Jasmine stared at the towering stack of college acceptance letters on her desk, her heart sinking deeper with each piece of crisp paper she picked up. The printed words congratulating her achievements seemed to mock her rather than instill the sense of pride and excitement she had dreamed of feeling.
As she flipped through the expensive enrolment packages, printed on that thick, glazed paper universities use to lure students in, her eyes caught on the dreaded line, “Annual Tuition and Fees.”
The numbers were astronomical, even at the state colleges. Add in room and board, books, supplies, and living costs, and the total amount needed was enough to drown her in debt before she even started.
Jasmine had worked so hard to get here — taking every AP class, joining multiple clubs, volunteering, doing community service projects, and maintaining a stellar GPA. But now accomplishing that lifelong goal of getting into her dream university was feeling more like a prize-booby trap than a golden ticket.
How could any 18-year-old reasonably afford a quarter million dollars in tuition and costs, even with financial aid and scholarships?
Chasing the college dream
Ever since she was a little girl, Jasmine had dreamed of going to college and graduating with a degree that would open doors to an amazing career. She came from a humble background — the first in her family who would potentially earn a bachelor’s degree. Her parents always stressed how important education was and that getting a university degree was the key to success and climbing out of poverty.
Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Jasmine worked diligently with blinders on, doing whatever it took to make that dream a reality. Summers and evenings were spent studying, taking practice tests, and working unpaid internships — whatever could help build her college admissions portfolio. To Jasmine and many of her peers, not going to college simply wasn’t an option. It was framed as the only path to a stable, successful future.
And now that she had climbed that lofty mountain of getting accepted, the sense of accomplishment was dampened by harsh financial realities. All those years of effort felt like they could quite literally be priced out of reach.
A Risky Gamble
For weeks, Jasmine went back and forth endlessly. Taking on $200,000+ in student debt felt like a huge gamble — one that could lead to a lifetime of financial burden depending on her future career path and earnings potential. The horror stories of debt-saddled graduates working at coffee shops or getting taken advantage of by unscrupulous loan servicers weighed heavily on her mind.
At the same time, she couldn’t bear the thought of throwing away her shot after years of sacrifice and struggle to get here. Surely there had to be a way to swing the astronomical costs and still fulfill her dreams? She filled out loans and scholarship applications until she was cross-eyed, hoping to cobble together enough funding to make it work.
But after crunching the numbers, it was clear: even with grants, federal aid, work-study, and private student loans, Jasmine would be looking at well over $100,000 in debt by graduation day. For a low-income student without a financial safety net, that was an untenable risk that could derail her life plans before they even started.
Forging a New Path
Though it made her feel like a quitter, Jasmine came to the difficult decision to decline her hard-earned acceptances and forge a new path forward. The university dream would have to be put on hold, at least for now. She needed a way to avoid becoming another student debt casualty statistic.
As she agonized over her choice, Jasmine remembered the little snack business idea she had been tossing around for years. It started as a hobby — baking candies, pastries, and snacks to sell at local events and churches for pocket money. Jasmine had an uncanny talent for whipping up delicious treats that always sold like hotcakes.
What if she took that little side hustle and turned it into something bigger? Instead of pouring money into an education system that seemed bent on devouring young people’s financial futures, Jasmine could use that same funding to bootstrap her entrepreneurial venture into reality.
Her mind raced with possibilities. Using the money her parents had saved for her first year’s tuition, she could rent a small commercial kitchen and buy equipment. Her dorm fees could cover ingredients and supplies.
Textbooks and materials funds could go into branding, packaging, and marketing. It was a huge risk, for sure, but no bigger than gambling on going hundreds of thousands into debt.
The Sweetest Revenge
Fueled by passion and determination, Jasmine got to work. She spent weeks perfecting unique spins on classic recipes, taste-testing, and fine-tuning every detail until her creations were downright addictive. When she was finally satisfied, Jasmine took the huge leap of renting a kitchen space and purchasing ingredients, equipment, and supplies en masse, draining the last of her college fund.
She branded herself as “Jasmine’s Sweet Revenge” and set up accounts on all the popular food delivery platforms. Through sheer grit and hustle, Jasmine sold her snacks anywhere and everywhere she could — markets, festivals, fairs, workplaces, and more. She marketed like a woman possessed, embracing every form of social media to spread the word about her tasty wares.
It was an uphill battle at first. Jasmine spent brutal 18-hour days in the kitchen baking, packing orders, making hand-delivered runs, and handling every aspect of the business on her own out of necessity. She slept a mere 4 hours a night and had no social life outside of her entrepreneurial grind.
But with each Facebook share, positive review, and a 5-star rating, Jasmine’s snacks steadily gained a cult following. Before long, orders were being placed in cities beyond her local delivery area. Emboldened by her early success, she invested in Jasmine’s Sweet Revenge’s first retail space — a tiny kiosk storefront at a local mall. After operating costs were covered, she funneled every spare dollar back into growth, better ingredients, additional staff, and expanded locations.
The proof is in the profits
Fast forward just 3 years, and Jasmine’s entrepreneurial gamble had paid off in a big way. Her mall kiosk had spawned a statewide chain of 20 Jasmine’s Sweet Revenge retail shops, complete with a commercial baking facility and full-time staff. She had transitioned from selling out her car to generating over $30 million in annual revenue by her 24th birthday.
Her unique flavors and confections had become so popular that Jasmine began offering franchise opportunities to keep up with consumer demand. New Sweet Revenge shops were opening across the country each month as she sold franchise licenses to entrepreneurial folks who had been captivated by her story.
When Jasmine hired her first wave of corporate employees, she prioritized bringing on highly educated candidates to support her rapidly scaling business. While she had chosen an alternate route, Jasmine deeply valued the skills and experiences that came with formal degrees and academic training. She hired managers with MBAs and CPAs to handle operations, logistics, and finance. Her marketing team was stocked with creative graduates from top programs. Engineers were brought on to streamline production and manage supply chain systems.
In a delicious twist of irony, Jasmine found herself leading a large corporate workforce made up primarily of university-educated employees — the very cohort she had originally felt priced out of joining. She paid them top-dollar salaries and bonuses, believing wholeheartedly in properly valuing their expertise and creating fulfilling careers for her team.
With her profits, Jasmine was able to pay off her start-up costs completely debt-free within 3 years, even purchase a dream home for her family, and funnel millions into high-interest investment accounts.
All of this was accomplished by sheer determination and following her entrepreneurial appetite for success.
An Inspiration for Dreamers
While some may have seen her decision to forego university as risky or misguided, Jasmine’s incredible rise as a self-made entrepreneurial force is a modern-day underdog story that is inspiring countless others. Her against-all-odds achievements have sparked international media attention, including interviews with top business publications and TV personalities.
Jasmine is honest in interviews when asked if she has any regrets about not completing a traditional 4-year college education. While she acknowledges the value of academic training, her view is that an entrepreneurial spirit and an appetite for hustle are equally as important as a degree in manifesting success.
She credits the practical skills she learned through her Sweet Revenge business journey — skills no classroom could ever teach about money management, leadership, operations, marketing, crisis management, and more.
When asked for advice to share with aspiring entrepreneurs who may feel obstacles blocking their path, Jasmine doesn’t mince words:
“Don’t let anything stop you from pursuing your passion. Anything!”
