From Broke to Building Wealth: How One Woman's Financial Journey Earned Her Our Start.Pivot.Grow. Grant

Transforming personal financial struggles into a thriving business that's teaching financial literacy to thousands

The Power of Partnership in Action

Through Integrality’s Start.Pivot.Grow. economic development program, made possible by our partnership with The UPS Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation, we're proud to have disbursed $10,000 in grant awards to help five small businesses overcome critical business hurdles. Today, we spotlight Jasmine Taylor of Baddies and Budgets, whose remarkable journey from financial struggle to entrepreneurial success embodies the resilience and determination that drives meaningful change.

From Stimulus Check to Success Story

In her bustling warehouse, Jasmine Taylor is revolutionizing financial literacy for women of color through an innovative approach called "cash stuffing"—a budgeting method that uses physical cash in envelopes to control spending and build wealth. But her path to success began in one of the most challenging periods of her life.

The Breaking Point That Changed Everything

"I was broke, struggling in 2021. Didn't really see any means to an end. Just got out of college and I just wanted to do something different," Jasmine recalls. The situation became even more dire after her sister passed away and she became the full-time caregiver for her niece.

The turning point came after Christmas: "In order for me to get them anything, I had to use everything I had. And I came into the new year broke and just, I was tired of it. You just really get to a point where you get sick and tired of being sick and tired. And I wanted them to have better and see better. So I had to be better."

Discovering Cash Stuffing

Traditional budgeting methods weren't working for Jasmine until she discovered cash stuffing.

"You get your paycheck, you pull it out of the bank and you cash stuff it into various envelopes," she explains. "It really helps people who have impulse issues, impulse spending, overspending issues, 'cause you have to deal with your tangible cash and you find it a lot harder to spend than to swipe a card."

The method transformed her financial life so dramatically that she began sharing her journey on social media for accountability. Using her stimulus check that year to start the business, she had no idea she was about to build something extraordinary.

The Viral Moment

What started as personal accountability posts on TikTok quickly gained traction. The 100 Envelope Challenge went viral multiple times, revealing a massive hunger for accessible, relatable financial education. "We started to realize that more and more people wanted savings challenges. So we started creating more."

The Reality Behind the Success

The Superwoman Syndrome

Like many entrepreneurs, especially women of color, Jasmine faced what business experts call "Superwoman Syndrome"—the belief that you must handle everything yourself. The early years required extraordinary dedication.

"I think for the first two and a half years I worked every day. Probably 12, 16 hours a day," she admits. "When you start a business, you either have the money or the time, and we didn't have the money. So I had to sacrifice a lot of time to learn the things I needed to learn to grow my business."

The Learning Curve

Without coaches or mentors initially, Jasmine had to teach herself every aspect of scaling a business while maintaining operations. "Once I saw success and that I could scale my business, I just did what it took, period."

Her participation in the 1 Million Black Women program marked a turning point, providing her first experience with business coaching and teaching her "the power of the numbers and the analytics in your business and it empowering you to be able to move forward and make better buying decisions."

Scaling Challenges and Strategic Pivots

From Handmade to Scalable

Baddies and Budgets began with highly customized budget binders that Jasmine created with two Cricut machines in her house. "We eventually moved to savings challenges as we began to scale the business," she explains. The shift was necessary because customization, while beloved by customers, simply wasn't scalable.

"I went from handmaking almost everything that we sold to having to source most of the products we sell because it's not scalable to hand-make all of your items."

The International Sourcing Reality

The transition to sourcing products internationally brought unexpected challenges and costly lessons. Jasmine's experience illustrates the hidden complexities many entrepreneurs face when scaling.

"We spent about $25,000 from beginning to end to get our first planner here. They showed up after being on the boat for 35 days and everything had fallen apart. We were opening box after box and they were ruined."

The challenges extend beyond damaged goods: "There are lots of fees, dumping taxes, things that you don't really understand as a new business owner. And then you get a bill for $4,000 because you imported pens and there's an anti-dumping tax."

Learning Through Adversity

These setbacks became learning opportunities. "It goes smooth until it doesn't," Jasmine notes pragmatically. "We've also had issues where things get stuck at the port or they shut the ports down. That's not something you can control as a business owner."

The experiences taught her about import refunds, quality control challenges, and the importance of building contingency plans into business operations.

Addressing Real Economic Challenges

Understanding Today's Financial Reality

Jasmine's work resonates particularly strongly in today's economic climate. Her customers regularly share their struggles, providing real-time insight into financial challenges facing working families.

"The biggest discussion we have is about how the middle class is almost changing, right? A hundred thousand dollars a year doesn't go the same way it used to go. And a lot of people are struggling with the necessities, like even to buy groceries. For people that make six figures, they still struggle."

The Power of Relatability

What sets Baddies and Budgets apart is Jasmine's authentic approach to financial education. "I think the relatability is our selling point. Most people who become lifelong members typically let me know that, hey, I could see myself in you, or I didn't know you were going through that too."

This authenticity stems from her genuine experience: "I think I am the first in my family to be very financially literate as far as paying off debt and building wealth."

The Strategic Shift: From Hustling to Enterprise Building

Recognizing the Difference

Business advisor Cynthia Nevels helped Jasmine understand a crucial distinction: "There's a difference between hustling and building an enterprise. Hustling—you do what you have to do in order to make the dollar in order for you to survive. But building an enterprise requires processes, systems, people, finance—there's so much more to the operation."

Building Systems for Growth

Understanding this difference led to strategic changes in how Baddies and Budgets operates:

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): "We've worked on creating SOPs so that when I hire someone, I don't have to be in here for four weeks teaching you how to go through our system. I can hand you this pamphlet and you can get hired and go."

• Product Line Strategy: Focusing on scalable items like planners that "anybody can use" and can be easily produced in bulk or printed in-house.

• Quality Control: Developing systems to maintain standards while delegating responsibilities.

Cynthia Nevels, Founder of Start.Pivot.Grow. and Jasmine Taylor, Founder and CEO of Baddies & Budgets

The Grant That Changes Everything

Strategic Support at the Right Time

Our Start.Pivot.Grow. grant, in partnership with The UPS Foundation, addresses Jasmine's most critical scaling challenge: bringing production capabilities in-house. The equipment funding will enable her to reduce dependency on unpredictable international suppliers while maintaining quality control and increasing profit margins.

"Bringing it in-house will remove the risk of not receiving the right product or the holdup that is caused by variables that are out of our control, but it gives us more control and the opportunity to generate more revenue," Jasmine explains.

Beyond Financial Support

The grant represents more than funding—it's validation and strategic partnership at a crucial growth moment. "That's awesome. Thank you. That is so dope," Jasmine responded, recognizing the transformative potential of being able to control more of her production process and access better shipping rates with UPS to lower her cost of doing business.

Mental Health and Entrepreneurial Balance

The Reality of Burnout

Jasmine speaks openly about the mental health challenges that accompany intense entrepreneurial dedication: "I'm a person who also suffers with mental health. I've had breakdowns. I've had a full-on, I can't come out the house for a week."

Redefining Balance

Her approach to balance reflects the unique pressures facing women of color entrepreneurs:

"Balance for entrepreneurs isn't the same as everyone else. Especially for women of color, you can't take your foot off the gas if stuff is happening for you. You've gotta stick with it because who knows when that time will pass and your opportunity is gone."

Her strategy: "I've learned to go hard when I can and allow myself space to be me when I can. When things are slow, take some time off, but you don't do that when things are happening and moving for your business."

Planning for Sustainable Success

Building Wealth, Not Just Revenue

Unlike many entrepreneurs who get trapped in the "have to" mentality, Jasmine thinks strategically about her future: "I take a lot of what I pay myself and I invest into my retirement so that I can become work optional a lot sooner."

This approach reflects hard-learned wisdom: "Things fluctuate, things change. And especially with businesses who are so social media heavy, the tides are always changing. I just try to invest more in my own future so that when the time comes, if I wanna do this, it's because I want to, not because I have to."

Evolution of the Business Model

Jasmine envisions Baddies and Budgets evolving beyond physical products: "I hope for it to evolve into more of a community where we're not as reliant on the physical products but more on the digital aspect—more courses, more webinars, more speaking engagements, things like that where you can impact more people."

The logic is compelling: "I can only sell so many of a thing, but if I can get somewhere with you in the room, I can really help you to understand basic financial literacy."

The Broader Impact: Community and Cultural Change

Filling a Critical Gap

Baddies and Budgets addresses a fundamental need in communities that have historically lacked access to wealth-building education. By making financial literacy accessible and relatable, Jasmine is creating a generational impact.

Teaching Through Example

Her approach demonstrates that financial education doesn't require advanced degrees or complex strategies—it requires practical tools, consistent application, and the support of a community that understands the journey.

Economic Empowerment

In an economy where traditional middle-class security is increasingly elusive, Jasmine's work provides practical tools for building financial resilience at all income levels.

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

The Power of Authenticity

Jasmine's success demonstrates that relatability often trumps perfection in building customer loyalty. Her willingness to share struggles alongside successes creates deep connections with her audience.

The Importance of Pivot Timing

Knowing when and how to pivot from unsustainable practices (like extensive customization) to scalable solutions requires both business acumen and the courage to disappoint some customers for long-term viability.

Systems Thinking

The transition from solopreneur to business owner requires developing systems and processes that enable delegation and growth—a lesson Jasmine learned through experience.

Risk Management

Her international sourcing experiences highlight the importance of understanding all aspects of business operations, including hidden costs and potential disruptions.

The Future is Bright

Short-term Goals

With the grant funding for equipment, Jasmine plans to bring more production in-house, reducing risk while increasing profitability and control over quality.

Long-term Vision

The evolution toward community-based financial education represents a sustainable path forward that leverages her expertise and passion while creating scalable revenue streams.

Continuing Impact

As Baddies and Budgets grows, its impact extends beyond individual customers to create cultural change around financial literacy and wealth-building in underserved communities.

Why Strategic Partnerships Matter

The Right Support at the Right Time

The Start.Pivot.Grow. initiative demonstrates how targeted support can create exponential impact. Rather than general business advice, Jasmine's grant addresses her specific, identified barrier: the need for production equipment to reduce dependency on unpredictable international suppliers.

Breaking Down Systemic Barriers

Our partnership with The UPS Foundation, Integrality, and Wells Fargo Foundation recognizes that talented entrepreneurs often face systemic barriers unrelated to their capability or market potential. Strategic intervention at critical moments can transform entire business trajectories.

Creating Multiplier Effects

When successful entrepreneurs like Jasmine receive strategic support, the benefits extend far beyond individual businesses. They create jobs, solve community problems, and inspire other entrepreneurs while building wealth within their communities.

The Power of Determination and Strategic Support

Jasmine Taylor's journey from financial struggle to successful entrepreneur represents more than a business success story—it's a testament to the transformative power of determination combined with strategic support at crucial moments.

Her work with Baddies and Budgets addresses a critical need for accessible financial education while building a sustainable business model. The challenges she's faced—from international sourcing disasters to the demands of scaling while maintaining quality—offer valuable lessons for other entrepreneurs navigating similar paths.

The Start.Pivot.Grow. grant enables Jasmine to take the next crucial step in her business evolution: gaining control over production to build a more resilient and profitable operation. This support comes at exactly the right moment, when she has the systems and knowledge to maximize its impact.

As she continues to evolve Baddies and Budgets from a product-focused business toward a community-centered financial education platform, Jasmine's influence will extend far beyond individual customers. She's creating cultural change around financial literacy, proving that with the right tools and support, anyone can build wealth and financial security.

From a stimulus check investment to a thriving warehouse operation, from personal financial struggle to teaching thousands of others to build wealth—Jasmine's story proves that with determination, strategic thinking, and the right support at crucial moments, extraordinary transformation is possible.

Want to learn more about our Start.Pivot.Grow. economic development program? Visit our website at www.startpivotgrow.com to discover how we're supporting entrepreneurs who are changing the world, one innovation at a time.