Read on Twitter
Celebrating 5 years of JL&Co today! 
On 2/1/16, I bet on myself when I turned my blog/side hustle into a full-fledged business.
Here are the most important lessons I've learned about running a business over the last five years.
On 2/1/16, I bet on myself when I turned my blog/side hustle into a full-fledged business. Here are the most important lessons I've learned about running a business over the last five years.
1. You don't need to have it all figured out right away — be OK w/ experimenting. In the beginning, I did a little bit of everything to make ends meet: PR, marketing, writing, social media. Over time, I niched down. I landed on content management. But it took YEARS to get there.
2. Don't let other people cloud your vision. As my biz started to grow, people in my life encouraged me to keep getting BIGGER. Hire more people! Land more clients! They meant well, and wanted me to succeed, but I have a different sort of vision for JL&Co in mind. Stay focused.
3. Take the time to actually enjoy the freedom you've created for yourself. I quit my 9-5 for a reason. So long as I get my work done and keep my clients happy, I adore taking advantage of my schedule flexibility: I sleep in when I'm tired, work out mid-day, take breaks, etc.
4. SAY NO to red flag clients.
Oh, if only I could get back the hours I spent agonizing over clients who exhibited all kinds of red flags from the start. These flags are much easier to spot these days, and I'm (thankfully) way more confident turning away those opportunities.
Oh, if only I could get back the hours I spent agonizing over clients who exhibited all kinds of red flags from the start. These flags are much easier to spot these days, and I'm (thankfully) way more confident turning away those opportunities.
5. Enlist help & delegate. JL&Co bears my name, but I am not in this alone. I am grateful for my team of contractors ( @RachelPluck, @shmabbywolfe, @fdomiwrites & @CarsonKohler), @SoloPR community, clients who have become friends & my extended team (accountant, web design, etc.)
I hope to always channel the buzzy feeling of possibility that an eager, bright-eyed Jessica of the past felt on 2/1/16.
Cheers to the next five years!
Cheers to the next five years!
