JILLS Spotlight

JILLS SPOTLIGHT on TEAMING UP to SCALE UP

JILLS SPOTLIGHT on TEAMING UP to SCALE UP

Debbie White, Founder of the Seattle boutique advertising agency, Frank + Candor, knows a thing or two about staying agile in a changing workforce.

Debbie has long since recognized the effectiveness and the efficiency of hiring the right person for the right job at the exact right time and she teams up with a collection of on-demand creative professionals to ensure her project outcomes are always unique, targeted, and top notch. Debbie's work-style is smart and savvy giving her the flexibility to team up to scale up as she accesses the best of the best to fill each project niche as she encounters them.  Debbie and Frank + Candor represent this new nimble future of work that THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ supports, encourages and knows that women can lead. 

Debbie was one of the first JILLS Members and proudly touts the power of women to be an economic force in the future of work. Her Seattle based, ad agency, Frank + Candor, works with companies across the nation and is a female-centric marketing agency focused on "Peak Women", 45-70, who she says "represent the most powerful, yet misunderstood, buying segment of any demographic." 

In an excerpt from the Frank + Candor blog, Debbie shares why she knows 'small is the new big'. 

"In advertising, I think the future is going to be small. As in small advertising agencies, boutique firms, and virtual creative hubs. As I sit here in our downtown Seattle WeWork office looking out at a slew of plugged-in workers that must be doing very substantial and exciting things, I think to myself, “I’m a part of this,” the small business, start-up co-working thing.

We’re all here, all of us independent business, co-working, kombucha-on-tap-drinking go-getters!

I see how well it works because this lean model is so adaptable to an ever-changing, project-based advertising business. From our standpoint, we have a small senior staff and our go-to specialists (that’d be super awesome freelancers in real-speak) that we partner with for particular projects. Those wonderful people are an integral part of our team, yet they are virtual—which makes everyone happy. And when we meet in Seattle, they get to have kombucha, too. Expanding and contracting with the needs of our ever-evolving clients, we work from home, co-sharing workspaces, or any wired place on earth. In fact, our most extensive account is 2,340 miles away.

This small but ever-connected ecosystem of seasoned creative thinkers is the new big advertising agency thing. And we’ll drink our rooibos kombucha to that!"

JILLS SPOTLIGHT: Designer, Jess Parvin & Her Freelance Lifestyle

JILLS SPOTLIGHT: Designer, Jess Parvin & Her Freelance Lifestyle

Jess Parvin fully embraces all the flexibility and fun that carving a freelance career has to offer.  After a successful experience as a museum curator at the Smithsonian, Jess now builds on her love of art and design by continuously educating herself and developing the latest skills to keep her on the cutting edge of graphic design, website development, branding and social media marketing. 

Jess loves music and she loves to travel making a freelance lifestyle a perfect fit for her talents and her passions. Jess is exciting to be part of THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ because she recognizes the importance of self-promotion and is eager to put a spotlight on her talent to continue to grow her business and build her connections. 

Here's Jess tells her story of jumping into the freelance lifestyle and the joys she experiences in forging forward in this new workstyle: 

"When I graduated with a degree fine arts & art history from the College of Charleston (in lovely Charleston, SC), I thought I wanted to be a museum curator. So after college I moved to Washington, DC and interned for a year at one of the Smithsonian museums. I loved being surrounded by world-class art but realized that the slow-pace of museum life was not for me! Soon after moving to Wisconsin I went back to school for graphic design and web design. After 3 years working full-time as a designer, photographer and web maintenance guru at a high-end clothing retailer, I decided to strike out on my own as a freelancer. Since then I have taught myself Wordpress, SEO, digital marketing (Facebook advertising and Google Adwords) and more. I love being self-employed mainly because it gives me flexibility to pursue other interests- especially travel. My partner, Josh, is a musician and I have been fortunate to travel extensively with him as he performs around the world (including 6 trips to Europe). Because of him I am actively involved in the independent music world and have worked with dozens of artists on their branding, websites, album art, posters, etc. I also love working with small businesses who are trying to make their footprint on the web. Past clients include musicians, visual artists, non profits, acupuncturists, massage therapists, restaurants, construction companies, online retailers. . . every project is unique!"

JILLS SPOTLIGHT ON SISTERHOOD, IDENTITY and IMPACT

Two sisters. One military spouse. One busy professional.  And two very different life paths. A search for identity and a need for more time brought these two sisters together and skyrocketed them into their entrepreneurial journey. 

JILLS SPOTLIGHT on Shaping What You Love Into Your Career

JILLS SPOTLIGHT on Shaping What You Love Into Your Career

Candice Wagener has always loved writing since her early years in elementary school to her current experiences as a freelance writer, journalist, and researcher.  She also loves making things from scratch - baking yummy treats, making healthy snacks, and creating homemade sugar scrubs and bath salts. And when time manages to offer her a moment of reprieve you might even find Candice sewing!