Begin With The End In Mind...

For the last two years I've had the esteemed privilege of serving as CEO for Launch DFW. When I arrived, I was knee deep in the media and marketing world and a total newbie to all things startup and technology. Today, I can look back on this time and feel immense pride of the many awesome partnerships formed, all of the founders and new friends made and the opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity in our innovation community. With every challenge also came an opportunity to learn something new. I am thankful and truly grateful for it all.

I believe our lives, and all of the experiences in between, can be marked by distinct phases. This phase of my life made a huge impact and without a doubt, changed the course of my life.

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Professionally, I went through my own journey of fully embracing what it means to be a CEO and more specifically, a female leader of color working in startup/tech and all of the wins and challenges that come with that. Here are a few things I discovered:

• More women are needed at the top. PERIOD. And we need you to be unapologetic and vocal once you're there. It is my life's work to increase the amount of female leaders locally and ensure they have everything they need to be successful.
• You won't be liked by everyone and that's OK. Are you taking chances? Are you making mistakes and learning from them? Are you leading with kindness and respect? You can't control what people think about you or your work, but you can control how you feel about yourself and how you make a difference in the lives of others. Do. You. Having tough convos, falling down and getting back up and making the hard decisions no one wants to doesn't make you a bitch. It makes you a BOSS.
• DFW has some of the sickest entrepreneurs in the country. Seriously, I have met so many big thinkers and game-changing doers. And I'm still shook at Fort Worth. Friends: we have no choice but to work together to make our region the best that it can be so that Texas founders not only continue to build and grow their companies here, but tell others to do the same too.
• Everyone has an opinion until it comes time to do the actual work. For my fellow leaders, CEOs, HBICs and everything in between, you will receive LOTS of opinions, feedback, advice (and even just straight up hating every now and then) anytime you take the plunge into leading anything or making big moves. It's so important to be open; if you're not learning you're not growing. BUT. There are also times when you have to just tell people to eff themselves and do what your gut, heart and mind are telling you to do. Everyone has an opinion until it's time to execute. And this sh*t is hard. Do. You. Believe in yourself. You got this.

• Begin with the end in mind. I believe every opportunity is preparing us for the next chapter in our work lives. We live in a different time now; people don't work for one employer for 20 years anymore. Regardless of the position or title, we should always be on a a journey to learn as much as we can, work hard, kill it with whatever we do and always be planting seeds for what's next in our lives.

WHAT'S NEXT JASMIN?

I will always be a champion for all things startup, innovation and entrepreneurship. When I ended my role back in October, I took some much needed time off. To breathe, reflect, sleep! Now, feeling refreshed and a bit more focused, I'm excited to plunge even further into the community, serving as an advocate and telling our stories.

Urban One Digital

Thrilled to join one of the country's largest urban media companies, Urban One! I will be serving in a leadership capacity to expand the company's digital reach in Dallas. An incredible organization. More on what that entails and how we can collaborate soon!

The Start

I started my very first creative firm over a decade ago and since then, it has evolved (as I have) and has now morphed into something really cool - The Start. The Start combines the three loves of my life - community, badass events and content. It will house anything I'm working on or showing love to.

In 2020, it's my hope that The Start will have an opportunity to support and collaborate with people and brands making an impact locally and beyond. And we've got so many stories to share through our own platforms and social media. Some of those include:

• Her Texas: Formed in 2019, the first ever digital ecosystem for Texas women. Connect on Instagram as well.
• stoop: Formed in 2016, all things design and real estate. Connect with on Instagram as well.
• The City Influencer: Formed in 2015, a blog created to celebrate and highlight culture, community and innovation in Dallas. Connect with on Instagram as well.

I'll be announcing the leadership for The Start in January. Currently on the hunt for Editor-in-Chief for The City Influencer and contributors for stoop. Interested or know someone great? Shoot me a line: [email protected].

Stay connected with what's going on locally for entrepreneurs and creatives (and me) via my weekly newsletter. It's short and to the point, but will hopefully keep you in the mix. It's sent out every Sunday. Join the fun here.