Conversations with the Inspiring Jessi Russell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessi Russell.

Jessi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started a blog in my freshman dorm room as a way to share outfits and beauty products with my friends and family. Back then, having a blog fueled my excitement to pursue a career as a fashion magazine editor. I landed an internship in New York with Seventeen Magazine’s features department.

After college, I became the social media assistant for Better Homes & Gardens in my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. I fell in love with the power of bringing the magazine editors’ work to life through social media. From there, my then fiancé (now husband), Chase, and I moved to Minneapolis where I began working for a social media marketing agency, The Social Lights. I had the opportunity to work with several household brands on building loyalty and trust with their followers.

Today, I’m a freelance social media manager, writer, and Stella & Dot stylist and lean on these experiences to help female entrepreneurs thrive online.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? Haha, is there such a thing? 😉 One of the biggest struggles I’ve dealt with is moving many times. I realized the other day I haven’t lived in the same place for more than a year until now. That brings on a lot of challenges for someone trying to establish a career. But what I’ve learned is you have to know every experience leads to the next. If my husband and I hadn’t moved to Minneapolis, I wouldn’t have such a strong background in social media. And had we not relocated to Phoenix last year, I may not have pursued freelancing and being my own boss.

What should we know about your business? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My background is in social media and I’ve worked with all kinds of brands, including magazines, beauty brands, and CPG brands. As a freelancer, I use the skills I learned working with larger brands to help entrepreneurs with their social media.

After talking to entrepreneurs about their challenges with social media, I learned it’s often a lack of time or energy that stops their growth. And that’s where I can help! I specialize in social media management and strategy. I handle the nitty-gritty of delivering meaningful content to my clients’ audiences. That allows an entrepreneur to focus on what she does best — being the boss of her amazing small business — but still allows her to show up on social media.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
One of the biggest barriers to female leadership is the idea that we have to do it all and do it all perfectly. I think it’s easy to get caught up in watching what everyone else is doing and to second guess your work or self-worth. It’s important to really know what you’re good at and passionate about and focus on that. Finding your niche will set you apart as a leader and will make you feel more confident in your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: jessirussell.com
• Phone: 515-577-2596
• Email: jessi@jessirussell.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jessisrussell
• Facebook: facebook.com/thestylishprint
• Twitter: twitter.com/jessisrussell

Image Credit:
Jennifer Hubbell Photography

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