Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jasmine Lynch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jasmine, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Starting this organization presented its challenges in the beginning. When you have an idea, it’s not always clear where or how to start. My co-president, Jalen, and I began by seeking guidance from individuals who had experience building similar initiatives. We took the time to learn from their insights and welcomed feedback on our vision.
Once we felt confident in our direction, we decided to take the leap and plan our first backpack event. We set a date and worked diligently to bring it to life. This included reaching out to businesses for donations, attending events hosted by other organizations to raise awareness about ours, creating promotional materials, and collaborating with other groups to add activities to our event.
The process required significant planning and patience. Not everything came together as expected, and some resources arrived as late as the day before the event. Despite these challenges, the event was a success, with 200 children receiving backpacks and school supplies.
One key lesson we learned through this experience is that when you are truly committed to a goal, there is always a way to achieve it if you actively seek solutions and persevere.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
From a young age, I’ve always had a passion for helping others. As an adult, I worked with children for years and found immense joy in seeing their faces light up when you do something meaningful for them. Working with kids requires a great deal of patience, especially when they aren’t your own, but I’ve always had the ability to care for and love them regardless.
Our organization was created to provide youth with mentorship, a safe space to discuss mental health and coping strategies, and guidance to help them build confidence in who they are. What sets us apart is our commitment to collaboration. In our community, we focus on partnering with other organizations to provide a comprehensive range of resources all in one place.
We are especially proud of hosting two successful backpack events, where we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees. The requests to make these events an annual tradition reinforce the impact we’re making in our community.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Jalen is truly like a brother to me! We’ve been close since ninth grade when I introduced myself to him as a new student. From that moment on, our bond only grew stronger.
When it came time to start this organization, I knew partnering with a close friend like Jalen would be the best decision. Our strong foundation allows us to be honest and open about the direction of the business, which has been key to our success.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building an audience is never easy and often starts with support from family and friends. However, expanding beyond that requires stepping outside your comfort zone. For us, that meant attending events hosted by other organizations to raise awareness, participating in podcasts, and reaching out to other youth organizations to invite them and their networks to our events.
My advice for building an audience is to step out of your bubble, actively connect with new people, post consistently on social platforms, and seek guidance from resources like this one. It’s all about putting yourself out there and staying persistent.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Youthlivesmatter.net
- Instagram: Youthlivesmatter1
- Facebook: Youthlivesmatter
Image Credits
Image credits goes to Chelsey Johnson Photography