We were lucky to catch up with Jenna Miller recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jenna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

My path to creative entrepreneurship has been more of a gradual evolution than an overnight success story. I actually started my career in sales at Here Comes The Guide, a wedding website, back in 2009. Rather than immediately jumping into full-time creative work, I took a more strategic approach that allowed me to develop my skills while maintaining financial stability. Since we were a bootstrapped small business, I could wear many hats as I fulfilled my sales duties and learned everything I could about digital marketing—from brand strategy and website design to SEO, email marketing, and more.

The real turning point came when I followed my passion for design and got the courage to take some initiative – I secretly wireframed and redesigned our entire company website, and then presented it to our CEO. That bold move started the trajectory of my role as Creative Director, which finally allowed me to legitimize what had previously just been my ‘design hobby.’ The incredible thing about Here Comes The Guide is that they actively encourage us to shape our own roles based on our passions.

What’s unique about my journey is that I’ve managed to create a sustainable blend of both worlds. I work a 4-day workweek as Creative Director of Here Comes The Guide, which has given me the flexibility to launch my own business, Absolute JEM, where I help other women entrepreneurs with branding and website design. This hybrid approach has been incredibly valuable – it provides stable income while allowing me to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams and empower other women.

Looking back, I wouldn’t necessarily speed up the process. Each step – from sales to secret website redesigns to creative direction – built crucial skills that now serve both my full-time role and my business. My journey shows that you don’t have to choose between stability and creativity – sometimes the sweet spot is finding ways to leverage both.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Jenna Miller, a California girl turned East Coast creative who’s found her sweet spot at the intersection of design, digital marketing, and female entrepreneurship. By day, I serve as Creative Director at Here Comes The Guide, a women-owned wedding website, and by night I run Absolute JEM, where I design bold brands and custom websites for women entrepreneurs. I’m also a certified barre instructor, Army wife, mother of 2, and Bravo historian.

What sets my approach apart is that I don’t just make things pretty – though that’s certainly part of it! Having worked in digital marketing since 2009, I bring a holistic understanding of what makes businesses truly shine online. I’m a self-proclaimed web marketing nerd who’s worn every hat in the digital space: from SEO to copywriting, social media strategy to email marketing. This means when I create a brand or website, it’s not just visually stunning – it’s strategically crafted to convert viewers into clients and rank well on Google.

Through Absolute JEM, I specifically partner with female entrepreneurs who are ready to level up their businesses. Your brand should have a sparkling personality that matches your own, and I’m passionate about knocking down any visual barriers standing between fierce, capable women and their career goals. Whether it’s a brand refresh or a complete website overhaul, I combine bold design with proven marketing strategy to help women entrepreneurs stand out in their industries.

What I’m most proud of is how this work extends beyond just design. As a working mom and military wife, I understand firsthand the delicate balance of building a career while managing family life. I’ve created a flexible, remote career that allows me to thrive professionally while being present for my family, and I’m passionate about helping other women discover similar possibilities. There’s something magical about empowering women to build successful businesses from their home offices, and I’m honored to be part of their journeys.
I want potential clients to know that when they work with me, they’re getting more than just a designer – they’re getting a strategic partner who understands the full digital marketing landscape and is invested in their success.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of creative work exists in two layers – there’s the deep, meditative concentration of the creative process itself, and then there’s the transformative impact it has on my clients’ businesses.

When I’m in the thick of designing, everything else seems to slip away. I’ll put in my AirPods, turn on my creative focus playlist, and completely lose myself in the work. Whether I’m experimenting with color palettes, obsessing over the perfect font pairing, or transforming a blank screen into a fully-realized website, there’s this beautiful sense of both escape and freedom. It’s almost meditative – this state of flow where my creative instincts take over and hours pass like minutes.

I’ve learned that you have to fall in love with this process. The most heartfelt and effective brands emerge from the deep work of contemplation and experimentation, where you’re fully immersed in bringing a vision to life. It’s in those focused moments of mixing colors, adjusting layouts, and fine-tuning designs that the magic really happens.

But what makes it truly rewarding is seeing how this creative immersion translates into real impact for my clients. When all those hours of detailed work come together to create a brand that perfectly captures an entrepreneur’s vision and helps her business – that’s when I feel the deepest sense of fulfillment. It’s about more than just creating something beautiful; it’s about using my creativity to empower other women to shine in their own right.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I’ve found that my best clients have come through good old-fashioned word of mouth referrals. There’s something incredibly powerful about a satisfied client recommending you to their network – it instantly builds trust and tends to attract similar dream clients. I take on each project with the sole intention of doing my dead-level best, and that tends to pay off in both repeat clients and new referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://absolutejem.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/absolute.jem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/absolutejem/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/absolutejem/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/absolutejem/

Image Credits

Abidoodle Productions