We’re looking forward to introducing you to JASMINE KEYS. Check out our conversation below.
JASMINE , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me is waking up and attending to my household workplace and entrepreneurship such as dispatching my box trucking company L&J everyload logistics and also marketing and preparing for my tax franchise company Get Max Tax Houston . I workout.. pray to god and always remember to do right by people each day! Make sure my motherhood duties are done and host my tax preparation training class 4 nights a week… sometimes i am also cooking for my chef catering business Nola Dat Cajun Eats
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jasmine “Jass the CEO” Keys, and I’m a multi-passionate entrepreneur, community builder, and the creative force behind several growing brands. I’m the owner of GetMax Tax Houston, a franchise where I specialize in tax preparation, education, and repair services through my personal brand, CEO Refund$. What makes my work unique is that I bring accuracy, transparency, and real care into an industry where people often feel confused or taken advantage of. I built everything from the ground up, and my story is the fuel behind the way I serve people today.
I’m also the owner of NOLA Dak Cajun Eats, my Louisiana-inspired food business that blends my roots, my culture, and my passion for bringing people together through good food. Alongside that, I’m building family- and community-centered brands like the Outside Mama’s Club, and my kids’ summer business, J Unit Splash Rentals, which teaches them ownership and responsibility early.
This year is special because it’s my first year officially hosting community events. Even though I’ve hosted and participated in countless pop-up shops from New Orleans to Houston over the years, this is the first time I’m stepping into my own lane and creating events with intention events focused on unity, support, resources, and giving people a space to grow.
Across everything I do—taxes, food, community events, or empowering moms—my mission stays the same: to build, to uplift, and to show people that no matter what you’ve been through, you can create something powerful. My journey hasn’t been perfect, but my persistence is what built my brands, and that same drive is pushing me into an even bigger year.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful was the moment I realized that nobody was coming to save me — and I still chose to get up and make something happen for myself. I was young, going through things most people don’t know about, and I remember having this quiet moment where I told myself, “If I don’t fight for my life, nobody will.”
That was the first time I felt real power not because everything was perfect, but because I understood that my strength didn’t come from my circumstances, it came from my determination. That moment shaped the woman I am today. It’s the same energy that pushed me into entrepreneurship, into motherhood, into building my brands, and into becoming the kind of person who creates opportunities instead of waiting for them.
That early moment of power taught me that even when I feel alone, I’m never helpless — I’m capable. And that mindset is why I’ve survived, rebuilt, and grown the way I have.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized it was my greatest fuel, not my weakness. For years, I buried my struggles, tried to look “put together,” and felt like I had to do it all alone. But there came a point where I said, “Enough of hiding. If this pain has shaped me, then I can use it to shape my life.”
That’s when everything shifted. I started using my experiences—the hardships, the setbacks, the heartbreaks—as a source of strength. I channeled that energy into building my businesses, empowering my kids, lifting my community, and showing others that struggles don’t define you—they refine you.
That’s when my pain became power, and hiding it stopped being an option.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is part of the real me, but not all of it. What people see—my brands, my confidence, my achievements—is real, but it’s also curated because I want to inspire and lead without oversharing every struggle.
The real me includes the private moments of doubt, the lessons I’m still learning, and the vulnerability that doesn’t always make it to the spotlight. I believe in showing enough to empower others, but keeping some parts private keeps me grounded and protects the people I love.
In short, the public me is authentic in intention, but the full me exists behind the scenes, in the moments that shape my growth and drive my purpose.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people tell the story of a woman who turned every obstacle into purpose, who loved her family fiercely, and who built something meaningful out of nothing. I want them to say I was the type of person who didn’t just chase success, but used my journey to uplift others whether through my businesses, my community work, or the way I showed up for people in real life.
I hope they say I was authentic, resilient, and bold, that I didn’t fold under pressure, and that I created real opportunities for my kids, my team, and my community. I want my story to be one of impact—someone who overcame, who inspired, and who left a blueprint for others to believe in themselves.
If people remember me as a woman who made life better, brighter, or easier for somebody else, then I did my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Getmaxtaxhouston.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/jass.the.ceo
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/j.rydakeys
- Yelp: Get Max Tax Houston
- Other: https://Instagram.com/getmaxtaxhtx
Image Credits
Jass The Ceo
