Conversations with the Inspiring Jazmin Gamble

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmin Gamble.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I guess it all started when I first moved to LA about five years ago and I was homeless sleeping in my car for a couple of months before getting a job and being able to get on my feet. I would have to say it started there and even than teaching dance wasn’t necessarily on my to-do list or even really what I was thinking about to be totally honest I was more just trying to survive. Being out here in LA by myself, different events transpired including losing my father, having to move and even losing my means of transportation. LA living for five years had been a struggle. In 2017, I really tapped into the idea that I’d be a business owner, I just started to browse and entertain the idea of maybe having my own space because at that time I was about a year and a half in of not working for anybody. I was training and trying to build a clientele for myself and teaching dance classes. I just thought you know it will be great to have my own space so that’s what I set out to do but I didn’t take it very seriously, however, I did take a picture of a space that I happen to go and check out it in September 2017 and something just told me in a post on Facebook and so I said a prayer and I remember posting it on Facebook and my caption was by midway next year the Jazz standard will have its own facility and I left it at that. I really wasn’t preparing for it, I wasn’t putting away money, I wasn’t doing anything extra, then I was currently doing and boom in July 2018 the opportunity came about to move into my first commercial space.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think my number one piece of advice to any woman setting out on their journey is to just embrace it. The highs and the lows. It shapes you in so many ways. The road was never smooth, but it was necessary. All of the no’s lead me to the perfect yes. Working two full-time jobs and trying to open a studio was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life, but it was worth every hour of sleep missed.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Jazz Standard Dance and Fitness Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
I think what sets The Jazz standard apart from most is how versatile it is. I teach several different dance formats, I have other instructors teaching dance and yoga, but there’s also this fitness component that is very near and dear to me. I am a fitness coach and I run two very successful boot camps and I have personal training clients. I created “sip & Grind” which started as a 21+heels dance class where I provided a cocktail and it was all about women empowerment and tapping into those feminine areas feeling sexy and confident in your own skin. That evolved into ‘Sip and Grind, the Experience.” That event is five hours and includes the heels choreography, professional makeup, pictures, and video from the event. That was a total success twice in 2018.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I think it’s very important to surround yourself with people you can learn from but also can learn from you. If you are introverted, you must learn to tap into the extrovert parts of you because networking is key. Go to events alone so it forces you to interact.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thejazzstandard.com
• Phone: 323-404-8679
• Email: thejazzstandard1@gmail.com
• Instagram: thejazzstandard

Image Credit:
Jerrell Trulove

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