Jasmee Toor is not an ordinary woman you meet every day, she was born and raised in Vancouver B.C, Canada. In the last 12 years, she has travelled around the globe, met so many wonderful people, learned so much about all sorts of cultures, beauty, art, food, and music! In her career, she comes from a corporate world predominantly dominated by males. She learned a lot about business, about herself, and how to be respected as a woman in leadership.
Early 2018¸ She left everything behind in Vancouver B.C and a very comfortable lifestyle to chase her dreams. She ended an unhappy six-year marriage, rented out her condo, quit her high paying corporate job with not much savings in her account and moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada with not much support around her. She had no money coming in for several months, just money coming out. She was using her credit cards and line of credit to a point it got maxed out! She was so in debt. Jasmee felt she was at her lowest point. However, what kept her motivated was she still believed in herself and her intuition told her not to give up and keep believing to follow her dreams.
So why would Jasmee Toor quit a prolific career? And income stability to chase her dream as an entrepreneur?
Life is short, and I believe that dreams don’t work unless you do and stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learning; I made the move into the cosmetic world to live my passion. I even got into the music industry, which was a dream of mine for a long time. I have a song/music video out with my boyfriend Erby Joseph called “Love Strong” and have more music coming out soon. Now I can say the moves I made are paying off and my dreams are coming true. I’m able to live a life of freedom, travel the world and make money while I sleep. I look back when I started this journey and it was the best decision I ever made in my life.
Hey Jasmee, can you introduce yourself to us?
I am the owner/founder of Jasmee Cosmetics and made the move into the cosmetic world to live my passion. I started an e-commerce website called www.jasmeecosmetics.com and I have a wide variety of beauty products such as liquid lipsticks, body care cleansers, facial products, whitening toothpaste and beauty devices. Yes, I am using my products religiously!!! I think confidence is the key in being successful, taking care of yourself and feeling great using excellent cosmetics products is an ultimate plus! So I wanted to launch Jasmee Cosmetics to bring that out in people and embrace it.
Can you take us through your journey to where you are now?
Firstly, I don’t come from a cosmetic background at all. I started off working in fast food and retail stores when I was 16 and helped my dad at the same time with admin work for his wholesale house-ware business. During that time, I was even a telemarketer for a couple years and end up being one of the top sales reps and that’s when I discovered I can sell anything!
Later, in my early 20’s after college, I got a job in Vancouver B.C downtown for a growing web-names, domain registrar company, selling domain names and web design services for existing clients.
After a while, I got an opportunity to work for one of the largest online dating companies globally as a sales manager and they just acquired a global speed dating events company. It was basically a startup, I wrote out the sales manual, worked with the tech team to create a useful CRM system, commission structure, hired and trained the sales reps. I and my team were bringing in most of the revenue for this project and were a fantastic experience. I learned I can start something from nothing and make it a success. After a couple of years, the online dating company got bought out from another large online dating business and I had to move on. I took a break and started travelling around Asia and Europe. During my travel, I was offered an opportunity to work for a well-known National Canadian corporate business that consulted and offered digital advertising for Canadian businesses. I accepted the offer, came back to Canada and started working. That’s when I learned I can help any kind of business bring in revenue from online advertising, like Facebook ads, Google AdWords- SEO/SEM, YouTube advertising videos, and web design.
I was in my early 30’s and I got to a point that I was not fulfilled in my life and needed to make a change. I wanted to start my own business, live a life of freedom and follow my real passions. I was always fascinated by liquid lipsticks because I would just put it on and feel fantastic with nothing else on my face. Also, I always researched and used the best products for my face and body. I always wanted to keep a very clean face with minimal pores and my body to be cleansed and squawky clean. Ask any of my friends, I would be their advisor because they would always say wow you look great! What are you using? I was basically the influencer because they could see the results! Early in 2018, I had someone reach out to me on Instagram that turned out to be a good friend and mentioned oh I love your pictures! I should get involved in the beauty business. So that’s when the thought came to my head, I know digital marketing very well, I love liquid lipsticks, and facial products so why don’t start an online business. The same time people are starting to shop more online and the beauty business is booming like more than ever. So that’s when I started an e-commerce website with help of a friend that’s a web designer to sell the best liquid lipsticks, facial products and much more!
What is a day in the life of you like?
My day in my life is I’m usually up around 7:00am, brush my teeth, and start my morning with coffee, fruit and a toast with hummus or avocado. I watch the news with my boyfriend for a little while and once he takes off to work, I start my day. I usually check my emails, sending and replying to emails. Checking online orders on my website and packaging the orders that need to go out that following day. Then I’m putting out advertisements on social media for my cosmetic products and posting motivational pictures /stories of my daily life. I’m usually on the computer for 3-4 hours in the am. After some productive work in the morning by 12:00pm, I take a break and usually cook myself a big lunch. I do some motivational reading or watch videos to better myself every day. Then I go for a run if it’s a nice day or I would do in-home workouts or yoga. After my workout, I shower.
Usually, in the afternoon I’m often on conference calls, working on my computer and phone. I’m usually strategising on campaigns for each of the cosmetic products and which product I should focus to market the next day for my business to continuously grow. Around 5:00pm, my boyfriend is usually back from work and we go to the gym together, go grocery shopping and do small errands if we need to that day. When we back home, we cook together, relax and spend quality time together with a glass of red wine and cheese. I truly don’t feel like I’m working, its part of my lifestyle because I’m so passionate and love what I do.
What was the concept behind launching Jasmee Cosmetics?
My concept was to have good quality cosmetic products that prove to show phenomenal results and empower women to look and feel there very best.
How is Jasmee Cosmetics funded, is it bootstrapped, self-funded etc.?
All self-funded by me.
Can you tell us more about your brand DNA and ethos at Jasmee Cosmetics?
I used my real name Jasmee to make a statement to show that I don’t need no mask and disguise another name. Jasmee represents who I really am, a woman of ambition, independence, strength, reliability, determination, professionalism and that’s my DNA. My motive is for any women to use my cosmetic product to feel that certain way.
Can you give us 3 useful tips for launching a cosmetic collection into the beauty market?
- An effective option for starting a cosmetic business is to sell the products online. Most of your valued customers these days search and shop on the web.
- Generating Publicity, exploring all the places such as events taking place in a city, and visiting beauty parlours to market your company’s products. You can also think of giving some demonstrations to the consumers to highlight the qualities of your products.
- Develop a marketing plan, A marketing plan gives you a direction about how to move forward in a calculated way at the time of selling your products to the people. Before you start selling your cosmetic products, test those unique items. Give some sample products to the people in your neighbourhood, relatives and friend circle. Having a practical test of the products is always desirable to know beforehand about how the rest of the people and your target audience will respond.
Who does the team involve behind you Jasmee Cosmetics?
The team is basically me, myself and I Also my boyfriend helps me with online advertising.
Where can you see yourself within the next 3-5 years?
Is being the number one online cosmetic store, launching more cosmetic products and being able to sell beauty products globally.
What strategies do you have in place when looking at the expansion of Jasmee Cosmetics? Here are my strategies
- Is to get my cosmetic products used by major influencers and music artists in their music videos.
- Is to get my cosmetic products not just on online but in beauty retail stores.
- To have seminars to educate women on how to use cosmetic products.
Can you tell us what areas you have struggled in professionally?
I struggled and felt a little depressed if things didn’t go according to plan.
Have you ever had any other mentor? If so, how has this benefitted you to grow?
Yes, I have had mentors over the year, it helped me grow from preventing me from making the same mistakes they did. I had the great guidance of the up’s and downs of entrepreneurship, so I knew what I was in for.
What outlets do use to market Jasmee Cosmetics?
Beauty salons, cosmetic networking events, friends, family. For social media, I currently use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Soon I will start demonstrating the products on YouTube.
Which methods are you using to build your own support network?
I’m in a Facebook entrepreneur group where we share advice and our struggles. We also get together every month for coffee and chat. I speak with my mentor every week for encouragement and advise via phone, FaceTime etc. I also attend entrepreneur seminars every couple months to stay motivated and focused.
What do you believe are the common misconceptions about the beauty industry and how are you using your platform and voice to educate people more?
The common misconceptions I believe is when I hear “I’m not pretty enough for that bold of a colour” There is no such thing as being not pretty enough for a shade of makeup. Although it is perfectly acceptable to shy away from bolder colours because they are too dramatic for your taste, one should never avoid a colour because they do not think they are worthy of it. If you like that dark purple lipstick, wear that dark purple lipstick!
People “who wear makeup are just insecure about their appearance.” Although some people use makeup to cover insecurities, it should never be assumed that anyone who wears makeup does so because they are too insecure to leave their house without it. Most people use makeup to highlight or accent features of their face they do like, not cover features they do not like.
My platform/ voice is -A woman should embrace their inner/outer beauty and love themselves first. Then understand that any cosmetic product enhances their appearance.
What would you like to see changed for millennials in business?
Being able to find the right balance to communicate and connect in person then just depending on the technology.
What is the best piece of business advice you have received to date?
Accept criticism and continue to follow your dreams. Never give up!
What is the number 1 critical lesson you have learned in your career so far?
I learned consistency is harder when no one is clapping for you. You must clap for yourself during those times and should always be your biggest fan.
How do you create an evenly balanced work and personal life?
With a busy schedule, I make sure to reserve time to spend quality time with my loved ones on a weekly basis. This is very important to me.
The highlight of your career so far?
Is having a single out called ‘Love Strong’ on all music apps and a music video for the single. I always dreamed of this and now it’s a reality.
What gives you ultimate career satisfaction?
Living a life of freedom and helping young women around the world fulfil their dreams. That is why I work so hard to be very successful so I can give back.
What challenges have you seen to have been presented during the growth of Jasmee Cosmetics?
I would say generating sales while I’m branding myself and building credibility with all the competition in the industry.
Which other leading entrepreneurs and pioneering game changers do you also admire and why?
I would say Huda Kattan is one of the pioneers I admire because she was one of the first to showcase how to put makeup on/promote cosmetics using Instagram and YouTube. She grew a huge audience with 29 million followers and launched her own cosmetic line.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
‘The Business Of The 21st Century,’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki.
Top 3 go-to Podcast channels?
- ‘The Tim Ferriss Show.’
- ‘How I Built This.’
- ‘GirlBoss.’
How do you measure your own terms of success?
By setting smart goals and being: Specific: A goal should be precisely defined. Measurable: How I will measure my objective. Attainable: What will be my strategy and tactics. Relevant: Any action needs a purpose and a reason and aligns with your overall business goals. Timely: Determine a practical due date for each goal.
What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?
Empower and support women that are passionate about following their dreams. Helping women know tips and learn from current entrepreneur journeys to move towards entrepreneurship to fulfil that dream.
Lastly, what is next for you?
Work on more self-development to better myself than yesterday, start my own blog for women, travel around the globe empowering women and speaking in motivational seminars. Launching more cosmetic products, getting more music out that I wrote and produced. Working with women celebrities, influencers and athletics to promote and wear ‘Jasmee Cosmetics’ I’m unstoppable and will continue my journey with a big picture of dreams.
Instagram: @life_of_jasmee
Website: www.jasmeecosmetics.com
