We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jillian Jensen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jillian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Embarking on my entrepreneurial journey with the launch of Jillian Jensen Events in 2015 was an absolute leap into the unknown. I had only been in the full-time working world for 5 years and on top of that was expecting the arrival of my first child. While I had seen great success in my full-time job that included promotions, amazing opportunities, and lots of professional education, I wanted a lifestyle that offered greater flexibility, reduced travel, and a sense of independence.
Fueled by this desire for change, I took the initial step of starting my own business while still in the corporate world. It was a calculated risk, an opportunity to test the waters and validate my concept before fully committing. Yet, the decision to transition from stability to uncertainty in 2015, leaving behind the security of my full-time job to pursue my passion as a wedding planner and entrepreneur, was completely and utterly daunting.
The transition brought with it a slew of challenges. Navigating the complexities of LLCs, securing business and health insurance, and don’t even mention how to actually turn a profit. Without the guidance of a business advisor, I adopted a trial-and-error approach, tackling each obstacle with determination. While the actual job of being an event planner came naturally to me, the entrepreneurship was a steep learning curve.
Fast forward to 2020, and I found myself facing yet another curveball. The onset of the pandemic brought the wedding industry to a grinding halt, completely bulldozing the momentum of what had been my most profitable year as a wedding planner in 2019. With gatherings restricted and understandable uncertainty, I was forced to confront the harsh reality of what the future held for my business.
Instead of just hoping and wishing things would be different, I seized the opportunity to explore a new creative endeavor. I have always been passionate about art and crafting – something I always just did for fun on the weekends. Wedding coordinating, which is much more logistics than it is creativity, left me wanting to do more physical art with my hands. Thus, I decided to take a major risk and made the largest business purchase to date at the time. I invested in a Glowforge laser machine, priced at $6,200, in hopes to unlock new avenues for monetizing art. I launched an Etsy page, built a website, dreamed and designed a list of 72 products that I could make. The journey was not without its hurdles. Marketing my services as a wedding planner had prepared me for many things, but marketing products presented a wholly different set of challenges.
The investment paid off. Within five months, I had not only recouped the cost of the machine but exceeded my initial goal. By the end of the first year, my gross profits had more than tripled the initial investment, affirming the success of my bold gamble and underscoring the resilience of the entrepreneurial spirit.
In hindsight, each risk I’ve taken has propelled me forward, shaping me into a more resilient and resourceful business owner. From the uncertainties of starting my own business to the challenges of navigating a global pandemic, each obstacle has served as a catalyst for growth, pushing me to embrace change, adapt to new realities, and pursue my passions with determination.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur. My journey into entrepreneurship began in 2015 when I launched Jillian Jensen Events. With a background centered around planning and coordinating special events, I felt right at home in the world of weddings. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of orchestrating close to 150 weddings and countless other special events, drawing on my experience as the former Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Colorado Boulder. Originally hailing from Connecticut, I’ve found my heart in Colorado for over a decade. I currently live in Erie, Colorado with my husband, two kids, and our pup Otto. You can always get a conversation started with me by talking about your dinking strategy in pickleball, the beauty of a Schiopettino wine (I recently passed the WSET level 2 exam and plan to do more!), or the best doc you just watched on Netflix.
About Jillian Jensen Events:
Jillian Jensen Events specializes in wedding coordination. I start working with clients 2 months prior to their wedding day and are truly there to help put the final pieces of the puzzle together. I meet with their vendors, make all the final confirmations, put together a very detailed wedding timeline and go through the to do list to make sure nothing has been forgotten. On the wedding day, I am coordinating the whole show! I greet vendors, ensure they are doing the services they have been contracted for, answering questions from everyone, putting out fires that inevitably will happen and making sure the whole event is running smoothly and on time.
Jillian Jensen Events is a TheKnot Weddings Hall of Fame wedding planning company with 100+ 5 star reviews on theKnot and Google.
About Jillian Jensen Creative:
In the whirlwind of 2020, when the events industry faced unprecedented challenges, I pivoted and founded my second business, Jillian Jensen Creative. This venture, now a vibrant aspect of my business, allows me to channel my love for hands-on creativity.
My main focus at Jillian Jensen Events is minimalistic line art. My best sellers include ornaments and framed art pieces of my customer’s dogs. Specifically, I take photos of their dogs and draw the unique outline of the ears. I absolutely love creating these pieces because each one is unique and individual to the specific pup.
Jillian Jensen Creative is a Star Seller on Etsy with close to 4,000 sales and over 1,300 5-star reviews.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
When it comes to ecommerce, I’ve chosen to sell both on my own website and on Etsy. However, Etsy accounts for a whopping 96% of my sales. Here are my pros and cons of selling on Etsy specifically.
Starting with the pros of selling on Etsy:
– Targeted Audience: Etsy serves as a go-to destination for handmade products, essentially functioning as a search engine for shoppers looking for unique items. As long as you can optimize your keywords and focus on SEO (all things that Etsy educators teach you how to do!), this will work in your favor!
– Established Marketplace: Etsy boasts a built-in clientele of buyers who value and appreciate handmade items. This pre-existing customer base provides a steady stream of potential sales opportunities.
– Value of Handmade: Customers on Etsy understand the value of handmade products and are willing to pay a premium for quality craftsmanship and personalized items.
– Marketing Opportunities: Etsy offers marketing tools that allow sellers to invest in targeted advertising directly on the platform. Utilizing these features has proven to be highly profitable in driving sales. And most importantly… it’s EASY. I am a one-woman business so anything that is easy is a huge bonus for me.
– Easily Viewable Reviews: Etsy does a great job hounding past customers to leave reviews and I think Etsy customers rely on reviews so much more than on other e-commerce sites. For my business, this has been a huge plus as customers reliably leave reviews and photos of the pieces I’ve made for them. I have over 1,300 5-star reviews so this is a huge upsell for me!
Here are the drawbacks to relying heavily on Etsy:
– Limited Customization: The platform’s limitations mean that customization options may be restricted. For instance, customers often have to manually message me their photos for personalized items (vs. having the option to upload somewhere), leading to some confusion and inefficiencies in the ordering process.
– Limited Access to Customer Data: This is a BIG one. Access to customer email addresses is limited, and direct marketing efforts are constrained by Etsy’s opt-in regulations. This poses challenges in building direct relationships with customers and executing targeted marketing campaigns.
– Transaction Fees: Etsy charges a commission fee of 6.5% plus $0.20 per sale. While this fee is justified by the platform’s access to a great audience, it still eats into profit margins compared to sales made through my personal website.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Early on in my entrepreneurial journey, I was pointed towards “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz, a game-changing read that shaped my approach to business finances. The book introduced the concept of prioritizing paying oneself first—a major departure from conventional business practives. Instead of the traditional formula of Sales – Expenses = Profit, “Profit First” advocates for Sales – Profit = Expenses. Even if the profit margin is minimal, the idea is to allocate a predetermined portion to oneself before covering expenses. This mindset shift resonated with me deeply, and I’ve since adopted it religiously in every aspect of my business.
Whether it’s a $10,000 cashout from a month on Etsy or a $350 deposit from a bride, I input each payment into my financial spreadsheet. From there, I calculate my salary, tally up expenses, and allocate funds to my business savings account. This disciplined approach has revolutionized my financial outlook, empowering me to take control of my business’s monetary health. And so far, it’s pointed me to financial success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jillianjensenevents.com and www.jillianjensencreative.com and jjensencreative.etsy.com
- Instagram: @jillianjensencreative @jillianjensenevents
Image Credits
Riley Whitson Photography