The Hustler's Digest StaffThe anticipation one has when starting their own venture is indescribable. They undergo a series of questions and what-ifs that make or break their future goals. For the founder and CEO of My Greek Boutique, Jazmine Humphrey, the journey began with dropshipping and quickly turned into a brand known and admired throughout the nation for its Greek-letter paraphernalia.
My Greek Boutique started on Etsy in 2018 with a single Greek-inspired apparel item. The success of this item inspired Jazmine to expand her small business in 2019 into a dropshipping company that offered several items that catered to the nine African American sororities and fraternities known as the Divine Nine (D9). The use of Etsy and dropshipping was a valuable starting point that allowed Jazmine’s work to gain traction and attention from a vast audience, but she knew without a doubt that it was just that—a starting point. Jazmine was more than ready to go above and beyond the horizon and be more than just a small fraction of a dropshipping company.
In touch with the history and tenets of each of the D9 organizations, she realized that caps, t-shirts, and other items offered through dropshipping mechanisms were far too basic. Understanding the market need and mundane designs of Greek-letter organizations within D9 apparel companies, she knew that she had the talent and ability to produce fashionable and authentic Greek apparel with a fresh, unprecedented fervor. She also knew that transitioning from the limitations of a dropshipping company to producing her own products in-house would allow her to expand upon her creativity and collect more of the profits of her designs, ultimately reaping more of the benefits of her work.
Thus, after a year of positive reinforcement and overwhelming responses to her online products, in 2020, Jazmine opened her very own retail store in Little Rock, AR, My Greek Boutique. With her own company and being her own boss, she has enjoyed the privilege of being authentic and original, showcasing accessories and apparel that bespeak all of the D9 sororities and fraternities. With My Greek Boutique, Jazmine has introduced dresses, skirts, sets, brooches, and more. What started as an online company with a single item has morphed into a stand-alone business that produces hundreds of products and employs several people.
In addition to starting her enterprise single-handedly, Jazmine also personally funds the My Greek Boutique retail store with no credits or bank loans in the pipeline. Jazmine has launched, maintained, and grown the business through personal expenditure and without relying on outside sources. Resultantly, she has had the privilege of doing things on her own terms, creating exuberant and colorful designs that communicate the company’s vision.
Graduating Summa Cum Laude from a nursing school and having worked as a licensed registered nurse, Jazmine never saw herself among the top entrepreneur names. But after the birth of her daughter, Madisyn Ware, Jazmine wanted a more prosperous life for them both. With My Greek Boutique, not only has Jazmine tapped into her own creative streak, but she has also used the company to expose Madisyn to entrepreneurship while simultaneously providing her with a more comfortable lifestyle.
From drop shipping apparel on Etsy to opening her own enterprise, Jazmine’s success journey depicts the life of an individual who refused to follow an unfulfilling routine life and, with her dedication and persistence, brought a vision into a robust reality.
