Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley & Jeanetta Brantley.
Hi Ashley & Jeanetta, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In regards to our vegan company, both of us began where most of our customers are. We were sick, unhealthy, and in desperate need of change. Life was riddled with health problems for both of us. We suffered everything from viruses that doctors couldn’t identify to chronic kidney disease that led to Reno failure. We suffered daily with our illnesses and ailments until one day, we said enough was enough. Netta said that she wanted to try a vegetarian diet, and then we did it. It was cool for a while because it allowed us to give into one of our weaknesses back then, cheese, but the diet didn’t make us feel better. Things were pretty much the same until we watched this film called “What The Health“ and learned about the effects of cheese within our body.
After watching it, I told Netta that we were going vegan the very next day, and then we did it. We haven’t looked back since. There were so many beautiful things that we learned and experienced along our journey. Life is completely different from what it used to be. We are no longer suffering from sicknesses and disease. Everything from our physical to our mental health has enhanced. What started as a personal journey turned into a business when we decided to help others achieve what we achieved with our health. Netta said that she wanted to help inform people about this lifestyle, and that’s what we are still doing til this very day. With the consistent growth of our business, we have been able to give back to our community by paying our customer’s bills monthly, giving away gifts, and most recently feeding the community after the historical winter storm took place in TX.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been everything but smooth, lol. Some of the struggles we’ve experienced would probably be a struggle that every entrepreneur or business owner has experienced. We looked at each obstacle as a way to enhance and prove ourselves rather than as things happening to destroy us. Thus, the overcoming of each obstacle represented progress and growth within our personal lives and business. Some of the challenges that we faced within our business was vetting vendors with quality sea moss. After COVID hit the states, there was a scarcity of sea moss available, and prices nearly quadrupled. We then had to adjust our products and prices to match the new market for sea moss.
Additionally, we started this business with two people and quickly realized that we needed more help, thus we began the process of hiring people, which was more difficult than we expected that to be. We dealt with all kinds of problems due to COVID, shipping was often delayed, and the materials that we used to bottle, package, and ship the products were becoming scarce. Stores weren’t stocking up on things like they usually would, shipping through USPS was taking longer than it normally would’ve, the islands that we got our sea moss from were under strict curfews thus, it took us much longer than usual to even receive our products. The business started with only us two then after partnering with actress and celebrity vegan social media influencer Tabitha Brown, things really took off making it impossible to keep up.
When the world was shutting down due to the pandemic, we were taking off. It was ROUGH! We would say that if it weren’t for the obstacles we faced, we wouldn’t have been able to give back like we do and that always bring us joy to be a blessing to others especially being with this most recent winter storm. We were able to go out and buy groceries and feed over 400 people and we were able to do this with the help of our loyal customer base. So we appreciate everything we’ve experienced.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in healing through holistic health. We sell herbal and dietary supplements geared towards helping our customers accomplish their health goals. These items include a variety of different kinds of Sea Moss and Irish Moss, an elderberry syrup kit, capsules, herbal teas, including a detox tea, a cookbook, classes, courses, and consultations. We are not two people that proclaim to have doctorate degrees in medicine or anything related within the field. We’re two people that are constantly learning and enhancing our health and sharing how we’re doing so with those who desire to do the same. Anyone desiring to experience changes and enhancements that they can feel should work with us. Our primary method of healing is teaching, thus anyone wanting to learn more about holistic health, methods of healing, what a vegan is and why they should be one, how to utilize herbs and other resources to help throughout their healing journey and so much more should reach out to us.
Additionally, working with us means that you’re working with people that care. We are invested in our customers. Especially those battling with ailments and diseases. Recently, a customer told us how grateful she was for us. Where others told her that they didn’t know what else could be done to help her, we told her that the fact that she’s still living means that she has the will to change her life and turn her health back around. We’re fighters, and we fight for our customers in every way that we can. Lastly, we’re not scammers. We practice what we preach and teach by experience. We also offer a program to help launch other businesses and get them started on the road to building and maintaining a successful business. Aside from that, we also own a film production company specializing in every phase of production all the way through to post-production which includes, screenwriting, directing, cinematography, sound design, sound mixing, music composition for film and TV, and more.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I believe that we can both agree that our favorite childhood memory is just that of simply being a child and enjoying and living life through the lens of an innocent child. Playing outside and just being a kid was a beautiful way of life and because of our childhood and those memories, we are able to enjoy life for what it is today. We enjoy even the smaller things in life.
Pricing:
- Wildcrafted Sea Moss – $21.99
- Chondrus Crispus (Irish Moss) – $25.99
- Becoming Vegan Class – $25
- Iron Man Fasting Course – $50
- Elderberry Syrup Kit – $24.99
Contact Info:
- Email: beasmartvegan@gmail.com
- Website: www.BeASmartVegan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beasmartvegan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMARTVeganCA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC81ve1ZNLykeeNPT8yagZLQ
- Other: www.ajmmhtx.com
Image Credits
Photography by Ashley & Jeanetta Brantley (AJMMHTX)
What to check out next:
Aleasha Bahr is a sales & marketing strategist known for showing introverts and ambiverts the Secret Art of Subtle Selling. She personally sold millions in revenue while discovering introverts are usually top sales people – as soon as they stop trying to act like extroverts. We’ve partnered with her to produce Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories. Check out episode 1 below:
