Madison startups profile on THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™

Thanks to Madison Startups for giving THE JILLS a shout-out. We so appreciate the support. 

Madison Startups article, by Audrey Meis

Imagine yourself as a professional with talents that led you to a career of solo work. Now imagine yourself within a system of empowered entrepreneurs that are all searching for their next gig. This is exactly what Corinne Neil and Megan Boswell had in mind when they founded the Jills of All Trades.

With the trademarked term of “Work Solo-Not Silo,” the Jills of All Trades is a Madison-based network that launched in 2016. It showcases and supports the professional talents of individuals, particularly women, in a precise area of expertise, such as consulting, creative directing and independent contracting.

“Jills members recognize the power of aggregation to amplify the voice of women solo-entrepreneurs across the nation to lead the new project-based economy,” Neil said.

Working as an independent professional, Neil recognized that hunting for the next gig was a constant challenge.

Coming from the opposite side, Boswell realized how hard it was to find trusted, on-demand talent. During her corporate career, she ran into resource gaps that hindered team productivity when searching for freelancers.

Neil and Boswell, who met through their sons, shared the vision that there must be a solution to this two-sided issue, and from there, the Jills of All Trades was born.

Neil has a background in education and curriculum and content development, while Boswell has experience in marketing and design and launched her own consulting company three years ago. For the most part, company tasks are handled between the two of them, and they make sure to block days to work specifically on the Jills of All Trades.

”As we scale, the plan is to have a community manager as the ‘Jills Hub Leader’ in locations across the U.S.,” Neil said.

These Jills Hub Leaders will take on the “vetting” process of adding new members to the Jills website. Right now, becoming a Jill requires a check of references and portfolio. Men also have been featured on the site and are encouraged to join.

The Jills of All Trades website currently features just under 50 professionals. Their titles span from “Graphic Designer” to “Clinical Trial and Research Consultant.” Project seekers can browse profiles or create a posting for a job.

There is no middleman when potential customers reach out to contact a Jill. The company generates revenue through membership fees, and it also offers a fee-based service to help potential clients match directly with a specific Jill to meet the needs of the job.

With statistics on their side, Neil and Boswell see a bright future for the Jills of All Trades. Fifty-three million people in the United States are currently working as independent professionals, which is about 35 percent of the workforce. That number is expected to increase to 70 or 80 percent in the upcoming decades, according to Neil.

”Independent, project-based, contract-by-contract is the future of work,” Neil said. “And we think women are well poised to lead this new economy.”

ORIGINAL ARTICLE LINK:

http://www.madisonstartups.com/company-profile-the-jills-of-all-trades/

Startup looks to put women 'solo-preneurs' in spotlight

ERIK LORENZSONN | The Capital Times | erikl@madison.com | @eriklorenzsonn

May 11, 2017

About three years ago, Corinne Neil and Megan Boswell began talking about a trend they noticed: Women promote other women more than they promote themselves. They realized it was even true within their friendship.

“We realized we were bolstering one another, and learning from one another,” said Neil, a freelance curriculum developer. “And slowly, we wanted to expand that to other people.”

Neil and Boswell, a brand strategist who spent 12 years working for American Girl, decided to form a company they say harnesses that energy: Jills of All Trades, an online network where women working as freelancers can connect and mutually reinforce each others’ careers.

The idea is that “solo-preneurs” of any stripe — from web developers to fashion designers — can enjoy a “watercooler effect,” and stay on top of trends and best practices for freelancers. It’s also a platform where the “Jills,” as Neil and Boswell call them, can find work. The hope is that they’ll recommend each other and promote each other in their own networks and perhaps collaborate on projects.

“We believe that women will champion other women,” said Boswell.

The network is also a place where potential customers can look for a freelancer who meets their needs. In that regard, there is already some steep competition: The website Upwork is a well-established global platform for freelance gigs. But Neil and Boswell assert that Jills of All Trades puts the customer and the professional on a more even footing.

On Upwork, clients name the terms of what they’re looking for, and freelancers compete for jobs by outbidding one another. On Jills of All Trades, bidding is not part of the equation. The focus is on clients doing a bit more legwork to find the right person for the job.

People can search through the gallery of Jills, which currently features 37 entries, to find a freelancer.

“The talent shouldn’t be in the dark. The talent should be forward. They need to be in the spotlight,” said Boswell.

While the platform is designed with women in mind, men — “Jacks” — can also join.

Boswell and Neil say they want to keep expanding the network, and eventually bring on other people to serve as “gatekeepers” for Jills in hubs across the U.S. They’re also trying to build out features, like an option for paying clients through the website, and forums where members can chat.

The two pitched their company at the most recent 1 Million Cups presentation, a weekly event sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation that highlights young businesses in Madison.

ORIGNAL ARTICLE LINKS:

http://host.madison.com/ct/business/technology/startup-looks-to-put-women-solo-preneurs-in-spotlight/article_dea1a6fc-2d04-5e34-bd46-8d8910df2824.html

http://wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/2017/captimes-startup-looks-to-put-women-solo-preneurs-in-spotlight/

Sharing THE JILLS with 1 Million Cups

THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ Co-Founders, Megan Boswell and Corinne Neil, jumped in to the 1 Million Cups community last week to share their start-up story and their mission to prepare women to lead the future of work. 

"We're so lucky to be part of such a wonderful and welcoming community of entrepreneurs in Madison", explains Boswell who promoted the importance and the power of women entrepreneurs helping women entrepreneurs as the basis for THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™. "If you remember nothing else about us, remember this, we're women entrepreneurs helping women entrepreneurs", she said. 

I Million Cups is a weekly coffee meet-up at 9:00 am across the nation sponsored by the Kaufman Foundation as a way to to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs locally and nationally. I Million Cups Madison organizers, Rachel Neill and Drew Coursin invited THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ to present on Wednesday May 10th to a busy entrepreneurial crowd at the Madison Public Library, including The Capital Times reporter, Erik Lorenzsonn, who put THE JILLS face forward in his article, Startup looks to put women 'solo-preneurs' in spotlight.

CAPTIMES ARTICLE BY ERIK LORENZSONN.

Startup looks to put women 'solo-preneurs' in spotlight.

"We were thrilled to have the opportunity to share our story," says Neil, "and to be able to reach out to the entrepreneurial community to help fuel our momentum and support our JILLS MEMBERS."

Learn more about THE JILLS and watch the full presentation: