Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Williams.
Jasmine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I would call myself a social entrepreneur. I really enjoy people and storytelling. I love being able to take someone’s idea and expand on the ways to connect with their intended audience. I like searching for the story. I begin to discover this in college. I attended The University of Mississippi where I did Marketing, PR, and Branding for my sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. I studied Marketing and Corporate Relations. I found my love for messaging. Since then, I’ve been able to start my own businesses and communities. I started Kim Shadey Sunglasses because I wanted a brand that allowed people to be unapologetically themselves. I have very creative, unique styles that encourage my consumers to be bold. Through this business, I begin to understand how to position brands and create content that appeals to that audience. I begin to do the same thing for my friends and people who saw what I did for my brand. Gaining that experience exposed me to more passions, and now I have a media company, ‘Sipp Talk Media that seeks to change the narrative about Mississippi and identify our culture to instill value to people from or in Mississippi. I’m passionate about inspiring people to be whatever they want. I’ve been able to learn so much from Texas, and it’s community to be able to take those same kind of resources back home. Exposure is the key to change. Outlets like DallasVoyage are important!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. There’s a lot to learn when you decide to choose a creative career and really build something from the ground up. One of the biggest lessons I had to learn was allowing people to be apart of my vision. I think as a creative sometimes we become really protective over our ideas and to a certain extent it’s necessary. But I had to realize that for any business to scale, you need like-minded people around you. I also thought this would be easier because I would be making my own rules, doing my own thing. It’s very worth it, but this is the hardest I’ve ever worked, but it’s so rewarding.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Kim Shadey Sunglasses: An online sunglasses boutique that provides high profile, affordable sunglasses. I am most proud of how unique this brand is and how much of an impact people feel when they wear my product. We’re set apart because of our creativity and connections. Who we have in our product, our content and our name normally gets a nice response!
‘Sipp Talk Media: ‘Sipp Talk Media is a company that exposes Mississippi culture to the world, but we also provide branding, marketing, and PR strategies to small business and personal brands. It’s a platform that seeks to give voices/exposure to people who in any other case, would be silent. We specialize in creative messaging. We are set apart because of our very niche audience while also being able to reach people outside of our audience through services. I’m most proud of the team that’s behind the vision and the way it’s being received. We’re set apart because of the overall structure of the business. It has many aspects to it. We create stories that appeal to people who have always been overlooked positively in media.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes because the support that people show and because of the sense of community that’s already been built. There is a melting pot of people from everywhere, and everyone’s looking for a place to belong. There is infrastructure for support. There are events, networking, and other important factors for supporting entrepreneurs.
Contact Info:
- @kimshadeysunglasses -all social media
- @sipptalk -all social media
- @thekimshadey -personal Instagram
Image Credit:
@redflashphotography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.
