31/10/2019
A reflection on this past weekend:
This week I ended my in-person portion of the and Incubator. This experience included 34 incubator sisters, 5 amazing coaches, and a host of incredible leaders. Support from the vital voices and treseme staff have left me feeling more validated than ever when it comes to the Jazmine Kionna brand. I have been quiet about this for some time, but this summer while fulfilling preorder preparations for our next collection, we received shoes from our factory who we had had a two-year working relationship with. The shoes’ quality was so poor; soles falling off the bottom, shoes lacking stability, tacky finishings. I made the decision as a founder to stand by my integrity and not release these shoes to customers. Of course this resulted in refunds and disappointments. I felt as a founder that I had failed my company and, most importantly, myself. I tried to pick up the pieces and progress the company to the best of my ability. Going into this incubator, imposer syndrome was at an all-time high, confidence was lower than ever, and the affirmation I needed was not there. Upon leaving this incubator, I felt so validated that I am in fact taking all the right steps to progress my company. I also realized that my manufacturing experience was a powerful lesson that encouraged me not to give up. Immediately after my incubator, I met with my team. I’m proud to say that color and materials have been selected, designs have been finalized, and our new manufacturer in Portugal has been selected. This was the push, the encouragement, and the motivation I needed to come back stronger than ever. Thank you all for being a part of this journey with me. I can’t wait to rebloom with you all in this new season featuring our newly-designed collection. 🌻Jazmine K. Davis @ New York, New York