We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jill Koch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jill below.

Jill, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.

I have been working since the age of 14 so I have definitely had my share of boss’s and really only a handful stand out. Right out of college I worked as a news editor for a television station. It was my first job in the big leagues so to speak and I was definitely intimidated and unsure of what to expect. The boss I had there provided the greatest example of how to lead and treat employees. She was kind and understanding and would go out of her way to give a compliment when a job was well done. I was low on the totem poll at that job but I felt important and valued because of the way she treated me. It was how she treated every employee. Everyone there felt like their job was the most important one to the team. Her constant encouragement and positive feedback made me want to be the best employee I could be. I worked harder and happily gave extra of myself because she was so good to me and others and I had such appreciation and respect for her. Ultimately, aside from learning so much of the industry from her I learned how to lead. She taught me that in the end people want to be seen and valued and when you treat your employees well it is reflected within the business as a whole.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in Pennsylvania and in college studied broadcast journalism. After college I worked as a television news reporter/anchor for a small NBC affiliate in northern California. At the time that my contract expired I was feeling pulled to change careers. Unsure of what exactly that change should be I decided to pursue a nursing degree, a career I had considered when younger before switching to journalism. I worked as a nurse for a few years before having my son and decided to stay home with him once he was born. I absolutely love being home with him but started to feel like I needed a creative outlet. Blogs were popular at the time and social media was growing and given my journalism background I felt like this was something I would enjoy doing. It took me a little bit to figure out what I enjoyed sharing and talking about the most. The reporter in me loves sharing tips and tricks or when I come across something I think people would enjoy knowing about. I had also struggled with infertility trying to get pregnant with my son and at the time was really researching the ingredients in everyday items we use and the nurse in me wanted to share that information as well. And soon Jill Comes Clean was born. A play on cleaning and clean ingredients, it became the perfect outlet to be able to share my love for cleaning, organizing and keeping a tidy home, while also educating about common products we use on ourselves and in our homes. While we will never be able to eliminate the harmful ingredients from our lives 100% I do believe there are many areas where we can easily make safe swaps and cleaning is one of them. I think this is one thing that sets me apart from others in my niche. I try as often as possible to clean my home with simple, natural solutions and most times, that’s all we need.

Some other things that set me apart (aside from my obsession for all thinks pink and glittery) is my love for a good life hack and an easier way to do something. I also love a good gadget or useful tool and share those when I come across good finds, especially if they make a task easier at home.

My goal is to alway help bring value to my audience. I know people are busy so I try to make it worth their time to watch my videos and hopefully take something away that they can use. I want people to love their home and feel confident in the way they care for it. With busy schedules it isn’t feasible to be cleaning and tidying all the time. I strive to give practical cleaning and organizing tips that are easy to implement and maintain while throwing in tips for how to tackle specific messes simply and effectively. Like anything else, so much of caring for our homes comes down to habits so I teach simple cleaning and organizing habits that we can incorporate into our day that help keep our homes cleaner longer but don’t feel like a chore.

Lastly, I’m most proud of the content I have created and the Jill Comes Clean community. The fact that people trust me to help them care for their home means the world to me and the viewer will always be at the forefront of all that I do. I am honored and grateful to call this my job.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think non-creatives sometimes struggle to understand that this is real job and that being a creative, even though not the traditional type of job is still a ton of work. I think it’s still a relatively new career in some ways and it’s becoming more understood but if someone is not a creative and not in it then I can see how they don’t understand the full scope, much like I wouldn’t understand all the inner workings of a career I’m not familiar with. I still have some family and friends who assume this is just a side hobby of mine and they don’t understand all I do or that it is a full time career. Yes, I have flexibility and I can work it from home, but it still requires the work ethic and tenacity of any other job I’ve ever had, sometimes more. I think they also don’t always realize that because it’s something we can do from our phones and computers it isn’t always something we can “clock out” from. Yes, we need to set boundaries and not be working it all the time but there are still obligations and things we have to tend to that we may not have with a traditional job.

I would say though the best thing we can do is give them grace because so much of any lack of understanding or support stems from their being unfamiliar with it, as is true for any career. As creative type of jobs because more popular I think it will become a more understood and accepted career path. The more we share the more insight they get into the creative world.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are so many rewarding parts to being a creative but by far the most has to be when I’m able to help someone solve a problem. When I receive emails or messages hearing that a video of mine taught them a new skill they didn’t know or a new way to do something that truly means the world to me. Or when someone purchases something I recommended and they love it too that makes me so happy. I always want to add value in some way so when I hear that I was able to do that for someone it makes my day.

Contact Info:

• Website: jillcomesclean.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jillcomesclean
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jillcomesclean1
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Ellen Grace Photography