We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Millhiser recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

So I’d like to start by saying that becoming an entrepreneur was never actually a goal of mine. I knew it was something people did and I have several entrepreneurs in my family; my husband also has a past life as an entrepreneur. But it’s just not the direction I thought I was heading.

I was living in Los Angeles, CA at the time, working as a Director of Operations for a swim school there – it was an excellent job for me, something I was very good at. Well, then the pandemic happened and my husband got laid off. We took that as an opportunity to leave Los Angeles (I’m originally from Vermont and was really ready to move on). He ended up taking a job in Denver and we moved in September 2020. During the move, I was working with my then boss, trying to figure out how to still make my role work from afar. We were able to make some tweaks and since everyone was basically remote anyway, it ended up working out fine. So we rolled with that for the remainder of the year. Then, in December 2020, one of the main instructors at the company split off to run her own swim school. I want to clarify that the parting of ways was totally and completely amicable, no hard feelings anywhere – it was the right move for all involved. That gal reached out to me and said “Hey, I’m doing this thing, but I don’t know how to run a business. Can you help me?” I really contribute that moment, to JMC being born. I was now helping run two businesses and I thought to myself, ‘maybe there’s something here’. For the entirety of 2021, I decided to see if there was. I continued to work with these two businesses, I slowly started networking, I slowly started connecting with other small business owners that needed help and things seemed to grow organically. It wasn’t actually until January 2022 that I officially got my LLC and decided to make a real go of it.

Basically, in a nutshell, my mission is to help entrepreneurs and small business owners build better businesses. And I do that by focusing on the internal operations, the logistics, the behind-the-scenes stuff that actually allows the business to function and thrive. I have found that this area, in particular, is something most people aren’t doing. They either don’t really know how to do it, don’t fully appreciate the value of it, or are preoccupied with trying to generate revenue.

What’s beautiful, is that this is my innate skill set. This work is something I’m very good at. Logical, analytical, execution and implementation. I like to say it’s the perfect mix of my innate skill set, my passion for the work, and an area of need. I feel very fortunate and very grateful that this is now my main focus. If asked 3 years ago if this is where I thought I would be, I would have absolutely said no. But as we all know, things can change, and quickly. I now tell people all the time, I am the happiest I have ever been.

Jessica , 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 help business owners and entrepreneurs in one of three main ways:

1. Business Identity
2. Manuals Creation
3. Business Organization

I’d like to break each of these down so readers can get a good sense of what each entails.

1. Your Business Identity is actually one of the most crucial components to your success. It is fully understanding and embracing who you are, what you’re about and where you’re going as a business. At its core basic level, it’s mission, vision, values. But I teach it in a way that is much deeper than that. I like to call it a businesses North Star, the central component from which every decision you make stems from. Having a strong Business Identity gives you better clarity, more focus and clear direction. It helps you know what to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to. And I tie this part to your idea of success, however you personally define that for yourself. If you understand what success looks and feels like to YOU, you’ll be able to better align your business vision. Businesses need a plan and a path, your Business Identity gives that to you and makes running your business easier and simpler. We work together to deep dive into all the nitty gritty and complete the project with polished mission, values and prioritized vision focus points.

2. One of my favorite things to do is work with someone who’s ready to grow their team. I encounter a lot of entrepreneurs who are nervous about this step towards growth. And it can be scary! You’re now taking on the responsibility of an employee. But if you want to grow, if you want to scale, it’s a step that needs to be taken. When I work with someone on this project, our main objective is to create a plan and path to successfully bring on a new team member – even if it’s just one, part-time employee to start. We assess the current needs of the business, we determine what the role we’re hiring for should be and we build out the documentation necessary. What processes and procedures are in place for this role? What resources are currently available and what gaps are there? Then we work together to create a Hiring & Training Manual and an Employee Handbook.

The Hiring & Training Manual is essentially the owners guide to how they’re going to find, interview, evaluate, hire onboard and train this new person. We go deep into each section so that the manual is thorough and the path is easy to follow.

The Employee Handbook is the teams guide to working for that company. Things like employee conduct, communication, workplace policies, time off and sick pay, etc. And of course, the state and federal policies that are applicable.

This is a project to be sure, but I hold your hand every step of the way. I guide you with weekly meetings, checklists and guides to help move through the work. This project is usually wrapped up in about 2-3 months. Every person I do this work with is beyond grateful by the end. They are ecstatic to have a solid plan and path for how to do this. And the great part, is that once it’s created, it can be used over and over again as your team needs grow. It is well worth the investment if team growth is a goal of yours.

3. And lastly, I have Business Organization blocks. Basically this is kind of a catch-all for anyone that wants help analyzing their current processes and procedures. What are the different categories in your business. How does each one function. What documentation is currently in place and what’s missing. Analyzing your client journey and the processes behind that is also something we do here. Maybe you need help with time management or productivity. These blocks are really all about addressing current systems and finding ways to improve them.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Oh my gosh, I literally have so many books to recommend! I absolutely love reading. And I love learning! There’s so much out there. I’m constantly trying to challenge myself, expand my perspective and enhance my approach. My TBR (to be read) pile is constantly growing, I doubt I’ll ever get through it. But I love recommending books that have helped me, that I have found insightful or given me a different perspective.

Firstly, I always recommend reading the E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber. I think it’s an essential book for every entrepreneur to read. It’s not too long and easily digestible and really breaks down what being an entrepreneur looks like as well as the different phases and stages of entrepreneurship.

I would then recommend reading SYSTEMology by David Jenyns. I tell people it’s basically my brain in a book. It’s all about systems within your business – what they do, how to create them, etc. But he gives practical, tangible advice that you can implement right away.

The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner is one I read in my Master’s program and has stuck with me. It’s a great take on what it means to actually be a leader and pull the best from those you work with.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown is another great one that focuses on what actually matters and giving the majority of your attention to those specific things. Try not to “waste” time on the things that really don’t matter.

I could go on and on but the last one I’ll mention is The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani. This one isn’t really business focused per say, but it’s all about living an unconventional life, living by your own rules and not being afraid to expand yourself in whatever way that means for you. Try new things, Fail at things. Learn, grow, pivot. It was really interesting.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Who doesn’t have a love/hate relationship with social media? My following is not particularly large and I’m definitely still trying to build my audience. But what I will say about this subject is that, I think, use social media in a way that feels authentic to you. For example, I am not one to try and hustle and stay on top of the ever changing trends. I don’t love reels. I’m not on TikTok. But I am visible in a way that feels manageable for me.

What I WILL say, is that I believe consistency is key over everything. Figure out which platforms you feel comfortable on, which platforms your ideal clients are on, and focus on those. Then I would say, figure out what consistency level you can commit to. For me, that’s posting 3 days a week. I will always, at minimum, post 3 days a week on my chosen platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). If I get extra in, awesome. If not, no big. I have seen steady engagement and slow but steady growth. But 3 posts a week feels doable for me. It doesn’t feel overwhelming and it doesn’t stress me out. So figure out what your number is and start there.

Having a scheduling platform was a game changer in this area also. I use Buffer. It’s free for up to 3 platforms. Basically, I time block my content creation and then schedule everything in Buffer so I don’t have to keep thinking about it. I try to create and schedule content one month at a time.

Meta Business Suite, Planoly and I believe, Canva (among others) are also platforms you can look at for scheduling options.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jmillsconsulting.com
• Instagram: @jmills_consulting
• Facebook: Jessica Millhiser | JMills Consulting
• Linkedin: Jessica Millhiser
• Other: https://jmills2017.wordpress.com/blog/

Image Credits
Studio 37 Photography