HER STORY ⟡ Jen of Effortless Support
Hi friends!
My name is Jen, and I live in Columbus, Ohio with my beloved Spouse and my awesome Dad. I am the founder and chief administrative goddess behind Effortless Support, THE Virtual Assistant Service for Small Business Owners. I specialize in helping creators, makers, healers, and folks, who do-all-the-things for their business, to focus on their JOY - by doing the mundane, boring busy work that detracts from the joy of your business.
While Effortless Support is a new business, I actually started a VA business in 2018, and it failed.
It failed because I was too scared, and too dialed into “perfection. I’m admitting this to you, up front, because I value transparency, and also because I think society doesn’t talk enough about the failures that happen before success begins! No one can come right out of the gate at 100% and keep going at that rate!
Enter the last three years. Time to think. Time to focus/refocus. Time to work on me.
Key things I learned: I am a recovering perfectionist and a recovering workaholic, who needed to refocus on myself, what I/my family unit wants and needs, and the need for *my* JOY.
And this is where Effortless Support comes back in. A renewed sense of who I want to work for and with, and a renewed sense of JOY in doing this work to help others.
Why I Started?
Effortless Support was inspired by my sister, @UpcyclingLibrarian, a maker, creator and small business owner. I became her self-appointed “Hype Beeyotch”: helping person her booth at various craft/maker events, while also being able to brag about her amazing work and ethos behind what she creates, and it brings me so much joy to help her.
I have over 30 years of administrative, events, outreach and connecting skills. I love helping people, especially helping to connect them with their JOY. We start the process of working together with either a free 30-minute Zoom or free 30-minute IRL meet-up, to discuss who you are, what your business is/goals are, and what parts take away from your JOY.
We discuss ways in which I can help you and then we go from there. It’s a very collaborative process, with no tasks too large or small. It's about trust, connection, and being of service, as well as heard. You can hire me by the hour or purchase discounted blocks of time – it all depends on what you need and what fits your budget.
What I Love About Being A Business Owner?
The flexibility and contributing to the success of other small businesses. And connecting with other humans, especially sassy, vivacious women who have a similar life outlook.
What type of impact do you hope to have on those you meet and/or who purchase your products?
A sense of having been heard and seen, and that your passion matters (because it does)!
With the added bonus of another lesson in the joy of asking for help – because it is so, so hard to do it, but in my experience, always results in larger gains than I ever expected!
Who or what inspires you?
Kindness inspires me. You cannot be selfish and kind; ignorant and kind; crabby and kind. Kindness brings out the best in people, even if you are simply observing kindness from afar.
And JOY inspires me.
Kindness and joy are infectious. Some of the most unexpected experiences that I’ve had are observing someone living their joy, or a random act of kindness – especially if I’m in a poopy mood. Those moments are excellent reminders that we need each other to thrive.
What is your favorite piece of advice you've ever received or favorite quote?
I have two guiding principles:
“You are a spiritual being in a human body” pretty much blew my brain the first time someone said it to me. I heard that as: this experience of being a human, in this form we call a biological body, is imperfect. It is also a shared experience, so even when I feel alone or feel happy or feel anything, I’m not the first person to feel this, nor the last, and someone else somewhere feels the same thing right now. It inspires me to keep swimming along, even if I’m not sure where I’m going.
The other piece is “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” While it may appear any “success” in my life was done just by me, it wasn’t. I am the collective of the mistakes I’ve made, the people who have helped me along the way, and the inherent moxie of being a woman in this world (with privilege galore, yet still a female).
What does BEAUTY mean to you?
The most beautiful people in this world are those who laugh in the midst of their failure(s), choose kindness over fear, and continually learn about themselves, their world, and their community with openness and hope. This applies to micro and macro situations.
What advice would you give your past self just starting your business?
Since I’ve had some experience in this ☺ Just start and do. Perfection is not real, and no one wants to work with a know-it-all egomaniac. Be humble, ask for help, learn all that you can from anyone you can find, LISTEN, connect – and the business will come!
What would you like our Beauty Boost members to know?
We have all been raised to believe that not only that can we do it all, but we *should* be able to do it all, on our own. That’s a big, fat lie. No one is able to do it all, especially on your own. We need each other to navigate life, whether in small or large ways.
I have the skills to help and to connect, and that’s what I want to do for my community, especially for women in The Beauty Boost community.
A few ways in which Effortless Support can help you (by no means a comprehensive list):
* Need someone to organize your files, invoices, client documents, photos, and/or supplies?
* Have paperwork to complete for insurance, a show, your LLC?
* Need help tracking/shipping order(s) for supplies, a vendor, a larger project on which you are working?
* Need help with logistics and travel to a show 4 states away?
* Need help with communications in general? Writing/copywriting for blog, social media, websites, newsletters, flyers, invitations, etc.; cleaning up your email lists or CRM platform?
* Need research done on anything?
Even if we don’t end up working together, the bonus is still making that connection between strong women. I am positive there is some way in which I can help you create even more joy in your life!
Where can our community find you?
https://linktr.ee/effortlessventures - from here you can click on ‘Schedule a Consultation’ to choose a date/time that works for you. Remember, 30-minutes FREE via Zoom or IRL to see if we’d be a fit.
