with. Time flew by and I accelerated through my journey at UT. Instead of graduating in four years, I graduated in three! (I entered college with dual credit hours and literally entered as a college sophomore.)
By the end of my college career, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do post-graduation. I had worked so hard for the degree, but I didn’t know what life was going to look like afterwards. Thankfully, I had a little time to figure it out. My last class to graduate was a study abroad trip to Accra, Ghana to study the socio-economic development of Accra for 6 weeks. While I was there, I learned about the country’s culture, volunteered with different organizations that worked in low-income communities, and studied how art and music were used as a form of expression to tell the story of the people in Accra. I absolutely loved that entire trip and I discovered my purpose on the rooftop of the hotel I was staying at. I hosted a creative expression event with another classmate and we invited everyone that was in the program with us. As everyone recapped their trip through songs, poems, monologues, and art I couldn’t help but realize that I was supposed to create spaces where people could feel safe and express themselves. Everything came full circle in that moment. I grew up being involved with programs that allowed me to develop socially and emotionally with fine arts, and I had developed a passion for recreating space to allow others to do that. Once I returned from my trip, I found opportunities to serve my community and became intentional about how I wanted to walk in my purpose. I started volunteering with the youth ministry at my church as a worship coordinator and mentor. Every week I had the opportunity to orchestrate a worship experience using performance arts elements and provided a space for students to develop spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and socially. I was in this role for about three years before I returned back to Dallas about a year ago. I also started an e-commerce business called 365 Essentials in 2019 where I partner with multiple brands to provide daily essential items for people. With the capital I am creating from the business, I hope to start a foundation that will fund organizations working in lower-income communities across the world and provide creative spaces for youth and young adults with passions in the Fine Arts. I simply aspire to inspire others to follow their dreams. I believe I’m on the right track to doing that.
I’d like my future customers to know that when they support my business, they are supporting a God given vision that will impact generations. They can expect to be served well and cared for as a customer of mine. I also consider myself to be a “connector” so anyone connected to me will have access to a vast network that meets a plethora of needs. I always hope to add value to any relationship I have.
In addition to my full time role as a sales professional and business owner, I am an active creative. I am currently rebranding my YouTube channel and plan to release two new short series that will highlight creative projects I’m working on and conversations on a plethora of topics with family and friends. I am also the co-founder of a podcast called 2 Bums and a mic on Spotify with my cousin Jada, and we have conversations around life, self-development and the pursuit of a fulfilling lifestyle.
Full time I am a Business Development Consultant at Oracle. I work with their strategic accounts and collaborate with other sales professionals to create business for the company with our HR and Employee Resource Planning applications. I work to build relationships with prospective clients to help them achieve their business goals fo rthe fiscal year. In addition to starting sales cycles, I help mentor new hires who come in through our ClassOf program and volunteer as a tools expert in their training. I’m known for being helpful and charismatic as I do my job daily. I have been nominated for several awards within the Business Development organization for CX apps and my direct team.
I am most proud of the relationships I have been able to create while being at the company. I believe my ability to initiate and develop genuine relationships with my leadership team has contributed to the success I’ve had at Oracle. I believe going beyond what my job entails and providing mentorship, coaching, and guidance to new hires is what sets me apart from others.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I believe the biggest lesson I had to unlearn is that failing is bad. All my life I was taught to avoid failure at all costs (grades, work, etc). However, when I got older I learned that failure teaches valuable lessons and it’s the first attempt in learning. As a business owner I’ve learned the most when things don’t go as planned. When you have to actively pivot and improve strategy and communication, you gain valuable real life experience. I was planning a grand opening for my business and the venue was great but there was limited parking for guests. I hadn’t thought about smaller details before that day and now I make sure pay attention to details when planning. My communication with customers has improved because I have lost business in the past when I wasn’t providing excellent service. I now actively welcome failure instead of avoiding it because it has taught me so much.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
My most effective strategies for growing clientele has been consistency in relationship building and being a walking billboard. I am my best customer and I am always walking around with a product on hand. When you like your products, other people are more inclined to try them because you can share your personal testimony with them. Building relationships with people create opportunities for customer referrals, business partnerships and recurring business support. You never know who you might meet and how divine connections can transform your life. I am always happy to connect with people with that in mind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amway.com/en_US/myshop/365essentials
- Instagram: Its_meena
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminbutcher/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3jKZj51mwWqR_Alq4-4xA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ExafSDlO3EdtoxoNKVgYC?si=55159b86d0d74104
Image Credits
Jada Dodd, Ryan Martin