Go Ahead Gals - Believe Something Really Big About Yourself!

COWORK TO GET WORK: THE JILLS 5

Quick 5 minute reads to keep you up to date on trends, tools, and tips for the solo professional.

We love giving props to women entrepreneurs helping other entrepreneurs. It is the future of work and the realm of all independents. In today's JILLS 5 post, we recommend taking a few minutes out of your day to read about Kimberly Lexlow and Jess Legge, Co-founders of Sifted, an email sorting service, as they open up about the benefits of investing in a coworking space and the need for more women to consider doing the same. 

4 Reasons Why More Women Should Join a Co-Working Space | Entrepreneur |

Acknowledge Your Achievements. ALL OF THEM!

JILLS SPOTLIGHT The Joy of An Important Story

When it comes to design, Stacey has it all going on - print, graphics, event, and product design are all part of the work that shapes Stacey's amazing career. You can connect with Stacey in THE JILLS DIRECTORY for all your design project needs. We are excited to spotlight Stacey Anderson, JILLS Madison Hub Member, and to let her share a little of what keeps her inspired and focused. 

"I am a creative designer with a diverse skill set ranging from the conceptual to the technical. I can lead and be led, work independently or as part of a team and comfortably interact with all levels from peers to executives. I am a strong, collaborative team builder who focuses on cross-functional diversity and an agile thinker who can quickly adapt to new projects and processes.

My Mac and Adobe Creative Suite are my essentials, but I love a really great weighted pen and a sketchpad to capture my initial ideas. A silly sense of humor gets me through any project, and add a cup of coffee to the mix, and I'm pretty much set to go!

I know first-hand the joy of an important "Story" settling first into your lap, then into your heart. My daughter, Story has been the best chapter in my life and sparks my creative juices every time I see her smile or sleeping gently".

Click here to view Stacey's full JILLS profile and contact details. 

If You Don’t Know It’s Broken, How Can You Fix It?

Our JILLS have great things to say and we're so happy to share it! 

Belinda Wasser is the founder of Rocket Girl Solutions and a guest contributor to THE JILLS NEWS. With over 25 years of experience in business workflow and logistics, Belinda offers up practical advice on running your business so it isn't running you. We're proud to have Belinda as one of our JILLS OF ALL TRADES and welcome her expertise in working with solo professionals and small business owners as their part-time business managers. Belinda loves taking care of the daily details and minutiae so business owners can get back to the work they love doing!

I was poking around my client Stephen’s web site the other day. We just began working together and he had asked for my opinion of the site and its content.

Before long, I found my way to the Contact page. There was a form for visitors to get in touch, so I filled it in with my own info to see what would happen.

I pushed “submit” and up popped a screen with this message: “Thank you for using InstaForm Plug-in for WordPress.” Uh oh. Clearly this was a default message that should have been customized but never was.

Wait. It gets better.

A few minutes later, I received an automated “welcome message” email, one that looked like it was generated by a computer from the ’80s (courier type font). Among other things, the email said, “Thank you for contacting us. A representative will be in touch with you shortly.”

A representative, you say? Odd, since Stephen works alone (and always has). You get the picture.

Fortunately, these were easy problems to fix. But the experience highlighted a bigger problem I often come across when reviewing systems and processes of small businesses: Somebody has set something up … but nobody has ever tested it!

The moral of the story? Look at every aspect of your business from an outsider’s point of view and make sure everything functions as expected.

Here are a few places to check to get you started:

1. Your voicemail messages. When someone calls your voicemail, do they get an automated message repeating your phone number? Do they get a message that sounds flat and dry? Are they asked to “leave a message at the beep,” as if anybody in 2016 still isn’t sure how to use voicemail?

Or, instead, do they hear your happy self, asking them to leave a message and telling them you’ll get back to them. (Easy trick: Stand up and smile when you record your voicemail greeting message!)

2. Your newsletter sign-up process. How easy is it to fill in the form? How many questions do you ask (the fewer the better)? What happens after you hit the submit button? Is an email confirmation sent? What does it say and how does it look?

In short, how can you use this as an opportunity to stand out and make a great first impression?

3. Your shopping cart. Do you have things for sale on your site? Here as well, test it by buying some things and seeing what happens. Make sure the coupon codes work. See how easy (or confusing) it is to check out and complete a purchase.

Remember, fixing problems when they occur is important. But unless you are testing your processes and systems on an ongoing basis, you may never know that anything is broken! Little things matter – especially when you are a small business – make sure everything is ship shape.

Originally published on Rocket Girl Solutions: https://rocketgirlsolutions.com/dont-know-broken-can-fix/

JILLS SPOTLIGHT on Fashion & Love

Meet Helen Butterly, JILLS member, and fashion designer.  Helen is based in Manhattan, NY and works with clients all over the U.S. and the globe! You can connect with Helen in THE JILLS DIRECTORY, along with many other talented JILLS.

We wanted to let Helen share her story of how her love for her brother and for design launched her urban apparel line Rock & Rebar, which has been featured on HGTV. 

I started my career in the early 90's in the children's wear industry. After fifteen years of Barbie, Cinderella and other divas, I was motivated to reveal something edgier and new for an all-new market. I embarked on a freelance design career for men's and women's tees, influenced by Classic Rock and a vintage style that had become a dominant influence in the fashion industry. My top-selling designs produced significant trends and sales from properties like The Doors, The Beatles and KISS.

But my true passion for creativity and design was fulfilled when I launched Rock & Rebar - a line of men's work-wear that fulfilled my desire to launch a tribute line to my younger brother, James Daniel Butterly. James was found dead of an accidental drug overdose in April of 2007. "When something like this happens to you... you start to evaluate your life... this isn't a dress rehearsal. This is it." 

I grew up in the working class section of Philadelphia and I know what it means to be in a family of union members who are proud of their work and their contributions to society. "Rock & Rebar adds color and style to America's hard-working craftsmen. I am confident they will appreciate a designer line that salutes their profession." After Jimmy's death, I felt inspired that Jimmy wanted me to recover from his loss by doing something that would make a difference in her life and deliver a positive message from within the roots of their family. "I decided to call the collection 'Rock & Rebar' - 'Rock' because construction sites are in essence rock and stone cement, but Jimmy and I are also rockers. We loved the same music and bands... And 'Rebar' because it is the skeleton of a building. I knew my graphics would be full of skulls as the iconic representation of today's edgy lifestyle statement." 

Today I continue the Rock & Rebar line and work with diverse clients to design the perfect, edgy apparel for their businesses and organizations. 

Click here to view Helen's full JILLS profile and contact details. 

Find the good & focus on it.

Unplug: disconnect to really connect

It may be time to take the work day back.

I know many of us started solo careers so that we could shake the shackles of the 9 to 5, but our hyper-connected digital lives are creating a space for us to work anywhere, anytime... and it seems that might be exactly what we're doing. 

And of course, those of us working as solos are not the only ones feeling it.  The blur of the line for sending and replying to work email and posting to social media has all of us too often feeling the need to work all the time. And we all understand why. It seems that even when we try to put that darn smart device away, we wonder and worry what we might be losing out on if we're not checking in. And in doing this, we're actually forgetting what we are indeed losing out on - the life in front of us that very moment.

Gulp. 

Was that what we wanted? 

Far too often our shift to being a solo leaves us feeling so dependent our on smart devices to stay 'connected', 'in the loop', and at the 'fore of everyone's mind' that we can forget that real connections come when we meet face-to-face, have conversations, extend ourselves, teach one another, learn, talk, listen, socialize, and make friends, and build community. 

Because how connected can we be to the people, places, and experiences that are happening right in front of us when we're constantly pulled away and looking at something else; literally or metaphorically. 

So in the spirit of building a work lifestyle that really works, here are few ways to consider unplugging with confidence in order to possibly connect authentically. 

1. Set working hours. Do this for you and for your clients. It doesn't have to be Monday to Friday 9-to-5 if you don't want that, but being clear about when you're available will help you get comfortable leaving that voicemail or email until 'opening hours'. Letting your clients know when your shop opens and closes will also help them understand when to expect to connect. This clarity in communication will make everyone happier.
2. Power-down to promote creation over consumption. There is plenty to consume.  Plenty. You'll do yourself and your business a favor if your 'creating hours' outweigh your 'consumption hours'.  Make sure and tip your scale toward creation. 
3. Better manage your time online with smart tools. There are several online tools that can block access to specific websites for different time periods, like Selfcontrol, or that can completely disable your internet connection for a defined time period, like Freedom. Try them! 
4. Take extended technology breaks and build them into your calendar. This might be for certain hours or certain days, and when you get brave enough this might even be for certain weeks. Planning these technology breaks helps you be more mindful and intentional about your 'tech breaks' and helps you build the discipline to step away from that phone. 
5. Host unplugged events.  Go on, give it a try.  It's really okay if there are no social media photos to confirm all that fun at your event! 

There really is no one 'right way' to unplug from work, so do what makes sense to you. But try unplugging, if for no other reason than to know, that we can still connect even when we're disconnected.