We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Janelle Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Janelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
I come from the generation of latchkey kids, so to see a child getting themself in the house after school was a regular thing. I remember walking to the corner and Chinese store to get food on my way home from school. Making these purchases caused me to learn how to count money and make transactions. I also had to ride public transportation to get home. Riding the bus made me realize how to be aware of my surroundings. My childhood has allowed me to travel the world and navigate many different deals over the years.
Janelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a digital marketing stratgeist for industry changemakers. I work with people who consider themselves disrupters. I create the strategy that is the game plan of their business online. I offer strategy and coaching to my clients, and I have a team that implements that strategy that I teach them to use. I host a podcast that informs my clients about how a proper plan can help them to live the life of their dreams.
Any advice for managing a team?
I kept trying to hire different assistants to take some things off my plate so I could focus on money-making activities. I would struggle to find an assistant that fits my budget to be consistent with. I also had difficulty figuring out how to give them the tasks and what I needed them to do. I asked a friend to hire my assistant, similar to an on-call recruiter. She knew my personality and who I would work well with, so she could find the perfect person for me. It is better to ask for help than to constantly spin your wheels trying to figure things out.
Once I had my team in place, I had to figure out how to keep them on task and happy. We developed a fun team survey to get to know each other and had fun team meetings. Our team meetings probably run a little longer than they should, but everyone is always cracking jokes and having a great time.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
I almost died in June 2022. I went to the hospital because I was weak, lethargic, feverish, and had a large abscess. It turned out that the abscess was an E Coli infection that increased my white blood count to triple what it should have been. I had surgery to remove the infection and was placed on antibiotics for three weeks. I was still in the hospital, talking to my clients and texting my team. I am blessed to have a team that can continue handling tasks without me. We are also 30 days ahead for most jobs. It was scary, but I believe it is all part of my story.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.janelleajones.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/janellejspeaks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janellejspeaks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonesjanelle/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/janellejspeaks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnW4wrmsf2Qcpzxg_SNqeaA
Image Credits
Jarvis Releford