We were lucky to catch up with Jazmin Cornejo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jazmin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
It was the day I boarded my flight home to California after living abroad in Australia for over three years. My longtime boyfriend and I broke up, I was leaving a job & team that I loved, and my dad had passed away the year prior. Crying to my mom on the phone from the fear of the unknown, and the big question, what will I do next? (A huge fear of never traveling again sitting in my stomach!) This wasn’t an option in my book, I also couldn’t keep leaving my job every three years while moving to new countries. (I was 30, broke and tired!)
I arrived back in San Diego which was home for me, in my “pre Oz” life, to a world that seemed familiar but I was instantly bored. I took a year break to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. During this time, I took on casual freelance work, helping female entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. (I loved it but wanted more!) I thought I had landed my dream job at a San Francisco female focused events non-profit, then COVID hit and our team laid off. Now what?
I knew this time I had to make things different. I had no job, was living with my mom, no college education, a mountain of debt, and everything I knew got turned upside down. I spent a few months searching my soul – aka binge watching Netflix and learning new crafts. It was there in my living room with a bottle of wine, large post-it notes on the walls, and music in the background, that it hit me. I NEEDED to start a company that bottled the passion I had for travel, plus the rush I got when planning events for women.
Jazmin, 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?
Kale & Yoga Don’t Belong on Vacation!
About Me:
As a travel & food maven, I never show up to the party empty-handed. I am the go-to person in my group of friends to plan our next happy hour, bachelorette, international birthday trip or long weekend getaway. I have over a decade of experience in hospitality and events in top destinations such as San Diego, Scottsdale, Tulum, Vietnam, and Australia. I have been to over 15 countries and counting!
As a self-proclaimed charcuterie board champion, I will challenge you to put on the best spread, no matter the geographic location in the world. I’m lover of all things red wine, gin and champagne and I rarely say no to an opportunity to meet new friends and share memories over a sneaky beverage.
I love a fancy five-star hotel and glass of $20 champagne with a view, but I’ve found that my greatest memories are all about the connections that I make when I travel. Some of my favorite nights have been off the beaten path when I find the local taco shop, throw back a shot of tequila with the owner and dance on the bar all night with the staff.
I have curated my own kind of travel style that is a combination of all things luxury with a bit of street, grit, soul, mischief, and a “no regrets” attitude! I have taken what I has learned from the absolute best of the best and said F*CK IT – I’m doing my own thing and it’s called FeMAVEN!
What We Do:
Our team spends countless hours researching each of our getaway destinations. From your AirBNB, hostel or hotel stay, to the trendiest restaurants, dive bars, and most insta-grammable spots. We like to mix in speakeasies, food trucks, drag brunches, and possibly even a skydive, if you dare! ! Don’t miss our little surprises along the way like chef appearances, custom swag, photoshoots, and so much more. The getaway packages are fully coordinated with your entire itinerary so there’s no unplanned downtime, missed activities, or miscommunications.
We know women are busy with careers, families, kids, and just everyday life. But we also believe in the art of spoiling yourself because you work hard and deserve to play harder. Vacation isn’t a place to count calories or worry about your next workout. We want you to overindulge in life’s special moments and we’re here to help you plan them. Creating new memories with your girlfriends (with a “no regrets” attitude) is the only way to see a new city in our eyes. We want these getaways to hold a special place in your heart and for you to always remember “that one time…”
FeMAVEN is dedicated to women around the world. With every getaway we book, we promise to give a percentage to a women’s non-profit. In addition, whenever possible we will support female vendors on all getaways by booking with them first.
FeMAVEN is your new best friend – a platform with pre-packaged getaways for women who want to have a sh*t ton of fun! We plan your trip from start to finish, giving you back your time.
Our Community – Your friendships will last a lifetime and we want to be part of the story. By choosing to travel with FeMAVEN, you become part of something bigger. We’re a community of confident, bold, and sassy women. Let’s live life with no regrets!
Hosted Group Tours – Join Jazmin and the FeMAVEN Getaways community for an unforgettable girl’s weekend experience! A curated trip where you come as you are and join 10 other like minded women for a trip filled with new experiences, cooking classes, dance classes, wine tasting, meeting the locals, late nights, spa days, and more. Our next one is to The Valle De Guadalupe in Mexico.
Girlfriend Getaways – Your bestie is getting married and you are the MOH! So exciting! But planning a girl’s weekend is not your thing and stresses you out. Don’t worry babe! We have a complete girl’s itinerary package that will take care of everything from the house rental to the swag bags waiting on arrival – Don’t forget a fridge full of alcohol and snacks!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
They didn’t build Rome overnight and your social media is the same way. Just have patience!
My top tips that were shared with me by friends on building a follower base and community were.
1. Make sure your company or brand has a mission statement & ideal client avatar. This is so important and can often keep you on track when feeling stuck in regards to what to post on social media.
2. Give yourself 3 – 6 brand pillars for social media post. This gives you a starting place for planning our your content. For example, mine are female empowerment, friendships, food & wine, experiences, funny travel, and solo travel.
3. Get comfortable doing videos and stop worrying about what people think about you.
4. You are not posting content for your friends or family. I used to judge myself so much for my videos and post and think all of my friends were going to judge me. They are not your ideal client, speak to them because they want to get to know you.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I feel like as an entrepreneur I had to unlearn everything I was taught in school and in my corporate career.
The main one is formal writing of emails, content, etc… If I were to get a dollar for every time back in the corporate days that I was in trouble for being too casual or having fun with my e-mails, I would be rich.
When I started creating content for FeMAVEN or writing emails that matched my brand or personality, I really struggled to let go of what I was told wasn’t right. I was so stuck on grammar, formality, etc… that was forgetting to use my voice.
Finally, I took an online virtual content course that told me to F*ck all those rules and just let it flow! That day changed everything, and I started to just write down on paper what I was thinking or what i wanted to say with no rules at all.
Yes, sometimes it’s messy and also the grammar is far from perfect but it sounds like me and attracts the community I want in my tribe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.femavengetaways.com/about-femaven
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femaven.getaways/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/578070143179981/
Image Credits
Photographers: Meg Marie Photo & Kelsey Orcutt Photography