Not so long ago, you would have found Jenna Kutcher in a stuffy, windowless corporate office, stuck in a ladder-climbing nightmare that originally presented itself as a \u201cdream job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, this #girlboss is a self-made multimillionaire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u2019d she do it?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patience, perseverance, and Minnesota grit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using her $300 Craigslist camera, Jenna pursued her love of photography… one image at a time. Had you suggested that this minimal investment would eventually lead to the creation of a formidable mini empire, she likely would have smiled with Midwestern politeness and quickly changed the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Jenna is a digital marketing and business expert who uses the expertise gained in building that empire to help other entrepreneurs grow profitable, passionate, authentic businesses that allow them to live more and work less\u2014 turning their passions into profits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn retrospect, I probably should have known that the girl who would haul a cooler half a mile to reach the intersection of two desolate dirt roads in a tiny Minnesota town to sell lukewarm lemonade for fifty cents a cup would eventually become an entrepreneur,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna joked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her impressive success was undoubtedly hard-fought, yet achieved in what many would consider to be in expedited fashion. A key element of her success? Recognizing the need to hire a team when she knew she didn\u2019t want to stay stuck in the \u201ctrading dollars for hours\u201d business model.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As her photography business flourished, she recognized that in order to scale and create more revenue streams, she\u2019d need the support of others. She started with one hire, then the next and soon she was leading a team of ten. In recent years, it\u2019s become blatantly obvious that her brilliance is as the visionary\u2026 not as manager or operator, though she\u2019ll be the first to admit that she loves to integrate.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a long time, it felt unnecessary to pass off the work she was very capable of handling to someone else. This is, perhaps, a large part of what her tribe finds so appealing\u2014Midwestern sensibilities with, according to Jenna, <\/span>\u201ca brain that operates like it has a million open tabs.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

While each tiny decision made along the entrepreneurial path has contributed to her overall success, saying yes to each hire has played a significant part in her business growth. When referencing the business, Jenna often uses the term \u201cwe\u201d vs. \u201cme\u201d because it truly is a collaborative effort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Equally important? Launching <\/span>The Goal Digger Podcast<\/span><\/i>\u2014Jenna\u2019s liveworkshop style business podcast for creative \u201cgirl bosses.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started my podcast, it was literally an experiment,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna said. <\/span>\u201cI was just going to do it for 30 days. We launched before podcasting became what it is now, so I really didn\u2019t know what to expect.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Recording her episodes using iPhone headphones from her car in the garage (so the audience wouldn\u2019t hear her barking dogs), Jenna had no idea that her show would find its stride so quickly and help so many redefine success and chase bolder dreams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her \u201cexperiment\u201d turned into a <\/span>movement<\/span><\/i>, and with more than 33 million downloads (and counting), it continues to grow and gain traction every day as it provides listeners with productivity tips, social media strategies, business hacks, and inspirational stories to help them tackle goals and design their dream career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite her success\u2014<\/span>The Goal Digger Podcast<\/span><\/i> consistently ranks as the #1 Marketing podcast on virtually every distribution platform\u2014Jenna foregoes the fancy recording studio to this day, continuing to record in a closet in her home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love to do the most with the least. My podcast has revolutionized our business in such incredible ways. It\u2019s become the hub on our wheel of how we communicate to people, build trust, and get our offers into their hands. And I just love it! I\u2019m so proud of our show. I feel honored to get paid to talk into a microphone,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna shared.<\/span><\/p>\n

Living proof that one can literally plug in headphones and hit record, Jenna hopes people can see that sharing your message is more important than using a specific technology or having a \u201cperfect\u201d set-up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the message, and your message matters. Podcasting is a beautiful way to get your message out into the world and to continue to imperfectly lead, share, and craft a life you\u2019re proud of\u2026 a story that is being written as you live it. It\u2019s also a perfect way for people to integrate learning and community into their life,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Community is vitally important to Jenna\u2014 and the timeless, instinctual human need to be part of a community has heightened relevance right now during quarantine, especially for location-independent entrepreneurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOften, we\u2019re working behind a computer screen. We\u2019re clocking long hours, dreaming up projects, or creating free resources. When we don\u2019t connect with whom we\u2019re serving, it all starts to just feel really heavy,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Podcasting provides entrepreneurs with the opportunity to connect with those they\u2019re most compelled to serve while garnering the requisite exposure needed to achieve the next level of success they\u2019re striving to reach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That being said, Jenna cautions: <\/span>\u201cWe often set our bar for success based on what we see other people doing. I\u2019ve really had to learn to put the blinders on and keep my head down, to define success on my own terms.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Her definition of \u201csuccess\u201d may not be what you\u2019d expect.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, she is proud of the titles, her business, and her accomplishments. But what is she most proud of?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy freedom,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna answered without hesitation. <\/span>\u201cWhile titles, accolades, and awards are beautiful, that\u2019s not why I do what I do. I do it because I want to pursue freedom and encourage other people to do the same.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Serving her community with this as her overriding mantra is part of what \u201cputs fire\u201d in Jenna\u2019s soul\u2026 as does recognizing and applauding the countless number of people whose job it is to complete the necessary tasks essential to our society\u2014 trade-related tasks that others may define as lacking \u201cpassion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Smiling, Jenna said, <\/span>\u201cThe trades are super important! My dad worked in a paper mill or steel factory nearly his entire life. I think you can find fire in your soul no matter what career you pursue.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And she should know, having held many jobs she considers <\/span>\u201cweird.\u201d<\/span><\/i> From limousine cleaner and working retail at Abercrombie & Fitch, to selling golf clubs in a pro shop (regardless of having never golfed a day in her life) and following in her father\u2019s footsteps by driving a forklift for a paper mill, Jenna has what she calls <\/span>\u201cMinnesota grit.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

A self-proclaimed <\/span>\u201creally hard worker,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna was able to find little sparks of fire in everything she did before ultimately discovering what really lit her up: her career, and being present for her family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenna\u2019s journey to parenthood was not an easy one; in fact, it took three years to come to fruition. Now mom to a healthy, happy little girl Coco, Jenna has developed a fierce commitment to being present in every moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m reading my daughter a good night story, I want to be fully present,\u201d Jenna shared. \u201cIf I\u2019m working with my team or recording a podcast, I want to be fully present. That applies to everything in my life now.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One of the greatest gifts that came out of Jenna\u2019s journey to motherhood\u2014in addition to her daughter, of course\u2014is <\/span>\u201cbeing able to show women that they don\u2019t have to choose between having a dream career and being a mom. You can do both, and you can do both well! It\u2019s not going to be easy, and it\u2019s not going to be glamorous, but it is absolutely possible.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Of course, \u201chaving it all\u201d requires balance\u2026 and Jenna rivals Simone Biles on the balance beam.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She seeks out and accomplishes that balance by living her catch phrase, <\/span>\u201cNothing is urgent,\u201d<\/span><\/i> and by operating from a place of <\/span>\u201cenough-ness.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In a world where so many entrepreneurs draw arbitrary lines in the sand, reach their defined goal, cross out that line, and identify a new goal further down the path, Jenna does the complete opposite. Instead of continuously setting the bar higher and higher for herself, she perpetually contemplates how she answers the question, <\/span>\u201cWhat is enough?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always redefining what is enough,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna shared. <\/span>\u201cThis applies to the number of hours worked, clients onboarded, the income we bring in, the team we hire, and how many products must be sold in order to live the kind of lifestyle we want to live.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we operate by working backwards from that number, I found that I began claiming my time as my currency instead of my money\u2026 that\u2019s when my business grew and scaled the most. Time IS our greatest resource. When you are clear on your priorities, everything takes on new meaning. Fact is, our lives are happening, and our families are waiting.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Operating from this place of \u201cenough-ness\u201d also helps entrepreneurs avoid approaching their business from a place of urgency or scarcity, which rarely works out well. Neither does calling Jenna an \u201cinfluencer.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite having a significant Instagram following, a top-rated podcast, and a flourishing business, Jenna admits she\u2019s not a fan of the moniker.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hate the word \u2018influencer,\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i> she admitted. <\/span>\u201cI am blessed to have influence, and I truly believe that if you have one follower, you ARE an influencer. I prefer the term \u2018role model,\u2019 because I get to paint possibilities for people.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

No matter how many followers she has or monthly downloads there are of her podcast, you won\u2019t catch Jenna making her husband take 18 pictures with the perfect latte. Perhaps it\u2019s her Midwest roots that keep her grounded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really don\u2019t like people seeing me doing the Instagram-type things, though it\u2019s a part of business today, and I\u2019ll do some of it,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jenna said. <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s super uncomfortable for me to be \u2018posing,\u2019 and it feels narcissistic. I\u2019d much rather be known for inspiring people to be the best version of themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt Jenna is able to accomplish this objective daily\u2026 both for her tribe and, most importantly, for her family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Enough-ness accomplished.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not so long ago, you would have found Jenna Kutcher in a stuffy, windowless corporate office… Today, this #girlboss is a self-made multimillionaire.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,55],"tags":[113,112,93,108,60,110,109,58,111],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n