We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Janene King. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Janene below.
Janene, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
I’ve done both my own social media and I’ve hired help. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is being really clear with my expectations and how I want my brand to be seen visually. From the images/graphics to colors and words that I want to be used or not used. It all matters and plays a role in telling a story.
Janene , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born and raise here in the midwest in small town Iowa and for about as long as I can remember I’ve had a dream to have my own business. I went to school for a business degree and I was’nt totally sure how I would use that. In college I got a job in the food service industry and so I thought maybe I would open my own coffee shop or restaurant.
I met my husband and he had started a transportation company specializing in moving freight throughout the US and Canada. He challenged me to think bigger and he showed me what the potential of building my own business would look like rather than contributing to someone else’s. I left the food service industry and became the VP of the business my husband and I co-own
Upon entering this male-dominated industry, I quickly realized that my need for connection and belonging was not being met. I started attending networking events where I often noticed women were competing for space rather than embracing each other’s strengths and gifts. My entrepreneurial journey felt lonely and isolating.
In 2017 I founded Empower Her Co. out of a desire for community. Over the next few years, Empower Her Co. has grown to serve women throughout Eastern Iowa and beyond. With over a decade of small business management experience, I have discovered that being connected to like-minded women is essential to fostering business growth and success. I am most proud to bring women business owners together and to provide space for community and support to foster among these women.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’ve had many pivot’s throughout business journey, from ending a business partnership because I no longer felt alignment and learning that alignment is everything as a business owner. It’s hard to press through the challenges of entrepreneurship when we lose our alignment and passion for what we are doing.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In person connection is the backbone of Empower Her and something that I value so deeply, so when 2020 happened and all in person connection came to a halt, I was faced with a big decision. I was determined to keep going, because now more then ever I felt like women needed connection and community as business owners. The challenges facing business owners was huge. So I took the community virtual and for the remainder of 2020 we hung out virtually. We had happy hours virtually and created community over zoom. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.empowerher.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerher.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empowerher.co
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empower-her-co/?viewAsMember=true
- Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-empower-her-podcast/id1572895013
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ifoJmVqVxFKrnDL4PQtXL?si=g6kBmHNlTHuHeA_jktIXwQ&nd=1
Image Credits
All photos by Jade Boyd