DO GOOD X Podcast

Ep. 14 Entrepreneurial Success and Partnership: Jermail Shelton on Building Just Add Honey

• DO GOOD X • Episode 14

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Welcome to the DO GOOD X podcast, hosted by Kimberly R. Daniel and Stephen Lewis. In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Jermail Shelton, co-owner of Just Add Honey, a charming tea shop and online business he runs with his wife, Brandi. Jermail shares how they started their business, which was driven by Brandi's passion for tea blending. He delves into the qualities that contribute to entrepreneurial success and provides insights into the dynamic of working closely with a spouse. As a dedicated mentor, Jermail discusses the key factors that foster a successful mentor-mentee relationship. Join us for a rich conversation filled with entrepreneurial wisdom and personal reflections. Today’s episode will inspire you.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Intro
(01:32)  Kimberly introduces Jermail and shares his background
(04:37) Jermail shares how he became a partner with his wife, Brandi, for Just Add Honey
(10:11) The ingredients for running a sustainable company
(15:32) Jermail gives his tips for anyone interested in the tea industry
(21:06) Jermail shares how to create a successful mentor/mentee relationship and why he enjoys being a mentor through being of service
(29:04) Jermail discusses how patience and grace have been a large part of his journey, and he talks about breathing exercises
(33:09) Jermail reflects on how much of his success is based on his faith versus his grit and hustle, and he discusses his impact on the community

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • Successful entrepreneurs must know how to pivot and adjust their path to maintain a thriving business
  • Successful mentors/mentees begin to build their relationship around trust and honest conversation
  • We are all here because of someone else, and we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us

RESOURCES:  

DO GOOD X - Podcast

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

DO GOOD X - YouTube

DO GOOD X - Spotify

DO GOOD X -  Instagram

Kimberly Daniel - LinkedIn

Stephen Lewis - LinkedIn

Jermail Shelton - LinkedIn

Just Add Honey - Website

GUEST BIOGRAPHY: 

Jermail and his wife Brandi own Just Add Honey Tea in Atlanta, GA. In addition to managing the retail tea shop, online operations and wholesale division, Jermail oversees the company's offsite events and wholesale department.

His approach to life has always been to find ways to be of service to family, friends and customers, building relationships one conversation at a time. He firmly believes in self-care and believes it's more about being intentional than spending a lot of money.

With his deep love for people and community, he lives by the term Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are.” He has a strong desire to empower people to believe in their wildest dreams and goals while standing up to their internal fears and self-doubts.

DO GOOD X Ep 14 - Jermail Shelton - Audio Transcript
[00:00:00] Narrator: Welcome to the do good X podcast, a sanctuary from the entrepreneurial grind host Kimberly, Danielle, and Steven Lewis advocates for impactful entrepreneurship, guide you on the path where purpose meets business. Join us to slow down, reconnect, and explore the challenges of under resourced entrepreneurs, uncovering the unique journey of building businesses and creating value.
That make a difference. Now you're home.
[00:00:35] Kimberly R. Daniel: Hello. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the do good X podcast. My name is Kimberly Danielle, and I am your co host. I am also a communication strategist, a coach and community builder. And I come from generations of entrepreneurs, faith driven entrepreneurs, and leaders who believe that our purpose should be driven by.
Contributing to [00:01:00] the common good. And I am so happy that you have joined us here today. I'm glad that you are here today with me, Steven, to dive into this conversation with our guests. 
[00:01:11] Stephen Lewis: Kim, it's good to be with you. I am Steven Lewis and I am a catalyst for positive change in communities and in business.
For over two decades, I've been working with faith leaders, entrepreneurs. To help them live and lead on purpose. And I am excited for this conversation today, Kimberley. So who do we have with us today? 
[00:01:31] Kimberly R. Daniel: Well, today we have Jermell Shelton and I would say Jermell, I always say, I always tell him that I want him to be my hype.
Man, my hype person that I have with me all the time. So I'm so grateful he has joined us here today. Jamel is co owner of Just Add Honey Tea Company, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, along with his wife, Brandy. And she is wonderful as well. Carries so [00:02:00] much wisdom and with a retail tea shop, uh, online operations Jamel oversees the company's offsite events.
And wholesale department and Jamel's approach to life has always been to find ways to be of service to family, to friends, to customers and build relationships one conversation at a time. It reminds me also of what Brandy previously said around just add honey. And I think this is embodied in just. the way that Jamel carries himself, which is that just said, honey, it's about building community over one, over a cup of tea and connecting with one another.
Jamel is a firm believer in the practice of self care and believes it's more about being intentional. Versus just spending a lot of money and with his deep love for people in the community, he lives by the term Ubuntu, which if you've listened to our podcast episodes previously, we have mentioned Ubuntu before, and it means [00:03:00] I am because we are.
He has a strong desire to empower people to believe in their wildest dreams and goals while standing up to their internal fears. And to their self doubts, we have the gift of having Jamel be a mentor for do get X and he comes with wisdom. He comes with insight. He comes with vibrant energy and really believing in supporting entrepreneurs.
Really inspiring entrepreneurs who are journeying in that world. So we are glad to have you here with us today, Jamel. Thank you for taking the space and time. I know it was a bit challenging to get this on the calendar between all of the business things, all of the family and life things. And so we are grateful that you created the time to be with us.
[00:03:49] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: Thank you for having me. And Kimberly, you talk about hype person, man. Um, I need to just kind of bottle up what you just said. Um, and, and have it out when I'm feeling bad. So thank you all for the invitation. Um, [00:04:00] thank you for the support that you all provided for my wife and I over the years, um, it has definitely been a relationship that has turned from business to family.
Um, so I'm honored to be a part and, um, share anything that, um, that I think the listeners that we feel the listeners may, uh, may take 
[00:04:16] Stephen Lewis: and run. It's great to have you with us. So let's jump right in, you know, after you married your life partner, Brandy, you also became her business partner and co owner. Of Just Add Honey.
So what led you to pursue the entrepreneurial journey and specifically to go into business with your wife? As your business partner, 
[00:04:37] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: well, honestly, at the time, Steven, I kind of felt like, um, there was really no other option prior to just that, honey, I was a new home sales agent. So I was in real estate from 2001 to 2009 for those that are old enough to know what happened in 2008, 2009 recession hit big time and it really, um, for me, it causes a situation where I not [00:05:00] only can I not sell real estate, I mean, a whole industry had essentially collapsed.
Right. Right. During that same time, um, Brandy had this passion for brewing teas for friends and family, nothing really serious, but I started doing my own personal research on loose leaf tea. And, um, she's already had just kind of a knack for creating just beautiful recipes. And I started really looking at the business aspect of it, like, man, this loose leaf tea thing, it's really starting to catch a buzz, especially here in the States.
So the plan was initially, um, we had a few dollars saved up. And we were like, let's give this a year. Let's see how it will work as far as being business partners in a year now has turned into 12 years now. 12, 13 years, a little bit longer than that, actually. And so that was really kind of the start. Um, Brandy has always had a love for tea growing up.
That was her thing. Um, I've always enjoy kind of the sales process. I just, I, I don't even call it a sales process. I enjoy learning about people. I'm definitely a people's person. And, um, I think [00:06:00] that I do a decent job of, um, not selling people, but finding out what people look for, what they need and trying to provide that with inside the service we had.
So, It was a, um, a beautiful marriage of sorts, so to speak, between us developing, um, because at the time we were young newlyweds, just a few years in and kind of merging the business. Um, and we always say, um, so running joke, I think I quit maybe 17 times. I was definitely fired a good 25 times initially.
And I think Brandon and I, we had to kind of find our space and realize that, uh, too many chiefs inside the kitchen is not a good thing. And that's when we decided to kind of separate, um, divide and conquer. And that's when we kind of, uh, laid out specific roles based off of our, um, our strengths and not us doing everything collectively.
It's definitely been a, um, a journey. Um, that might be a whole nother podcast episode, right? Um, but it's definitely been a journey to get us to where we are right now, where we move a little bit more, a lot more fluid. Um, and we just understand [00:07:00] kind of our roles and responsibilities with inside of, um, just that.
[00:07:03] Kimberly R. Daniel: It's very admirable because a lot of people struggle to find a good co founder, a good co owner of their business to be able to run their business from a healthy place and to have a healthy relationship and dynamic and have. Tough conversations and be able to move forward from it. So it's admirable that you and Brandy not only are able and have been able to maintain your relationship.
Your marriage, but also the business at the same time and navigate those different spaces. So kudos and kudos to both of you on that. 
[00:07:41] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: I'm sure it's definitely been, I'm sure, I'm sure 
[00:07:44] Kimberly R. Daniel: it is not all sunshine and roses and sunflowers. 
[00:07:49] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: Well, that being said, there's so many advantages, right? Uh, you know, I, we joke around about, Oh my God, I can't believe we're doing this, but there's definitely so many advantages, um, of working, you know, having your business [00:08:00] partner as your, um, your spouse, um, because I have such a, um, solid relationship with her.
I know days that she may not be, you know, a hundred percent and same thing with me, right? Um, she understands days that I'm not feeling it. Um, we're, uh, you know, we inside of our household, especially since COVID, um, the word grace is thrown around a whole lot. Right. So we've learned to show each other grace, but I think we know we're mindful at the end of the day that we're both on the same team.
Sometimes we need that friendly reminder, but we're sincerely on the same team. How we arrived at the destination or at the goal sometimes differ depending on. Where we are in life. Um, but we know ultimately whether I agree or disagree or maybe I want to see maybe not the word is the agree or disagree whether I see Brandy's vision at that moment or not.
I can entrust that. I know she has just that honey as well as the Shelton family and her best interests and, um, you know, We just sometimes allow the path to kind of unfold and that it's [00:09:00] worked well for, for both of us. 
[00:09:02] Kimberly R. Daniel: Yeah, that's good. That's powerful. And also what I heard you say earlier was, is that you all lean into the strengths and your, your individual strengths and divide and conquer.
So that's great. And you said earlier that, you know, here you are 12 years in, and just that honey was established, you know, before you chose to, Partner with Brandy on it. And I believe you all are approaching are at 20, almost 20 years. 
[00:09:32] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: So we started 2005. So, so 19, 
[00:09:36] Kimberly R. Daniel: 19 years. And if 
[00:09:38] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: yes, uh, 19 years in August, 
[00:09:40] Kimberly R. Daniel: congratulations on that.
So you are closely approaching 20 years and studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open. 45 percent during the first five years, 65 percent during the first 10 years. And you all have made it to almost 20 [00:10:00] years. So I want to hear from you.
What has been the ingredients to this long lasting and successful business for you all? 
[00:10:11] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: Spill the tea. Yes. Spill the tea. I think the passion first and foremost, there's a few things, right? The passion that we have for our product and our service. Um, we're really big on creating a community space. See what I did?
That community space. Um, you know, and, um, just not giving up, right? We talked to so many entrepreneurs who, you know, go through the ebb and flows of. What it takes to build a, uh, a successful company, sustainable company. And, um, I think the thing that separates us, um, is the fact that we haven't given up and we're not afraid to pivot.
Um, I talked to so many entrepreneurs, especially during that whole COVID phase. Um, it was a heavy test for a lot of entrepreneurs and there were a lot of entrepreneurs that, um, for whatever reason, they kind of stuck to their guns with the way the business, um, [00:11:00] was working and, um, not realize and not being mindful that we were in a whole new space.
Um, and was a little reluctant to, um, to pivot and, um, I think for a lot of entrepreneurs, it cost them. I think for us, though, it has allowed us to kind of grow and not not fear change, right? Change is inevitable. Um, regardless, just like it's just life. Um. And we just don't, I won't say we don't care. Um, I'm not fearful of change.
Um, I know that part of the process is to fail and kind of having that in the back of our head. Um, you know, fail is just a part of succeeding. So always keeping that in the back of our head. Um, being quick to pivot when need be. That's, I think, one of the advantages of being a small business or, you know, somewhat of an agile business.
Is having the ability to, um, to switch up depending on what our customers needs, or just kind of the sign of the times and really just keep going. I think the biggest example of our pivot, our ability to [00:12:00] pivot and seeing kind of the fruits of the labor. You know, if you pivot correctly, there's such a thing is back when COVID, um, you know, the store shut down that the store was our main bread and butter still is our main bread and butter.
But when it shut down, we, um, we were, I mean, we were inside the house. Like, what are we going to do? This is kind of, you know, it'd be mine to be clear. This just that honey feeds our family, right? You know, this takes care of all of our bills. And, um, during that time, Brandy was doing a tea blending classes.
She's really big on teaching people how to blend tea inside of our storefront. And now that's opened up to a whole nother arm. But prior to COVID, we were doing things specifically inside the store with a tea blending class. And, um, when they were kind of just sitting down, like, how are we going to, um, how are we going to switch this up?
What are we going to do to kind of drum up business? And Brandy had a great idea to, um, Move everything online. So inside of our store, we can fit maybe 20 to 25 people for a tea blending class. When we open it up online, Brandy [00:13:00] had the genius idea of creating a tea blending box of which she was able to ship out to our customers, literally across the country.
And, um. Ordinarily on a Sunday, we only can have 25 people at a tea blending class, removing it and open it up to online. Literally. I remember like the highest. I want to say we had like 112 people at 1 time doing a tea blending class online and we essentially was able to create a community of tea drinkers through the relationship of zoom and these tea blending classes.
Um, through, um, through with just that honey. So that really was kind of a side of time. Something else we did was the parties. We do a lot of parties inside of the store and we're able to create a, um, a party gift box and we were shipping it across sea. I mean, of course, these as well, but across the U. S.
and we had the pleasure of seeing young ladies and also a few gentlemen that were sitting down and literally having [00:14:00] tea parties. Virtually online. So those 2 things, it really opened up so many things for us. A lot of people that were our customers, they happen to work for Google or Microsoft or some of these large corporations.
And so the things that individuals were looking for, in terms of community with inside that space, we quickly realized that, um. These companies that they work for, I needed the same thing. So, um, a lot of the customers that work for us to, I mean, that, um, that work with us, they started giving us a call on the side, like, hey, I work for X, Y, Z company, we have a group of 45 people and they'll love it.
And that really opened up, um, really hold another arm of several arms of the company, but it goes back to, um, the pivot, not being afraid to try new things and throwing things on a wall and kind of seeing what sticks right. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, remove it really fast and keep going. I think that has been.
Um, when I talk to other entrepreneurs, um, I think [00:15:00] our ability to pivot is, um, it's, I won't say impressive has been, um, has been one of the leading factors of us being able to survive the last 19 years, quite honestly. 
[00:15:12] Stephen Lewis: So Jamil, a lot has changed, uh, since the pandemic in your business and also the industry of.
tea drinkers. Um, and so I'm curious about what does the tea industry look like for black owners? And what tips do you have for any entrepreneurs who want to start a business in this particular industry? 
[00:15:32] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: I will say first, uh, users for wholesale, we had no plan. I'm teasing. Uh, so I think the first thing I would say is, um, definitely do your research.
Um, a lot has changed as far as, um, as far as, um, supply chains are concerned. That's one thing that we had to deal with. We, you know, slowly, but surely we started increasing our supply loads. When COVID hit, we had to be a lot more intentional and really, um, kind of bite the bullet and invest a lot more in [00:16:00] product because, you know, we're The time frame from it reaching our destination was a lot longer, so that was really, um, I mean, it's a little nervous because we were spending a lot of money to make sure that we had the, um, the right amount of tea.
I'm sorry. So, so, so 1st thing is do your research on your market. Um, the 1st thing I would do, we have a lot of people in brainy actually coaches. Individuals who are interested and, um, and creating their own tea company, I would suggest kind of doing what we did initially and just start up at farmers markets, right?
There's no reason to invest hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousand dollars on a brick and mortar. If you're not really sure if it is a, a market with inside of your, your, your city. So starting off like our local farmers markets where they may be 25 to 30 per week. It gives you the opportunity to kind of just get started.
Tested to see if it's a viable product inside of your, your area 1 and then 2, it also allows you to start building a, um, a customer base, right? Um, that's [00:17:00] what we did prior to us moving inside of our 1st retail space. We operated years off farmers markets, of course, wholesale. I mean, not wholesale, but our online market.
But farmers markets really allowed us to see, like, oh, there is a need for this particular product or service inside of our city, which is, you know, of course, the city of Atlanta. So doing things like that, I would also tell them to. Remember why they started in this business, or any businesses being a small business owner again, you're going to have ebbs and flows and there's going to be times when you're just not sure.
Um, what the end holds, right? So you have to hold on to that. Why? Um, during those moments of, um, of uncertainty and it's almost, is this not being me being pessimistic? It's not a matter of if it's going to, you know, you're going to go through the admin flow, but it's more when, right? So preparing yourself for those moments when, um, when things go, um, go [00:18:00] astray potentially.
And I would say also, um, yeah. Finding communities or finding the ecosystem or plugging into an ecosystem of entrepreneurs. It doesn't necessarily have to be inside the same industry, but just people who understand the journey of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Atlanta is I ran a rave about the ecosystem.
You all are part of the ecosystem. So you all can attest this as well. Um, the ecosystem in Atlanta, when it comes to specifically, um, black owned businesses, it's something that is really impressive. Um, it's really inviting. And it's one of those things where we all have that mindset of, um, of service. How can I be of service?
Right? Um, starting off the relationship with how can I help you versus This is what I need for us has been, um, kind of a winning formula. And, um, I call it the, um, this imaginary currency, right? If you're, you're constantly making these deposits and sue this, um, this bank account of relationships, [00:19:00] um, over time, you have the ability to kind of cash in on those things.
I have not been the best at cashing in this year. I've been a little bit more intentional with saying. I need help, right? What things do I need? And, um, really plug it into my ecosystem of entrepreneurs, not even just entrepreneurs. Um, you know, people that are in all different types of business and in corporate America, and that has worked really well for us.
Um, but it's 1 of those things where you can't, you can't walk into it with the idea of. I need these people to help. It's, you really have to have a, um, a servant, a servant mindset, um, with how can I assist us? Um, I, I say repeatedly, uh, specifically here in Atlanta, we really have everything we need in our village.
Um, it's just really up to us to tap in and, uh, get the resources that, that we need. But everything is here. It's up to us to tap into. And I think, um, sometimes entrepreneurs, we feel that we're on an island or a moat and, um, what I found speak from an eye perspective, it's. [00:20:00] With me, it's most of the times I'm going through that.
It's all in my head, right? Um, I have people that love me. I have people that love my wife and love our brand. And when I have those moments where it's like, what I'm going to do, I feel isolation. I really have a conversation myself, like, Come on, you know, you can, you can reach out to somebody, go, uh, go and meet somebody for lunch and just talk about the things that you're going through.
You just never know, uh, what advice or, uh, who they know that could put you in a position to kind of change your attitude, change your mindset and get you back on the, uh, the path 
[00:20:31] Stephen Lewis: to success. That's great. What we're going to do now is move into our next segment and here you will hear insights from entrepreneurs and seasoned guys about the impact that mentorship can have.
Now, Jamel has served as a mentor for do good at startup accelerator is an incredible source of wisdom and a guide to entrepreneurs who are committed to building and scaling their. So with that, I'd like to turn, uh, now to a couple of questions to you, Jamel, around, [00:21:00] uh, mentorship. So what are the ingredients of successful mentor mentee relationship?
I think 
[00:21:07] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: communication and, um, and expectation. Um, you know, one of the things I attempt to do when I'm meeting a, uh, a mentee is just having a very honest conversation with what they're trying to achieve. And the things that I'm able to help them out with. Right. Um, and it's one of those things where I always say, if I can't help you out, if I don't know the answer, I feel confident I can reach out to somebody who, um, who knows it right.
And put you allow you to be a part of that ecosystem. So I think 1st, um, communicating, um, 1 another's expectations. I think is extremely important. I think also, um. Showing grace to that minty, knowing that they may be a, um, a 1st time entrepreneur and just kind of remembering our journey through them as we're having very, very candid conversations about the ups and the downs of entrepreneurship and kind of blowing your business.
Um, but I think really [00:22:00] communication is, um, it's everything and just making sure that, um. That I reiterate the feelings and the emotions that come with entrepreneur. It's normal, right? I can't stress that. Sometimes entrepreneurs, we feel like we are on an island by ourselves and we're the only ones that are experiencing whatever we're experiencing.
Um, so. You know, finding those moments to lean in, you know, um, this is something that we, I speak often about leaning into relationships, right? Instead of when we have those moments, we feel like we have to kind of isolate ourselves out. We are as humans, we are definitely a communal as human beings. Right?
So, finding those moments to connect with 1 another when things don't feel the best and realize that the person to your right to the left of you is not that far removed from what you're going through. They may have just gone through it. Um, maybe currently going through it, or it might be something that's on horizon.
I'm surely thereafter. So having those. Very open lines of communication. Um, I think it's really important. I have this thing I call, [00:23:00] uh, removing your armor. It's, it's more for, for, um, for men. Um, and it's this idea that oftentimes we're walking around in a world with this kind of shield to kind of protect our feelings.
Um, but I think that also can apply to entrepreneurs as well. Right. Um, no one wants to kind of show our cards, especially when things aren't going, you As we think it should be going, no one wants to tell someone that, man, um, I don't know how to make payroll, but the reality is, you know, if we're being honest and candid, that most entrepreneurs have struggled, if you are more than a one or two person show, a lot of people have struggled from time to time with, you know, making that payroll, it might be, you know, Wednesday evening, I, you know, we have a lot of stories about that, right?
Like it's a Wednesday evening, even this in payrolls doing two days, how are we going to make payroll? Having those honest conversations. Um, I think, um, it's comfort is letting you know that you're not the only one that's going through it. And as a collective, we can all get through this together through through conversation.
So I think those for me, [00:24:00] those are the main attributes to, I think, becoming a good mentee or becoming a good mentor and it's worked well for us. And I think the other thing too, I'm really heavy on mentor, just as long as I can remember, I've always had. A mentor in my life since this early on, even this is before entrepreneurship.
Right. So I feel that, um, oftentimes I'm standing on the shoulders of giants, um, kind of goes back to that, um, the, the premise or the, um, the idea of Ubuntu, right. We are all here because of someone else. Um, we are all standing on the shoulders of someone else that got here before us. And so just being mindful of that.
Right. And I think my way of honoring, um, those that have helped me is to, um, you know, Bring that ladder back down and assist some other people that's coming up because I'm still right. It's 1 of those things. I always feel I'm in the middle. I am always trying to assist people, but I'm always looking up to other people who are above me and whatever.
Right? And just asking them ideas and things that have worked for them. So, I think just keeping that open line, um, [00:25:00] again, for me has been very beneficial in his work in terms of being being a, um. I think a good mentor. I think I'm a decent mentor. 
[00:25:06] Kimberly R. Daniel: I think you're a good mentor too. And I've heard this feedback from our fellows.
And I think also in your response to Stephen's question, your, your passion, and then the energy that you hold around it shows your kind of commitment to being a mentor. Amen. Not just a mentor, but a good mentor because not all mentors are good mentors. So I want to ask you what drives your desire to mentor?
[00:25:34] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: I'm a servant. Um, I've, I've always had a servant mindset. I've always had the mindset of how can I help? Um, how can I be, you know, one more puzzle piece to. Um, you know, things you're trying to solve. I've, I've always been this person. I've been this way prior to, um, prior to entrepreneurship. I, I love to serve.
I love to, um, to connect. Um, I, I feel that I'm a connector. Um, so this [00:26:00] is something that's always been intimate in me. And I think it doesn't matter if I'm entrepreneurship, even if I, you know, were to work in somewhere in corporate America, um, this is who I am. And I think it shows up In different ways, because I'm living, breathing, um, living and breathing kind of this, this idea, this mindset of serving leadership.
Um, so, yeah, that's it. I'm, I'm a, I'm a servant. I really, I really, and it really, you know, I will say that, um, it's, it's, it's a, it's something that I'm proud of. I love when we have. Entrepreneurs who felt they couldn't make it right or felt that this situation is going to destroy the company and me having a conversation with them and 6 months or a year later, however, that timeframe is, um, they come back and that goes away.
Well, you know, it was because that conversation, you know, oftentimes I talk to so many people and I'm always or most of the times I'm positive. Oftentimes I'm not sure exactly what was said. I think I just felt at the moment, but to [00:27:00] know that my words had enough of an impact to get that person through that day or do that that moment, right?
That feeling of lost or isolation. Um, makes me proud because I know again, um, I've, I've had many moments, Brandon, I've had many moments where we're like, I don't know what we're doing. You know, we got kids. We're trying to put through school. This is not working. What are we doing? And having someone reach out to me or me plugging in and reaching out and just having a brief conversation, how that has changed my, um, my thought process and, um, kind of, you know, Looking through, uh, looking through the situation with a different set of lenses has been so beneficial to me.
So it's like, how can I not provide the very thing that people have provided to me to kind of keep, um, keep this boat afloat. Um, I feel, I feel that I'm obligated to do so again, and it goes back down to the, um, right? Like, we are all here [00:28:00] because of someone else, right? We are all interconnected in some form or fashion and just kind of keeping that, you know, That positive human spirit is something that, 
[00:28:08] Kimberly R. Daniel: um, 
[00:28:09] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: I pride myself on sincerely.
[00:28:11] Kimberly R. Daniel: Thank you. 
[00:28:12] Stephen Lewis: Well, if you are enjoying, uh, tuning in, and if you are entrepreneur in this entrepreneurial game and want access to more resources to help build your business for good, we want you to go to ducadex. org here. You can find resources and join our Ducadex LinkedIn community where we share tools and tips and provide entrepreneurs and change makers with a community of support.
So now 
[00:28:38] Kimberly R. Daniel: we are going to go on to our segment off the cuff and here are a series of questions for you to know that we have not provided you with. And we just want you to share what comes off off the dome. So, so just, just [00:29:00] diving right in, what has been the greatest lesson so far on your entrepreneurial journey, 
[00:29:05] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: Patience and grace, um, being patient with the process, um, because it typically never happens when you think it's going to happen and, um, show myself an abundance of grace and patience.
Um, Brandon, I neither 1 of us come from an entrepreneur, you know, family or background. So a lot of this we are learning, um, you know, through experiences we're learning through making mistakes. So, um, being a little bit kinder to myself, I'm talking to myself a little bit kinder, reminded myself that, uh, mistakes are a part of the process and, um.
You're not going to be successful without making them. So I will say again, uh, patience and abundance of grace. 
[00:29:47] Stephen Lewis: All right. Well then what is one of your go to practice or ritual to slow down, to center, and to connect with yourself? 
[00:29:58] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: It's literally [00:30:00] what you just said, Steven. Um, I find these quiet moments inside of our home early morning.
I try to wake up before the kids wake up. Um, and I find those moments to just breathe and be, you know, we live in a society. I'm not going to go on a tangent, but we really live in a society that is, um, it almost feels like it's forcing us to. To speed up and everything has to happen right now. And if we take these moments to relax and breathe, we're, we almost feel guilty or being bummed or not being that productive.
And what I've learned is, um, slowing down for me, I'll speak for myself. Um, when I find those moments to slow down, it is the easiest way to kind of speed up. Right. Um, I can look at things more from a aerial view versus me feeling like I'm inside of it. I just have, um, Much more clarity when I start my mornings off, um, with a cup of tea and, um, and really just slowing down, working on my breath, um, being very [00:31:00] intentional with how I want to start my day.
And, um, you know, that's been the biggest, the biggest thing really find those moments. It doesn't even have to be in the morning, right? Um, there's been times where, um, it's during the day. I'll, I'll be right back. I'm going to my car. I need a moment to just breathe, but, um, being very intentional with the breathing, um, I, I say often that, you know, most people are not intentional when it comes to breathing.
And so we don't breathe properly in terms of, you know, properly inhaling and exhaling, not knowing that that's really God's greatest gift to us to, um, allow us, um, to create balance with inside of our lives. Um, and I, I found kind of these breathing things, I think on YouTube, um, has been. It's been everything to me.
It really has. It has reduced my anxiety. It's reduced this idea that, um, I have to do something really fast. Um, it is really allowed me to again, look at the field more from [00:32:00] a blimp view and realize that a lot of these things that kind of go in and out of my head on the day to day basis, um, are really just thoughts.
Those thoughts are not who I am. Those are literally just thoughts, and oftentimes they come from kind of what happens with the past, but being able to separate those Uh, truth and false internally. Um, I think breathing for me has done, um, has done a good job at, um, allowing me to kind of separate, um, these things that oftentimes we feel is real when it's really not real.
It's really just our mind going through kind of our mind playing tricks on us, so to speak. So, yeah, breathing has been, um, has been everything to me. I haven't quite, I wanna start doing yoga. Um, that's I think next on the list. But for right now, breathing has been, um, has been extremely powerful and it's free, right?
You can do it anywhere. I suggest everybody be a little bit more intentional with, um, with breathing. I think we'll have far, uh, I think life would be far more safer, right? Um, I think people to be far more nicer to one another. If we just spent 5 minutes and it doesn't have to be, you know, [00:33:00] this have to be this whole long thing.
You just. Five minutes to kind of rescind yourself. Um, I, I can't speak enough about, um, about the power for me, the power of grief. 
[00:33:09] Kimberly R. Daniel: How much of your success do you attribute to your faith versus your own grit, will, and hustle? 
[00:33:17] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: Solid question. Um,
I would say 50, I don't know, 50, 50. I don't, so I won't give a percentage. Um, I will say I definitely have. I have a lot of faith. I grew up, um, in a home and it's all we operate is with faith, but we're also some really hard workers. So it's like one of those things where it's like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna pray and say my prayers, but, you know, I have to get up off my couch and throw on my shoes and get to work.
So I think it is a, um, it's a healthy balance of having faith. Um, but also willing to do the work, um, willing to do the things [00:34:00] that, um, most people aren't willing to do just going that extra mile. There was a, uh, a huge fan of Will Smith. Um, he, I just saw a clip on him and he was like, you know, be. The difference between 90 percent and 100 percent it's so it's such a large gap, right?
We think that we're at 90 percent and, you know, we're not that close to 100%, but it's that last 10 percent that really separates, um, people that are successful from people that. Are not as successful as they may want to be. I think, you know, I think everyone can be considered successful, but, um, I think there are levels and degrees of success and it really depends on how bad you want it.
So, going back to your original question, I think there is a healthy mix of being faithful, but also, um, I'm a worker. Um, I love the work. I love to serve. I think honestly, with our company, most of our. Most of the work we do is in the service industry, whether it's our, um, our brick and mortar or people come into our, um, our mobile [00:35:00] bar.
When we set up, it is really our business is really kind of cater to, um, the, uh, the servant mindset, right? Offering a reprieve for those who are going through whatever they're going through, but you gotta, you gotta work, you know, um, what's this old saying? Faith without work is dead. I think there's a saying, right?
Someone said that faith without work is dead. Um, so there has to be a healthy mix of, um, being faithful and also, um, doing, doing the work. And I think also, I will say the more you work, the more people recognize you're working and the more they're willing to help you, right? Energy creates energy. So the more people are seeing you out working, the more they're up to want to assist you in whatever endeavors you're looking to get into.
[00:35:42] Stephen Lewis: So complete this sentence. Because of my entrepreneurial endeavor, communities will be, or are more able to do. 
[00:35:51] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: More able to live the life they feel they deserve, um, reach for dreams. They [00:36:00] felt at one time was not possible to
create and be a part of a larger ecosystem that can give you more than you can ever wish for. Um, and this is not just an entrepreneurship. This is an entrepreneurship and in just in life. Right. Um, I think that, um, so I hope, of course, I hope that answered your question. And then I'm gonna go on to say that.
I think sometimes we try to compartmentalize, um, the different version of ourselves, um, right? So I am a father, I am a husband, I am a business owner, and over the last year and a half, I've really kind of, I've been really been more intentional with kind of bringing, breaking down those barriers, right? And, and, and, and allowing my, my more full self to enter all the spaces.
Because the same person you are, you know, when I'm in my home, um, it's the same person I am when I'm in, um, [00:37:00] in, in the work. I'm, I'm bringing these attributes. I'm bringing that energy to it. So I've been, um, I've been very, again, very intentional with kind of breaking down those barriers and, um, seeing how I could connect more dots without the compartmentalization of.
I'm this person at this time, right? We are all multilayered human beings, right? Even you are, right? You are run do good next. But I know you have, you know, a lot of other things you have going on and I, and I feel that when I speak for myself, when I've been able to do so, it is allowed other Is allowed friends and family and associates that I wouldn't suspect that can assist me in other areas of my life, whether that's father ship or fatherhood or or being a good husband, they have allowed me to learn a lot more from them in other areas that I thought would just be boxed into just entrepreneurship.
So really breaking down all barriers and all and [00:38:00] all walls. 
[00:38:02] Stephen Lewis: Yes, and we'll have to end it there. But I want to say thank you, Jamil, for being with us here today. Um, it's so delightful to hear you share a little bit more about your story and 19 years of being here in the city of Atlanta. Developing this business.
Just add honey. We're just getting started 
[00:38:21] Kimberly R. Daniel: and thank you for your transparency and in your conversation and thoughts about self care. Uh, in addition to your story, I appreciate that coming from especially a black man, um, being so transparent with. The challenges and what you're addressing in your journey as an entrepreneur and alongside Brandy.
So thank you again, Jamal. We appreciate you and we appreciate you being a part of the Duke edX community. 
[00:38:48] Jermail Shelton - Co-owner of Just Add Honey: My pleasure. Uh, you know, you all, uh, we have built a, uh, an amazing relationship over the years. I'm so proud of you all. Y'all might edit this out, but I'm so proud of the work that you all are doing.
Uh, there are so many people that. Uh, need your [00:39:00] services, um, that are looking to change the world through their product or service. And, um, in my opinion, you all are an amazing vessel to help, um, steer these individuals in the right direction, kind of pass them off on, um, to other mentors like myself and so many other great mentors that you all have had come to do good X over the years.
Uh, so, um, I thank you all for, for doing the work and, uh, always being, um, uh, supportive to not only just that honey, but specifically the individuals of Brandy and Jamel Shelton. So we are forever grateful for the work that both of you all do. Thank you.
[00:39:40] Narrator: for listening to the Do Good X podcast. To continue the conversation or access our resources, Visit www. dogoodx. org. Join us again for conversations that will nourish your soul, ignite your dreams, and empower you to build an impactful business, one intentional step at a [00:40:00] time. Until then, keep striving, thriving, and doing good.