Boss Mom of the Week: Jessica Stansberry
Jessica Stansberry teaches female entrepreneurs the techy parts of running an online business (like setting up sales funnels, using ConvertKit, building their own websites and more)! She’s also a kick-in-the-butt business strategist that will help you take your business from A-Z AND a web designer. When she’s not getting nerdy online, you can find her on her podcast, All Up in Your Lady Business, or chasing chickens out of her yard on the farm she shares with her husband and two young boys.
Tell us a little bit about your family and your Boss Mom journey.
I feel like this is a really long story but it goes a little something like this:
I have always felt drawn to entrepreneurship, from the second I started in my program in college (Advertising) I started taking on freelance work doing business cards and brochures, baby shower invitations, etc. That was also when I created my first website, oh, if I only knew where that would lead me! I continued to take on freelance projects after graduation and while at my first “big girl” job in corporate America. I hated my job but it wasn’t until I got pregnant with my first son that I knew I had to find a way out of that job and into being self-employed and I KNEW, somehow, that my design skills were going to come in handy.
Fast-forward a bit, I had the baby, went BACK to my corporate job because I just couldn’t find that way out and my VERY FIRST day back from maternity leave, I got jumped all over for things that happened while I was on maternity leave (some I didn’t do, some I did and if it fell into the “I did do” category it was blown way out of proportion) and after leaving work and coming home, I had a bathroom floor moment. I knew that I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing and I knew I was meant to be home with my baby so I put in my notice two weeks later and went out on a HUGE leap of faith to become a stay-at-home Mom who was freelancing her little heart out. [I tell this WHOLE story in way more details on Episode #33 of my podcast (All Up in Your Lady Business).
Honestly, I wasn’t making enough money to even buy groceries for my family and we were struggling but I was OBSESSED with reading blogs and I wanted to start a blog all about tips and tricks for Photoshop (It was called I Heart Photoshop and didn’t stay up very long before I decided to be a Mommy Blogger…that didn’t last long either, ha!) BUT I was NOT about to have an ugly blog.
So I taught myself to design blogs with WordPress and then other people started paying me to design theirs. That went on for a few years until I morphed from a “blog designer” into a “web designer” and started focusing on female entrepreneurs! I am still designing websites today but my focus is much more on TEACHING people to design their own sites and conquer the scary techy pieces of running an online business.
I now have TWO boys, my oldest is 5.5 and my youngest just turned 3, and we hang out here on our little family farm in North Carolina. In addition to my main gig at www.jessicastansberry.com, I co-own a client appreciation gift service with my Mom (hopefully she can retire WAY early) and co-host the All Up in Your Lady Business podcast!
What are some of your favorite go to meals when time is tight and dinner MUST get on the table?
I once saw a little meme on Facebook that said “if you wait long enough to fix supper, they’ll eat cereal”, that’s pretty well what I live by, ha!
Honestly though, tacos are a quick favorite around here that can accommodate everybody (I’m gluten free, my husband is a meat lover and my kids are freakin’ picky) so it’s usually my go-to.
Where do you go for inspiration?
Where DON’T I go?! Pinterest is a huge place of inspiration for me design-wise but if I need to get motivated and need inspiration in that way, podcasts are my go-to.
What are you currently reading or listening to (podcasts, books, blogs etc)?
I’m honestly not much of a reader and if I DO read, it’s an audio book. The last one that I really enjoyed was “You Are a Badass” By Jen Sincero and I’m obsessed with all kinds of business-y podcasts; some of my favorites are The Get Paid Podcast, Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield, Being Boss, Elise Gets Crafty and, of course, Boss Mom!
What is one piece of business advice that you’d give to a boss mom just starting out?
Do what works for you! In the beginning years of my business I wasn’t making enough money to have childcare NOR did I want to send my kids to childcare so I worked at night after they went to bed. It was hard but it was worth it and now I still have my 3-year-old at home 2-3 days per week but things are just easier. Be willing to just do whatever works for you and your schedule, you can still be successful!
What are some of your favorite quotes or words to live by?
“Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people don’t shoot their husbands.” – Elle Woods.
You’re welcome.
From 2013-2014 I lost over 70 pounds and exercise and eating right literally made me a better person; I felt better, I was in a better mood, I was more confident, etc.
In one word, sum up your life as a Boss Mom.
BLESSED.
What are three core values of your business and how do those values relate to your motherhood?
Don’t be a butthead. I tell my kids this constantly and in my business it’s my number 1 rule for myself and my clients.
Keep your friends close. In this online business world, it’s hard to find people who relate to you and that you connect with, so, when you do, keep those people close and nurture the snot out of them. <—pretty well exactly how that applies to motherhood as well.
Be real. I’m a huge believer in being yourself; it will help you appear more authentic, be taken more seriously and just go further in this business thing. In Motherhood, it’s exactly the same, I encourage my kids to be themselves and be leaders not followers and, as a Mom, I stay real by talking about the not-so-glittery parts of motherhood.
Jessica has a few e-courses available that are perfect for those of us who are wanting to learn more about the tech side of business.
DIY Your Website is a self-paced course walking you through the steps to getting a website using WordPress! It comes with access to a private Facebook group to ask questions from your peers and Jessica, lifetime access to the course materials and a premade website theme developed for the course. Head here for more info.
- DIY Your Shop with WooCommerce is a self-paced course walking you through the steps to getting your WooCommerce store up and running! It comes with access to a private Facebook group to ask questions from your peers and Jessica and lifetime access to the course materials. Head here for more information.
Connect with Jessica!
