DFW Style Daily has a new favorite brand - Jasmin Brand. Turning her passion and her name into a successful business, the stylish entrepreneur is the co-founder of Brandpointe. Complimenting the full-service strategic branding and communications firm, she is also the creator of FORWARD, an awe-inspiring community of professional women. Starting her summer by launching a digital magazine for FORWARD and expanding the organization’s My Forward Life event series, Jasmin’s career is as hot as the season ahead. This dynamic Dallasite sat down with us recently to reveal her latest endeavors, and to confess a couple of obsessions.     DFW Style Daily: What inspired you to launch FORWARD? Jasmin Brand: “I admit it. FORWARD was created for purely selfish reasons at first! I tried everything and couldn’t find cool, authentic networking opportunities for women under 40. So, being a classic A-Type overachiever, I decided to take a stab at founding my own organization. The idea came to fruition when I invited five awesome women to breakfast at Charlie Palmer’s, explained the idea, and asked each of them to recommend their four smartest, most fabulous female friends or colleagues for membership.”   How did My Forward Life evolve from FORWARD’s original mission? “Though we’ve expanded FORWARD’s membership since the inaugural event in June 2012, it remains an intimate, invite-only group. However, I realized quickly that there were so many more women out there who needed a different way to connect and grow professionally and personally. My Forward Life became the solution! The My Forward Life event series is inclusive of everyone, regardless of where they are in their careers, yet it doesn’t interfere with FORWARD’s core concept. By combining a stylish happy hour environment with professional development, My Forward Life enables us to support a whole new audience of awesome women.”  

My Forward Life, Spring 2013 

  Why were you motivated to create a digital magazine, and what can fans and followers expect from the first edition? “Through FORWARD, I’ve been able to meet so many women who make an impact and learn about their awe-inspiring journeys. I wanted a way to share all of those discoveries! My goal was to turn their experiences and expertise into useful, accessible content to help others. We launched the first trial issue in June and have received great feedback. The inaugural full issue will be released in September in advance of the year’s final MY Forward Life event. The theme is style, and I can’t wait for people to see this issue.”   What surprising challenges have you encountered in your career? “Starting a business or creating brand new ideas from scratch takes a lot of work and belief in yourself. It can be a very lonely life with long hours, so you have to be committed to the original reason you decided to take this path. The most rewarding part of entrepreneurship for me has been learning to truly trust my instincts and value my dreams, as they actually can come true - with hard work, strategic decision making, and a whole lot of hustle.”  

 Photography by Travis Lilley

  What design, style, art, or just generally fabulous items, rank as your current obsessions? How do these items inspire you? “When you work for yourself, the lines between home and office get blurred. My living room sometimes looks like my office, and my office sometimes looks like my living room! So, I am obsessed with creating a visually attractive place to come home to after a super-long day. I love art and photography, and you’ll find it all over my house. Though there are quite a few pieces that I aspire to own one day, my current favorites are all local works by Jeremy Biggers, Shane Pennington, Travis Lilley, and Justin Terveen.”   You seem to be able to do it all! What is your secret to balancing your diverse pursuits?  “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that there really is never any kind of ‘balance.’ It’s more like a wobble! When you are passionate about work, passionate about your friends, passionate about life in general, that type of intensity makes it nearly impossible to have everything balanced at the same time. I think the key is to rotate the intensity, so to speak. To stay just as excited about your personal life as you are about building your business and career. I’m not always successful at this strategy, but I’m always striving for it!”  

 My Forward Life, Spring 2013

  What advice would you offer to fellow professional women striving to go for broke instead of taking a break this summer? “Get organized. Clean out the clutter, personally and professionally, and get rid of the dead weight. Establish reasonable goals and set expectation deadlines on getting things completed. Finally, the most important thing is to create a daily networking plan. We live in a social world these days, and embracing that concept is the difference maker for those who are finding success. Basically, it’s about making the right connections by engaging others 24/7.”     Image credits, from top: 1. William Bichara, 2. Steven Wallace, 3. - 5. Travis Lilley.