What’s one thing you’ve overcome that you never thought you would?

“Starting a business, I never thought I’d do that. That’s been pretty big for me. Trying to grow it really teaches you just how hard it really is. You see people doing this stuff and you’re like, ‘Oh, l could definitely do that,’ but there’s a lot more that goes into it. I started at the end of 2019, right there before COVID. I’ve been doing it since then. I’m always learning with that, but even with life, I find myself still learning stuff. I do beard grooming products: oils, butters, balms, to help condition and make your beard healthy. You can use it on your skin, it’s so natural. I got involved with a group called Bearded Villains, a worldwide club. It’s just bearded men that get together. We do charities for autism. We do charities for veterans, stuff like that. Something that was close to me is my brother passed away when he was 10. He passed away from DIPG, which is a brain tumor. He always called me a hippie because I had long hair at the time. When I created the business, I called it the Furry Hippie Beard Company. I give a portion of what I sell to the Isaiah 41:10 Foundation, a foundation here in Huntsville that donates to children’s cancer awareness. That’s kinda the big reason I did this. Different things happen to people throughout their life. It inspired me to do something that could give back to children that can’t really do anything for themselves.” – Jason Askins of Madison, founder and CEO of the Furry Hippie Beard Company

Jason Askins faced the challenge of launching a business just before the pandemic. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.