Jasmine Ryans- Soul(tre) LLC

soultre%2Bpic%2B1.jpg — *“My goal is to inform people who are unaware of the long-term damage to their overall health and well-being of traditional cosmetics and skincare products.”*
- Jasmine Ryans, Founder Soul(tre), LLC

Jasmine Ryans encourages entrepreneurs to, “Take time to know yourself, be patient & persistent, and have a narrow focus in order to bring big results.” This mindset is how Jasmine developed her new business Soul(tre). Jasmine's business journey has come a long way, and continues to expand and inspire.

After cleaning houses for over a decade, Jasmine used her experience to start her own business, Royalty Cleaning, three-years ago. Shortly after, she realized she created the business solely for means of income. “It wasn’t a business I was passionate about,” she explained, “so when I decided to start Soul(tre), I knew it had to be something that I am passionate about. I knew the money wouldn’t be enough to make me stay committed.”

Soul(tre) was founded September 19th, 2017 in Augusta, Ga, three months to the day before Jasmine graduated from Brenau University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. The degree program provided Jasmine the knowledge of what a large business needs to succeed; however, she shared it did not cover starting your own business. This has led Jasmine to encourage new entrepreneurs to find mentors and sponsors that work in a similar industry. She also urges beginners to question if their business is needed and wanted in their area.

Soul(tre) is a faith-based company that handcrafts exclusive, premium-quality, plant-based health and beauty products. Jasmine’s idea came from a combination of all the things that are important to her: faith, health, and education. ”I wanted to create a more unique and unorthodox way to share my ministry and spread the gospel,” elaborated Jasmine, “while educating people on the importance of clean, natural ingredients and a holistic approach to health. As well as providing safer and better alternatives to health and beauty products. My goal is to inform people who are unaware of the long-term damage to their overall health and well-being of traditional cosmetics and skincare products.”

Jasmine joined the Startup Life program at theClubhou.se in January of 2019. Funded by the Kauffman Foundation, this year-long program enables participants to focus on their entrepreneurial endeavor by providing housing and business mentoring. Jasmine shared, “Working with theClubhou.se has helped me really focus on the fundamentals that are necessary to build my business on a solid foundation. Being a member of theClubhou.se has exposed me to valuable information and presented me with opportunities to grow my business, beyond the scope of Augusta and Georgia, in ways I couldn’t have on my own.”

Though Soul(tre) is currently a one-person operation, Jasmine is interested in hiring interns. Soon she would like to be able to “fire myself from nine of the ten jobs that come along with Soul(tre).” She would like to pass those along to loyal team members so she can focus on her favorite part of the business, creating more product ideas. “I want to share the benefits of these natural ingredients with the world and be able to travel with my family more.”

Jasmine has predominantly used the grassroots marketing approach, relying on word of mouth. Recently, she has explored using social media platforms, which are listed below. The business is mainly e-commerce; however, it is expanding into specialty boutiques and select spas, salons, and retail stores. Jasmine’s next step for Soul(tre) is an expansion in product lines and store locations.

“The team at theClubhou.se have truly turned into my business family and have been with me from the beginning, pushing and challenging me to think bigger, dig deeper and to shoot further. I am blessed to be a part of such an amazing organization.”

In addition to running Soul(tre), Jasmine is the executive assistant to the CEO of Dapper and Company Men’s Grooming Lounge and works with Augusta Housing and Community development. With the knowledge and experience from working with these organizations, she hopes to start her own nonprofit in the future.