Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: Videos

Jaclyn Johnson | Mentor Session

Answers and advice from one woman entrepreneur to another

Image credit: Career Contessa

Wish you could have immediate access to all of the best advice from boss ladies in the business? Now you can. Introducing Mentor Sessions – answers to all of those questions you know you want to ask, from one woman entrepreneur to another. Coming up first, Jaclyn Johnson. She’s the founder of No Subject, a “creatively driven marketing, events, and influencer agency” and that’s just for starters. If you’re an avid ‘grammer you might be familiar with a little thing called Create & Cultivate aka the conference you actually wish you were at. In case you’ve missed it, Create & Cultivate, is an online platform & conference series for female entrepreneurs in the digital space. The brains behind it? You guessed it, also Jaclyn Johnson. If you’re not yet convinced that this lady has a thing or two she might be able to teach you about building a brand and a business watch below. She’s sharing some of her best advice that she’s picked up along her own entrepreneurial journey and there are definitely some tips you don’t want to miss!

Habits for success as an entrepreneur

On being more productive

Hiring a team around you

Finding your confidence and overcoming doubt

Landing your first client

Head on over to Toast Meets Jam on YouTube to find this video and many more. It’s my hub for all of my interviews with women entrepreneurs along with pieces of advice that I’ve picked up from meeting with so many of them. It’s also where I share insight into my own personal journey – what’s going well, what’s going not so well, and where I look for you to share your advice back with me. I hope you’ll pop on over, check it out, and even subscribe while you’re at it ; )

A toast to you and Jaclyn too,

June 15, 2016
The Conference Creator | Create & Cultivate

Jaclyn Johnson, Create & Cultivate

Image credit: Darling Magazine

One year ago I found myself suffering from serious FOMO. My Instagram feed was blowing up with pictures of this amazing conference, (yes I just put the words amazing and conference together) and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t known about it. What was this event that had me cursing my luck? Create & Cultivate – a conference designed for female entrepreneurs in the digital space. And the creative genius behind the event, none other than Jaclyn Johnson.

Jaclyn is like the girl boss of girl bosses. She knows what we want – Instagram worthy spaces, inspiring female voices, a way to connect with other girls like us – and has served it up to us in a way we couldn’t have even imaged was possible. And we aren’t the only ones taking notice of this toast of the town. Jaclyn has been named Forbes 30 Under 30, A Woman of Note by the Wall Street Journal and 25 most stylish Angelenos by StyleCaster just for starters.

During this year’s event I made sure my FOMO was no more and made sure I was in attendance at Create & Cultivate’s Los Angeles event. Lucky for me, not only did I get to attend but I also had the chance to interview many of the women entrepreneurs and presenters there including Jaclyn. Check out our interview below for her success story and best advice!

Interested in learning more about Jaclyn’s entrepreneurial journey and catching more of her advice for rising entrepreneurs? You’ll want to make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the The Jam weekly newsletter. Every week I’ll be delivering interviews and advice from entrepreneurs like Jaclyn straight to your inbox including videos reserved just for those in the Toast Meets Jam fam!

A toast to you and Jaclyn too,

Jen

June 13, 2016
7 Life Changing Attitudes I Learned in Iceland

This February I had the chance to take a trip of a lifetime; a week in Iceland with my best friend. Why Iceland? I wanted to visit somewhere that would inspire me to take on new challenges in 2016. From all that I’d read about this arctic island, it seemed like the perfect place to test the boundaries of my comfort zone.

While my friend and I had bet on an adventure, we could never have imagined what was in store for us when we arrived. From snowmobiling across a glacier to snorkeling in nearly freezing waters, each day we were met with a new and exciting feat. Over dinner each night, we fell into the practice of recapping the lessons our adventures from the day had taught us. In pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones, we inadvertently began to recognize the attitudes we’d adopted to assure a truly rewarding trip.

When our time in Iceland drew to a close, my attention turned to my life back home. I wondered how things might change for the better if I brought those learned attitudes into my regular routine. While I’d challenged myself to a trip that would leave me inspired, I returned with a new ambition; to develop a truly rewarding life by practicing these 7 attitudes.

Watch now to learn what they are!

Trip Sponsor: Arctic Adventures

April 28, 2016
The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Business This Year

“Eventually it all connects” – Charles Eames

Why do you want to build and grow your business and what are you doing this year to make that happen? In this video I’m sharing the surprising way I answered those two questions.

When I quit my job at the end of 2013, I was feeling stuck. I was clocking in and out of work on a routine that was keeping me from truly experiencing life. I knew I needed to create a career path that set me free not only to explore new places but also to meet new people and discover new ways of living.

While it might seem obvious from the outside looking in, until I sat down to write my goals for 2016 I hadn’t recognized that this career is what I’d begun to create when I launched this site. I’d seen Toast Meets Jam as a way to inspire other young women to build their lives around what makes them happiest but had failed to see that I was also on the receiving side of that message. The reason for putting the work into building and growing the site is not only to inspire others but also to walk alongside them as I trail blaze my own path.

Since travel has always been the thing that makes me feel most inspired, I knew that it needed to be a part of my annual resolutions. I turned my eyes toward Iceland, a country that had topped my list since reading about it on a favorite travel blog of mine a year ago. With the help of the amazing team at Arctic Adventures, I was able to make that resolution come true this February.

Watch now to see how that trip became the best thing I’ve done for my business this year.

–

Music: Of Monsters and Men | Crystals

Trip Sponsor: Arctic Adventures

April 17, 2016
Overcome the #1 Obstacle of Launching a Business
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur who hasn’t yet taken the first step toward launch, I’m going to take a guess that one of the things holding you back is a fear of failure. This is probably the #1 obstacle to overcome and it’s something that every founder faces.

No matter how great your idea the truth is, you have no way of knowing how things are going to turn out once you launch your business. And that, can be extremely scary.

The thing that sets successful people apart though is that they have found a way to get over their fear and embrace the uncertainty before them. If you think about it this way, that means there are many people who have gone before you who have figured out how to do this.

While there is no right or wrong answer, here are four tips shared with me by female founders on getting over your fear of failure.
1. Invest the time to become an expert
Do your research and become the most knowledgeable person you know on your topic. With the availability of information at our fingertips there is nothing holding you back from soaking up as much knowledge as possible. If you’re confident in what you’re talking about, you’ll feel more confident in sharing your ideas, and running 110% after your idea.
1. Financially Prepare
If you have an idea you want to run after or maybe just know that one day you want to run your own business, plan for that. Don’t up and leave your day job until you’re financially secure. Save. Create a budget and have a backup for making money if you need it. You’ll be able to focus better on your work if you’re not burdened by the “what-ifs” if things don’t work out.
1. Take it One Step at a Time
You don’t get from A to Z without a lot of letters in between. The thing goes for launching your business. You’re only going to make it from idea to ideal by taking things one step at a time. Set realistic expectations and goals for yourself that will keep you motivated and encouraged as you grow your business
1. Be Specific About Your Vision
Success may look very different for you than someone else. Your vision may be to build something that gives you the freedom to work when and wherever you want. Someone else’s vision may be to become the market leader in their industry. Hold yourself accountable to your personal vision and remember it’s not failure if it wasn’t your goal in the first place.

And one last thing, remember there is no end to building your business. It is a journey. Things may not always turn out as you’d planned but that doesn’t make those steps any less valuable. Hold yourself accountable for learning as you go not for knowing all the answers up front and you’ll start to see uncertainty as opportunity instead of something to be feared.

Now it’s your turn. What are your best tips for getting over the fear of failure?

Leave your answers in the comments below and keep the conversation going over at @toastmeetsjam.

If you like this video please subscribe and share it with all of your friends. Thanks so much for watching, why not stick around and for another helping of Toast Meets Jam?
October 28, 2015