Jadis Montijo
As the founder of two flourishing ventures and a partner in others, Jadis Montijo has been a business leader and successful serial entrepreneur for a decade. But more than that, he’s a visionary rebel. A FTM transgender captain of industry, who marches to his own beat. He has his eyes firmly fixed on what he wants to accomplish—and the passion and ingenuity to make it happen. “I always find a way,” he says.
In 2018, Jadis met Dr. Jonathan Keith during a surgical consultation. After Jadis’ first procedure, performed by Dr. Keith, Jadis struggled to find a scar tape that would satisfy his aftercare treatment. Products available on the market failed to fit his active lifestyle. After many failed attempts to find a scar tape that would stick, Jadis approached Dr. Keith about teaming up to bring life changing innovation to the scar care industry and design products not just for everyone, but especially with the trans tribe in mind.
Motivo Scar Care: More Than a Brand. A Movement.
Motivo Scar Care focuses on creating scar treatment products that offer a better fit to the consumer's lifestyle and have purposeful effects. As a premium brand, every aspect of the brand ethos is showcased within the products: Quality, purity and effectiveness. Consumers will find that, when compared to competing products, Motivo’s products will last longer, perform more effectively, and enable a better quality of life.
Building the brand from personal experience, and Dr. Keith being one of the leading gender affirming surgeons in the USA, not only do they want to bring a much-needed change to the scar treatment industry, but also to be a pillar of support and resources for the trans community. “Giving back to communities that are close to our hearts is paramount to us. Not only can consumers resonate with our brand’s mission, but we are a brand they can stand behind,” Jadis shares.
As Jadis leads the LGBTQIA+ and scar treatment industry into a brighter future, he’s also helming a thriving, New Jersey-based cannabis consulting firm, called JADIS, that he founded in 2017.
JADIS: Taking Cannabis Entrepreneurs from Seed to Sale
JADIS is composed of diverse industry leaders with over 10 years of vertical cannabis expertise. The group has successfully worked in key markets across the country, inclusive of Washington state, Oregon, California, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Nevada, and more. Their experience ranges from organic license acquisition, sales, branding, marketing, compliance, all facets of operations, and community program development, to social equity and diversity initiatives. The group has assisted a multitude of clients in winning and developing cannabis licenses for all classes, demonstrating a deep understanding of regulated cannabis licensing intricacies by market and facility operations. They have also worked with established clients to improve operational efficiencies, remedy complex compliance issues, and develop systems to maximize profitability. During their tenure, they have forged strong networks of strategic partnerships that have bolstered the growth of the groups they interact with.
He has recently partnered with two successful entrepreneurs, Garth Case and Rita Ewing, to open a cannabis dispensary in NJ, called PLUG Naturals. PLUG Naturals will showcase the benefits of their technology. They plan to set the standard for innovation, quality, convenience, and education for their customers.
We spoke with Jadis to learn more about his experiences, what drives him as an entrepreneur, and what advice he’d give to others chasing their dreams.
What was life like for you growing up?
I was always in my own lane. A class clown and a rebel. In first grade, I asked if I could go to the bathroom and walked right out the front door, home (my mom brought me back to school and grounded me). Both of my parents worked, we weren’t wealthy, but we had what we needed. I just always starved for more. Starved to feel more like myself, starved to do things my way, starved to make things better.
Your determination to create Motivo Scar Care was born out of your own top surgery. Tell us a little bit about your experiences.
The main issue is me being one of the sweatiest people on earth (ha!). The recommended aftercare of scar tape was not working for me. I was at a bar one time, and it fell from under my shirt onto my shoe. I gave up on scar treatment after that, which resulted in a second "scar revision" surgery. I then approached Dr. Keith about building a brand to not only solve the issue, but to also empower the people using it.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring entrepreneurs or LGBTQIA+ folks that might help them with their own journeys?
Mindset is EVERYTHING. Every person on this planet has something uniquely special about them, very few have the mindset to recognize it and take action. Praying and manifesting will not work without taking action. You have to take risks to get what you want. Living every day, not being who you want to be and not following your dreams, is not worth it to me. Even for the most successful people, we all have our moments, days of doubt and discomfort, but nothing is more uncomfortable than staying the same.
What do you enjoy most about your work, or what drives you?
I love everything about business and being an entrepreneur—the good and the bad, the ups and downs, the unpredictability, and all of the challenges. I’m naturally a problem solver, so for me, it's fun. Success is great, but in the end, I just want to see how many of my dreams I can accomplish and who can I help along the way. I enjoy being involved with the Transgender Patient Family Advisory Council for Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and mentoring trans individuals, who I help with overall knowledge and resources towards transitioning, and even business-related matters.
Jadis Montijo
Founder & CEO — Motivo Scar Care, Jadis M, and Co-owner/VP of Operations for PLUG Naturals, LLC
Website: www.jadismontijo.com
LinkedIn: jadismontijo
Facebook: Jadis Montijo
Instagram: @jadismontijo
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