PHOTOS BY ARASH TEBBI AND GEORGOS KARAMANU
JASMINE
NAZIRI ENTREPRENEUR
What does being an entrepreneur mean to you? Entrepreneurship is intellectual freedom. Being an entrepreneur gives you the ability to develop and establish something you truly love and believe in, while understanding there will be trial and error along the journey. Being an entrepreneur is understanding how to differentiate yourself in the marketplace and to be your authentic self. What was your motivation to become an entrepreneur? Pursuing my vision and being a leader, having flexibility within my schedule, one of the biggest motivations is the potential of unlimited income. It is not an easy road, however, knowing (unlike a traditional corporate career) there is the ability to build enormous wealth around your brand. What is the function of your company? FlexupUSA is an online fitness apparel and accessory brand. Our designs are all pieces with quality material made for comfort, which cater to women of all shapes and sizes. FlexupUSA’s online channels provide biweekly tips on healthy living through exercise and meditation guides.
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What have been the biggest difficulties as a woman that you encountered in this job? I must say being a woman in a room filled with men for example, to pitch my ideas or my brand only makes me feel more empowered. I have always had great confidence and know being confident will take you a long way as an entrepreneur, whether you are a man or woman. I have never been scared of rejection in my life. There will be those who think that you are very lucky, so tell us also about the difficult times you have lived until you get here. It’s a lot of hard work and persistence. Working tireless hours is just a part of the recipe. Starting from scratch in search to raise capital is always a challenge along with building a team of people to support your brand that you feel are strong representatives and will help it grow. One question: what did you want to be "when you grew up"? Does a princess ballerina count? I’m only joking, but I was always a very creative child. I also loved business, which makes sense. One side of my family is heavily involved in entrepreneurship and law, while the other side of my family are all artists. As a young girl I’d come up with ideas of what to create and get excited about the idea of selling it to neighbors and friends. Being an entrepreneur is simply just in my DNA.
