Jacques Bastien, Multihyphenate CEO on Building a Creative Business Empire
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The Man Behind The Empire
Meet Jacques Bastien, a serial entrepreneur, educator, and jack of all trades with a suite of businesses in media, technology, and education. His multi-passionate nature allowed him to build his creative empire. He joins Jerlisa “Juju” Fontaine on the Very Necessary Decisions podcast, where he shares insights into building a multi-faceted business empire that spans various industries, from influencer marketing to book publishing.
The Necessary Decision For Success
Jacques's entrepreneurial journey began in college, at SUNY Albany, when he began to cut hair and throw parties to fund his education. He started his first business called Boogie Cuts. This seemingly simple venture laid the groundwork for his business acumen, teaching him to start businesses that were sales funnels for the other. For instance, party attendees were often clients who came to him for haircuts while simultaneously also attending his events. At one point, he considered not finishing his degree, as he stated that with him making as much money as he was, he didn’t see the value of getting his undergraduate degree. However, he decided to continue his studies and graduate. Later, Boogie Cuts evolved to just Boogie and became a social media marketing agency.
Despite making multiple necessary decisions in his career, his first one came when he left college and took an office job to have temporary financial stability. He still had his entrepreneurial dreams and wanted to start his own business. Jacques claimed he would himself, “What could I do to make the stakes high enough whether monetary or in another area of my life?” He would ask this to motivate himself in his entrepreneurial ventures.
Comparison Is The Thief of Growth
“Don’t compare your month two to someone’s year seven”
In 2016, Jacques launched Shade, an influencer marketing agency representing Black and Brown talent. Shade quickly became a leader in the space, connecting brands like McDonald’s with diverse audiences through authentic, culturally relevant content. This success allowed Jacques to expand his portfolio of companies such as:
- Nappy Stock: A free stock photo platform featuring images of Black and Brown people, meeting the demand for more inclusive media.
- Snappy Booth (sold): A photo booth service for corporate and private events, later sold to focus on location-independent businesses.
- Dahlia & Friends: a children’s book publishing company depicting black and brown characters. Created a division within this business for influencers who were part of Shade, to co-author children’s books.
- Chery Maids: a home cleaning service for parents and professionals in Tampa. Launched after acquiring Airbnb properties to offset cleaning fees.
- Creator Cookout: a course for creatives and freelancers to understand the business side of their work. Partnered with Google to record six courses.
Jacques recommends committing fully to your vision for those starting their entrepreneurial journeys. Whether that means securing an office space, learning new skills, or hiring a team, the key is to raise the stakes to ensure focus and dedication. He also warned against comparing oneself to others, advocating for authenticity and patience. Always “give yourself some grace” as entrepreneurship has its seasons and it’s tough. No matter how long you have been in business.
The Importance of Building Your Anchor Business
Jacques emphasizes the importance of an "anchor business" to support other ventures. He warns against jumping to the next thing, what he calls shiny objects syndrome, without first building a sustainable business that will cover your basic expenses. The profit from Shade served this role, funding his expansion into real estate, book publishing, and even children’s media through "Dahlia and Friends," a project inspired by his daughter. This model allowed him to experiment while maintaining financial stability.
He stresses that your companies have to blend seamlessly and generate profit by offering the same client a variety of services by addressing their needs so they can benefit under one umbrella. For example, a client from Shade could use Nappy’s products, because, in addition to Nappy being free, there is a photo studio on the backend. Another team from the same company can use the studio for high-quality photos or shoot company ads.
He also highlighted the necessity of building systems and teams to scale businesses effectively. He uses what he calls “unfair advantages” to run his businesses. He utilizes his anchor business team at Shade, to help with his other businesses. He takes care of the design and branding because he is an expert in both. If the design and branding are solid, it attracts the target audience that will invest in the product or service. To figure out your own target audience ask yourself questions like:
- Who do you want to impact/cater to? He suggests following the answer to this question by asking
- ”What problems are you currently experiencing, creating in this space, and can you provide a solution?
When launching a new business, before he sells to his target audience, he also makes sure he can be the first consumer of the business. By leveraging profits from his anchor business, he remained loyal to his creative roots and invested in growing his other passion projects into profitable companies.
Navigating Seasons of “Working Smart or Harder”
Acknowledging the grind of early entrepreneurship, Jacques shared a pivotal shift in his philosophy—from "hustle-preneurship" to a more balanced approach. He now prioritizes well-being and strategic planning over constant hustle, recognizing that sustainable success requires both hard work and smart systems. Jacques is family-oriented and makes sure to devote time to his wife and daughter.
When asked if you need to work smarter or harder, he states that both are important to be at an advantage. There are stages to business, and each stage requires a diversity of tasks. At one point in your business, working smarter can mean implementing a tool that saves time or hiring folks to take over a challenging side of the business. Working harder, especially during growth periods, could look like working extra hours. Jacques makes it clear that balancing being the executor and the visionary is required.
The Future of Creative Entrepreneurship
Looking ahead, Jacques predicts a shift in influencer marketing. He believes creators will increasingly launch their businesses, leveraging their platforms to promote products and services.
In terms of content creation, there is still room for diversity in thought. If you are interested in content creation, he recommends authenticity. Be the person who says what hasn’t been said. By practicing vulnerability, you can add a different perspective to the booming industry.
Though it is recommended to create short-form content to rank in algorithms, Jacques advises creators not to be afraid of tapping into long-form content too.
Over time, things will become saturated but it’s still important to maintain a social presence, as consumers don’t purchase a business without social proof. They often check a brand’s social pages and website before clicking “buy.”
Lastly, for freelancers and creatives who are nervous about AI’s takeover, fear nothing. AI can never give context and is only helpful in a limited way. He recommends
- Identifying the specific type of businesses you want to work for.
- Be specific, in the problems you solve, the businesses you want to work with, and the results you want to generate for clients.
- Look for key players in this niche. Then, take a look at their testimonials to get a better idea of the types of results they have created for their clients.
- Emulate them and you can build your business and brand from there.
The following prompt can be used in ChatGPT to get started:
I’m [Position Title], and these are my [list all your technical, hard, soft skills, etc]
What problems do these skills solve? What [industries or people] have these problems?
Ready to embrace your identity as a jack of all trades and go all in on your business(s)? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay updated when the next episode is posted here.
Check out Jacques Bastien’s work here:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jacqueshbastien
Website: https://www.jacquesbastien.com/
Norhan Ahmed
Norhan Ahmed is an Egyptian American multi-passionate writer, poet, speaker, community builder, and entrepreneur. She is originally from Brooklyn, NY. She has worked in the HR industry for the past couple of years and has now switched her career to copywriting/content writing. She enjoys writing for women-owned brands and businesses that are focused on spirituality. In her coaching practice, she helps clients heal physical and emotional pain by addressing the mind-body connection. She does this by using psycho-spiritual tools and methods to heal chronic ailments from the inside out. These tools realign your mind and body to achieve overall mental and physical wellness by getting to the root of these issues. When she is not online trying to beat the algorithm, she’s binge-watching Gossip Girl (again) or reading a book.
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