Jennifer Jank on Helping Entrepreneurs Reclaim Their Time and Energy

Hi, Jennifer! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

Jennifer Jank (JJ) is a productivity consultant helping business owners make more profit in less time and with better systems. Her goal is to help entrepreneurs, especially women, reclaim their time, energy, and attention away from busyness and towards joy… without sacrificing profits. She can be found on her website, www.jenniferjank.com, as well as on LinkedIn. During her tenure as a financial planner and CFP professional, she began to explore behavioral finance in order to better serve her clients and continues to research the neuroscience behind productivity. JJ holds a BA in Physics from Rutgers University and an MBA in Finance from New York University. She is a speaker and author known for her engagement with the audience even on virtual calls and the ability to distill complex topics so that everyone can understand them. Recent speaking engagements include SBDC national conference, PIHRA annual conference, American Women Business Association, Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center, REC Innovation Lab, “CEO Chat” at RVN TV and She Leads and Creative Conversations podcasts. Previous speaking engagements have included Invest Like Her, Riverside County Bar Association, California Trial Academy, National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association Western Conference, and others. Publications she is featured in or written for include PIVOT, Brainz Magazine, Journal of Divorce Financial Analysis, Coachella Valley Weekly, and others.

Who are your customers?

Women business owners of professional service firms (such as lawyers, accountants, financial advisors).

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

Previously, I was in finance in corporate America and spent the last decade or so as a financial planner.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I got bored with financial planning and also disenchanted with corporate America. My last job was an extremely bad fit, and I decided after that it was time to work the way I wanted to work.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

No — actually, I grew up in Northern Virginia where almost all my friends had at least one parent who worked in the Defense Department. I didn’t know you could have two parents who didn’t work for the government until I went to college at Rutgers in New Jersey!

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

My main strategy was to get my thought leadership out on LinkedIn, which didn’t get me the rush of business I was hoping for.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

I actually launched my business doing different work from the productivity consulting I do today. I started off as a divorce financial analyst, and although I was helping people and making money, I realized my heart wasn’t in it. I learned that it’s not enough to be competent when you have your own business — you have to really be passionate about it.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

Speaking at the SBDC annual conference in Tennessee last year.

Congrats, Jennifer! Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you’d like to celebrate with our community?

Speaking wins at the SBDC and PiHRA annual conferences.

Both such amazing wins. What’s next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

I really want to get the message across to women entrepreneurs that you don’t have to work so hard you burn out to make a difference and make money at what you do. So I expect more speaking gigs and to add more consultants to the roster for a wider reach.

What is your top productivity tip? 

Know when your best time to focus is during the day and schedule important work during this time. And guard this time like you’re the head of security for your calendar.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

Making time for loved ones and enjoyable activities (I’m learning cello and ballet) gives your brain the breaks that it needs to rest and recharge.

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

Avoid using “busyness” as a badge of honor. Instead, work to accomplish only the most important things that move your business forward, and automate/delegate the rest. That way you won’t be working more than 10 hours every day and on the weekends because you’ll be getting your work done with time left over the fun stuff.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

You really have to be active to make the membership work for you. Can’t do it by osmosis!

What’s the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

Calendar — time management is critical for productivity. Other apps can be distracting and unnecessary.

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

My CRM, so I can keep track of potential collaborators and easily see the last time I contacted them.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Put your own oxygen mask on first! Otherwise, you don’t have enough air to help others.

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