When people hear I co-own a construction company, they usually pause. They’re curious. It’s not what they expect from someone who also writes, speaks, and mothers four children. But the truth is, JASPER Builds is one of the clearest expressions of who I am and what I believe. We didn’t start this business because it was convenient. We started it because we had no other choice but to build a life that reflected the truth of who we were becoming.
After leaving the world we grew up in, my husband and I were starting from scratch. No network. No plan. Just four kids in the backseat and a commitment to do life differently. We knew we didn’t want to recreate the systems we had come from. We wanted to create something new. Something honest. Something real.
My husband has always been able to build. He’s incredibly gifted in craftsmanship and ingenuity. I’ve always been a builder too—of systems, teams, trust, structure, and vision. At some point, we realized those strengths could be more than survival tools. They could become a business. So we started saying yes to small jobs. We figured things out one client at a time. There were many late nights, early mornings, kids in tow, and a lot of trial and error. But we kept showing up.
That’s how JASPER Builds was born. Not as a business plan, but as a decision. This work has always been about legacy. Not just the kind you pass down in assets, but the kind you pass down in values. We wanted our children to see us build something with integrity. We wanted them to see what it looks like to take ownership of your life and create what you cannot find. JASPER has never been just about construction. It’s about people. About listening well. About helping families create a physical home that reflects the emotional and spiritual life they’re building inside of it. We’re not the biggest firm. We don’t say yes to every job. But the work we do is intentional. And the relationships we form often last long after the build is done.
Running this business while raising kids and writing a book hasn’t been easy. It’s been one of those seasons where everything is stretched so thin you can see right through it. And in it all, our daily work has remained a constant reminder that starting from scratch does not mean starting from nothing. You carry everything you’ve learned, everything you’ve endured, and everything you believe into what you create next. This business is teaching me how to lead without apology. It challenges me to grow and to use my voice. It reminds me that clarity is more valuable than credentials, and that building something that reflects your values will always be worth the effort.
After six years, every project still means so much more to me than just the work. Because I know what it costs to build something from nothing. I know what it feels like to be standing in the debris of a life that was never yours, and to choose to build anyway.
JASPER is more than a company, it is part of my story. It represents choice. It represents vision. It represents what becomes possible when you stop waiting and start building.
– Jasmine
