Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer B. Jacobs.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jennifer. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was always creating as a child through visual and written form and figured out I had a natural propensity for persuasion (but always vowed to use my powers for good). As soon as we got our first Mac, I was designing and printing fake newsletters for my parents to find in the mailbox. Both of them were entrepreneurial at some point, which honestly taught me just as much what NOT to do. I knew one day I’d have my own business and even had it named when I was in high school (even though I’m not using it now), but fear and I suppose just life events started me out working for other people. I learned a lot that way but always felt it wasn’t right for me.
When my daughter was born almost 7 years ago, I got laid off and was equal parts terrified and relieved. I chose to elevate the freelance graphic design business I’d always had in some form to become my only gig. One of my friends, who is also my mentor in the world of marketing, encouraged me to take it even further by expanding fully into marketing because she saw that was basically what I was already doing for my clients. I mostly found my calling in helping female-owned small businesses, giving them not just branding and strategy but confidence in their own calling.
Last year when that same friend closed her own renowned marketing firm for professional services firms, she called and asked if I wanted to take over some of their clients. Pretty much overnight (or felt like it!), I found myself forming a new virtual agency with a team of specialized contractors and had to re-overcome the age-old “imposter syndrome” so many women entrepreneurs face. But I am so glad I said YES to that phone call. The agency is now a year old, so still new where growth is concerned but not in experience.
For now, I am choosing to keep both businesses because each feeds my calling in its own way. But both are similar in that I believe in marketing when it’s done in a genuine, authentic way that tells a story people can feel. I want each client to be seen and heard so they can do what they’re meant to do in improving the world in whatever way they’re all about. I like to think we’re all here to do something good with our talents, and it lights my fire to help people spread the word about theirs.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A big challenge until my daughter was old enough for full days of school was just time.
Ask any work-from-home parent, and they’ll tell you it’s almost impossible to get work done when your child is at home. I used to stay up way too late at night because of the pressure I felt to get everything done, which of course would only backfire on me, and eventually, I made it a policy not to do that to myself anymore.
Finding and keeping contractors has been challenging at times. It’s a lot like dating and hoping it’s a match in all the areas that matter most (so is wooing clients!). In all honesty, a very difficult divorce and a wealth of anxiety and depression issues often felt like they’d take me down with the ship. Being able to look back now and see how far I’ve come helps propel me forward.
Being at least a little bit open about these issues with clients when appropriate has mostly been met with compassion and understanding. The aforementioned “imposter syndrome” still likes to pop up occasionally, and I have learned through the mom entrepreneur networking/support group I co-founded (Mompreneur Mastermind of Atlanta) that this is just a totally normal thing you have to fight your way through.
Just because a talent comes very naturally and easily to you doesn’t mean it’s that way for other people, and chances are they are sitting back thinking, “Wow, look at her!” even when you’re unaware of your own magic. It also helps me to focus on the joy my work brings not just to my clients but to me.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Jennifer B. Jacobs Marketing & Jenesis Marketing – what should we know?
In my solo biz, Jennifer B. Jacobs Marketing, I’m basically a one-gal marketing department for solopreneurs and small businesses who know they need marketing to help their business grow and have finally realized the power of not doing it all themselves anymore. I also do a la carte projects to help people get started. There is so much confidence that comes with a professionally designed logo!
In my full-service agency for professional services firms, Jenesis Marketing, I spearhead creating a strategy and a team to support larger businesses with outsourced marketing on a wider scale. The agency is geared toward industries like accounting, law, IT, engineering, finance, etc., but with clients who are not necessarily your stereotypical definition of “corporate.”
In both businesses, I will piece together a non-overwhelming package tailored to what each business needs most. I don’t believe in doing ALL THE THINGS when it comes to marketing. It’s crucial that a plan involves only what will most optimize the goals each client has and meet their audience where they are. It might involve things like branding, social media, email and direct mail, ghostwriting and copywriting, websites… anything that will help them tell their story most effectively.
My knack is stepping into a clients’ *client’s* shoes and knowing what they need to see/hear and how they need to see/hear it and then creating and reinforcing the relationship between them. It HAS to feel real, relatable, and human for me to feel good about what I do.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
It is definitely NOT to keep “hustling.” That word makes me cringe every time I see it.
Anytime someone says they wake up every single day ready to get to their work, that just feels off to me. Some days you are going to feel lit up by your business, and some days you aren’t. It doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t love it any more or that you need to do something different; it might mean you just need to detach for a bit and offer yourself a true break. I don’t spend every minute of time possible devoted to my business, and I can assure you the quality of the work I produce is better than if I burned myself out every day. Being kind to myself and cutting myself some slack go such a long way.
I also believe it is so important to stop and consciously remember WHY you’ve chosen to do what you’re doing. If you can stay tapped into that sense of purpose, it helps you plug along even when you don’t feel like it. If you can’t stay tapped in on your own sometimes, reading back over client testimonials and talking with other people you relate to can really help reintroduce some vigor. It’s normal to question if what you’re doing really matters. It’s normal to be naturally good at something to the point where you forget that not everyone else is good at it (and definitely not in the same way you’re good at it), and that is exactly why you are needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.jenesismarketing.com
- Phone: (828) 367-7390
- Email: results@jenesismarketing.com
- Other: http://www.jenniferbjacobs.com
Image Credit:
Meave Photography, Monkey Bean Photos
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