CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) – It took a southern Illinois couple just a few years to turn their small business into a national treasure.
“We’ve had this map since the beginning of our journey,” said Yemisi Anderson.
The map Yemisi is talking about shows deliveries to more than 30 states in September 2023. Yemisi and James Anderson run a spice shop called The Jay Effect in Carbondale, Illinois.
Yemisi said that promoting their business at numerous events helped them gain exposure.
“It went further and far because we now had a bigger community and a bigger reach helping us do it. So now it’s not just us and our friends and family, it’s us, our friends, our family and our community doing it,” Yemisi said.
But now the map shows 45 states in the US where they have shipped their spices, something Yemisi said she once thought was an impossible task.
“Sitting here today and having five states left on the map. I’m… wait, wait. This doesn’t make sense to me. It feels pretty surreal,” Yemisi said.
James said people are drawn to their spice bottles because of the unique blend.
“As opposed to trying to do this. Do this, do that. So just having a bottle and you can do this and it’s whatever you want,” James said. “I think it’s like a dream come true.”
James thanks her church for supporting her business and allowing her to operate out of the church kitchen.
“Since we cannot prepare and process this, we are grateful that we have a place for it here. Right here in our church,” said James.
The Andersons share this message with anyone looking to start a small business.
“Connect with what God is telling you, you know? And that’s really the most important thing: Stay connected to what He’s calling you to do,” James said.
“Don’t despise small beginnings, because you never know how far you will come if you don’t take a step,” Yemisi said.
The Andersons told me that they had just filled in the North Dakota point on their shipping chart because they wanted to complete the northeastern part of the U.S. map.
For more information on the progress of the corporate card, click here.
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