JILLS SPOTLIGHT The Joy of An Important Story

When it comes to design, Stacey has it all going on - print, graphics, event, and product design are all part of the work that shapes Stacey's amazing career. You can connect with Stacey in THE JILLS DIRECTORY for all your design project needs. We are excited to spotlight Stacey Anderson, JILLS Madison Hub Member, and to let her share a little of what keeps her inspired and focused. 

"I am a creative designer with a diverse skill set ranging from the conceptual to the technical. I can lead and be led, work independently or as part of a team and comfortably interact with all levels from peers to executives. I am a strong, collaborative team builder who focuses on cross-functional diversity and an agile thinker who can quickly adapt to new projects and processes.

My Mac and Adobe Creative Suite are my essentials, but I love a really great weighted pen and a sketchpad to capture my initial ideas. A silly sense of humor gets me through any project, and add a cup of coffee to the mix, and I'm pretty much set to go!

I know first-hand the joy of an important "Story" settling first into your lap, then into your heart. My daughter, Story has been the best chapter in my life and sparks my creative juices every time I see her smile or sleeping gently".

Click here to view Stacey's full JILLS profile and contact details. 

JILLS SPOTLIGHT on Fashion & Love

Meet Helen Butterly, JILLS member, and fashion designer.  Helen is based in Manhattan, NY and works with clients all over the U.S. and the globe! You can connect with Helen in THE JILLS DIRECTORY, along with many other talented JILLS.

We wanted to let Helen share her story of how her love for her brother and for design launched her urban apparel line Rock & Rebar, which has been featured on HGTV. 

I started my career in the early 90's in the children's wear industry. After fifteen years of Barbie, Cinderella and other divas, I was motivated to reveal something edgier and new for an all-new market. I embarked on a freelance design career for men's and women's tees, influenced by Classic Rock and a vintage style that had become a dominant influence in the fashion industry. My top-selling designs produced significant trends and sales from properties like The Doors, The Beatles and KISS.

But my true passion for creativity and design was fulfilled when I launched Rock & Rebar - a line of men's work-wear that fulfilled my desire to launch a tribute line to my younger brother, James Daniel Butterly. James was found dead of an accidental drug overdose in April of 2007. "When something like this happens to you... you start to evaluate your life... this isn't a dress rehearsal. This is it." 

I grew up in the working class section of Philadelphia and I know what it means to be in a family of union members who are proud of their work and their contributions to society. "Rock & Rebar adds color and style to America's hard-working craftsmen. I am confident they will appreciate a designer line that salutes their profession." After Jimmy's death, I felt inspired that Jimmy wanted me to recover from his loss by doing something that would make a difference in her life and deliver a positive message from within the roots of their family. "I decided to call the collection 'Rock & Rebar' - 'Rock' because construction sites are in essence rock and stone cement, but Jimmy and I are also rockers. We loved the same music and bands... And 'Rebar' because it is the skeleton of a building. I knew my graphics would be full of skulls as the iconic representation of today's edgy lifestyle statement." 

Today I continue the Rock & Rebar line and work with diverse clients to design the perfect, edgy apparel for their businesses and organizations. 

Click here to view Helen's full JILLS profile and contact details. 

Find the good & focus on it.

JILLS Spotlight WordPress Designer & Developer in Demand!

We're so excited to Spotlight Lisa Ghisolf, Creative Director and Wordpress Designer & Developer. Lisa is part of our Chicago hub of JILLS, and works with clients across the U.S. and even in Australia! She's a talented public speaker and storyteller and we're eager to let her share her story with all of you.  You can connect with Lisa in The JILLS Directory along with all of our talented JILLS MEMBERS. 

A long-time designer, I started out in high school, with a foray into journalism which focused on quality content, the beauty of clean typography and publication design. This grew into work for the University of Iowa student union, the American Marketing Association and many others over time, creating a breadth of work with a singular focus: Clean, intelligent design.

Of course, no one is a jack of just one trade. I’ve parlayed my experience in HTML and CSS into intuitive user interface design, and build websites primarily in WordPress. I design standards-based, click-friendly emails for Constant Contact, AWeber, MailChimp and other providers. And my print work spans direct mail to business cards and interactive brochures with an eye to spending your marketing budget wisely and creating great, communicative marketing pieces.

The majority of my clients come via referral. Though I have clients across the country [and even in Australia!], I find the personal touch conveys not only my desire to see a client’s vision realized, but also how I help them with reliable, ongoing support if issues arise. There’s nothing better than seeing a client react to a design that meets their every need and still surprises them with its intuitiveness.

If you pick up nothing else, know that my focus is finding the best way to speak to your audience. My work is continually used by many businesses over several years, whether it’s a website, direct mail piece or logo. While this doesn’t feed my bottom line, it just plain works.

Chicago-our kind of town

We're on a mission. 

WE WANT WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS OF EVERY SCALE TO LINK ARMS AND WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO LIFT EACH OTHER HIGHER SO WE CAN POWER THE FUTURE OF WORK. 

And as the snow falls fluffy and white this morning, I'm remembering the busy year we've had working toward that mission. 

So last summer we headed to CHICAGO. 

And what a day we had! 

There's not much to not love about the Windy City, but on the particular day the sun was shining, Lake Michigan was glistening, and we had a schedule chalked full of dates, and coffees and 'lunch and learns' with some really incredible women. 

First stop, Chicago's 1871, a hub of digital innovation and a buzzing hive of activity and energy, to connect with Nicole Yeary, founder of Ms. Tech, and join her community of tech savvy gals and wicked smart female founders to meet and greet and talk social media marketing tips at the Ms.Tech Mastermind event. 

Later we would connect with Lakshmi Shenoy, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at 1871 and Co-facilitator of WiSTEM, a sixteen week curriculum-based program that connect women to capital, community, and technology based resources. We chatted about women in S.T.E.M. and about our powerhouse of postdoctoral JILLS, like Sarah Caudill, Clarissa Muere, Sushma Kommineni, who are leading and shaping a path for women in STEM both in academia and in industry. We were amazed and delighted by the work being done at WiSTEM and left energized to have connected with other women creating paths for a women's workforce revolution. 

And we couldn't possible stop in Chicago without taking the time to meet up with our Chicago JILLS.  Lisa Ghisolf fought the traffic to enjoy an afternoon tea with us at The Mart, where she shared her experiences being a veteran solopreneur for her company, Gizmo Creative Factory. We laughed until we cried with her talented storytelling that had us living and loving the travel blogs she writes. 

WeWork Grant Park was the perfect ending to our day, where we relaxed, toured the amazing facility, had our first introduction to the WeWork community, and were completely smitten with the people, the architecture and the impeccable design of this gorgeous work space. 

'On Wisconsin' as they say and we headed home to Madison.

But after our whirlwind day, we definitely left a part of our hearts in Chicago. 

Ms. Tech founder, Nicole Yeary

We ❤️ WeWork

Coworking just makes good sense.

Shared spaces, shared resources, community, collaborations, and connections.

And it makes even better sense when you’re coworking membership extends beyond the walls of a single building to office spaces, hot seats, and conference rooms across the nation and around the globe.

And that’s why we love WeWork.

With locations throughout the United States into Europe, Asia and the Middle East, we can’t say enough good about the opportunities this presents for entrepreneurs with businesses of any scale to be lean and agile, to grow organically, to build community, to learn and grow, to find mentors, and to connect with talent.

Cofounders Corinne Neil & Megan A.C. Boswell

Add to it, WeWork’s penchant for honoring the history and the architecture of their buildings with an incredible sensibility and style, their ultra flexible membership options, their education programming, and we cannot imagine connecting with a better organization for the location of any business.

And that’s why THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ is excited to join the WeWork community.

We cannot wait to shine an even bigger light our JILLS MEMBERS while providing the WeWork community with a one-stop shop for on-demand, specialized talent.