Interview & Giveaway: Meet Jill Blashack Strahan – Founder Tastefully Simple and Author of the Book Simply Shine

It was very exciting to get to know Jill a little bit better and have her take some time to answer some questions for a Startup Princess interview.  She has an inspiring startup story and offers some bits of wisdom for businesses at every stage of development.  And, we’re giving away a copy of her book!  Details are at the end of this post!

How did you come up with the idea for Tastefully Simple?

The idea actually came to me back in 1994. When I decided to close my gift shop called Care with Flair Gifts & Gift Baskets, I was invited to be part of a local Holiday Crafter’s Tour – what some would call a parade of homes. At the last minute, I asked the craft tour organizers if I could offer samples of the food in the gift baskets. They agreed. In one and a half days, I sold $200 in gift baskets and over $2,000 in food.

I went to that event two years in a row, and then I had my “ding-ding moment.” At 3:00 am after reading an article in Entrepreneur magazine about two women who had started a home party company with home décor, I realized, “Ding-ding!” People are not looking for gift baskets. They want quick and easy, high-quality foods … and they want to taste-test. 

When I had my gift basket business, I had actually thought about doing home parties. Then after the Holiday Crafter’s Tour, I suddenly connected back to that idea. I was apathetic about home parties in the past, but this would be a party I would dig attending. Fabulous food, fun and talking with friends? Now I’d go to THAT party!”

Did you bootstrap or seek for investors?

I often say that Tastefully Simple was founded on a dream and a shoestring. And I am NOT exaggerating.

I bootstrapped the business with $6,000 in savings, a $10,000 investment from a silent partner (Joani Nielson, who would later take on an active role as our COO) and a $20,000 SBA loan. And the rest is history!

Back in June 1995, our headquarters was a 1,200-square-foot shed with no running water, and we used a pool table as our packing station. Today Tastefully Simple has grown to become a $100 million-plus company with more than 25,000 direct sales consultants across the country. (And yes, sometimes I STILL need to pinch myself!)

What 2 or 3 things do you feel really helped your business to grow over the past 16 years?

Primarily, it was alignment in three things. First, dreaming it and having clarity about what I wanted this company and its products to be. Second, having the faith and belief that it was going to work. Third, having the willingness to work at it. If any one of those three things would have been out of alignment, it wouldn’t have worked.  Beyond these three things, I strongly encourage participation in a professional support and accountability group. I will be eternally grateful for my participation in Vistage, which I consider the best investment you can make in yourself and your company.

What have you learned along the way?

How much time do you have? One of our favorite phrases at Tastefully Simple is “we reserve the right to get smarter.” There’s a gentle humor about it that puts people at ease, but more importantly, it lets us be authentic and frees us from trying to be perfect.

Mistakes are as much a part of the process of our growth as doing things “right.”  One of the great things about being real is that we give ourselves permission to stumble. As long as we can be honest, not get bogged down, and learn how to move on, there’s always an opportunity to grow. Over the years, I relied heavily on our consultants, our clients and our own intuition to help us figure things out as we went along.

Here are a few of the other key lessons I’ve learned along the way:

Fall in love with change.  Over the last 15 years, I’ve learned that change is a rule, not the exception. From 1999-2003 alone, Tastefully Simple leaped from $4.4 million to $113 million in sales. You can’t experience change at that magnitude without being flexible.

1. Take time to renew. I always think of Stephen Covey’s line: “Ahhh…too busy driving to stop and get gas?” We all need to refuel sometimes. Back in 1995, 1996 and 1997, I was invited to Creative Memories’ conference, but I was always “too busy” to go. I finally attended in 1997, and I can’t even begin to express how it changed my attitude and therefore the success of Tastefully Simple. During our start-up years, Creative Memories was our greatest mentor. They were abundant beyond words.
2. Choose to be different. Try to find that sweet spot. Don’t re-invent the wheel, but don’t be a sheep that will follow the flock wherever it goes. Be true to who you are, even if it means being unconventional sometimes.
3. Be patient with yourself.  We build our business one by one by one. One decision at a time, one sale at a time, one relationship at a time. Jack Canfield said, “Think of the headlights on a car at night only lighting up 200 feet. But the car can make it across the entire country, just 200 feet at a time.” That’s how we achieve success. 200 feet at a time.

What advice do you have for other women in the beginning and development stages of building their business dreams?

Dream it, believe it, work it. Be very clear about what you want, have faith in that vision, and be willing to do the work that’s necessary because the harder you work, the luckier you get! Financing a new business is usually an issue, so I encourage you to check out all the local and regional resources available to help you get started. The loan I received from the Small Business Administration was critical in my ability to transform Tastefully Simple from a dream to a reality.

Tell us more about Simply Shine.  What inspired you to write it?

So often, we settle in life – we don’t dare to set the bar too high.

Back in 1994, I hired a personal coach named Mike Haynie who changed my life. He helped me realize that I did not feel WORTHY of having a life I loved. He was the catalyst that helped me change my thoughts – and most importantly, my actions.

Through an intense journey, I came to believe that I was worthy of my dreams and that I COULD have whatever I wanted. Like Peter McWilliams said, “You can have anything you want in life. You just can’t have everything.”

Today my purpose is to inspire others to go for their dreams, and that’s really what Simply Shine is all about. I believe it’s impossible to shine without self-confidence, and we build that confidence in two ways – through our skills and our will. Simply Shine is about building people’s will. It’s about creating a spark and helping them gain confidence … so they shine and achieve a life they love.

How have you built your business on the abundance mentality?

I’ve come to the firm conclusion that there’s no extracting our personal life from our business life. When we’re happy and fulfilled in our personal life, it flows into our work. When we’re miserable and unhappy in our work, it spews into our personal life. In the same vein, the culture of any company is driven by our personal life, our personal beliefs and our personal values. And for me, these philosophies developed and evolved over time.

Back in 1997, I sat down with our three employees and we brainstormed about what we did – and did NOT – want to be known for as a company. We developed our company’s seven core values. That was crucial because it created clarity in our own hearts and minds – and as our company grew, it ensured there would be no confusion about what our expectations and values are for anyone who comes on board.

We eventually boiled these values down to three principles. The first is the law of abundancy – fostering peace of mind through win-win attitudes. The second one is the law of magic, which is creating positive energy through celebration and excellence. The third principle is the law of realness, which is building trust through humbleness.

These principles are more than words on wall at Tastefully Simple – they are truly the heart and soul of our company and drive every decision we make. They reflect who we are – and who we want to be.

MY REVIEW OF SIMPLY SHINE – by Michelle McCullough

I was initially surprised by how autobiographical this book is.  Though at first I thought it would be hard to read, every page oozes with positive energy, and I couldn’t help but feel inspired as I read it.  Jill’s writing style and story telling makes it easy to get involved in her life, and also made it easy to apply to my own.

I especially love what Jill says about abundance.  I’ve been working some abundance principles into my life and work over the past two years and have really seen a difference in the way I view what I do, what my goals are and also how I view competition in the marketplace.  There truly is enough business for all of us, and the more we connect with abundance in our life and business, the more we’ll attract.  On a surface level as we believe that there is enough for everyone, we all have enough.  Jill goes one step deeper and talks about abundance and defines the Law of Abundance (as she talks about above) as “Fostering peace of mind through win-win attitudes.”  How powerful!  Can you see your life being full without the involvement, love and support of others?  Jill shows us so powerfully that we we are not alone and our lives can be enriched by involving others in our journey and being involved and helping others achieve their dreams as well.

Finally, the last takeaway I want to share with you: Jill’s story illustrates that the pathway to business success is not easy and you’ll have speed bumps and set backs along the way (we cause some ourselves, don’t we?).  However, as we pick ourselves back up, we open doors only commitment, stamina and perseverance have in store for us.

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Now, we have a copy to giveaway to a lucky Startup Princess.  Just answer this question: What principle of success has helped shape your personal or professional life?  Your answers are not judged, but they are your entry into the giveaway.  Winner will be selected by random.org.  Additional giveaway details and conditions are available by contacting us.

Michelle McCullough is the business development director for Startup Princess and handles Startup Princess partnerships and events.  Before Startup Princess, Michelle has spent the last 12 years working in marketing and advertising. She’s worked in all aspects of the industry from production to creative and sales to management. On top of her full-time jobs, Michelle has cultivated her love for entrepreneurship by running a successful side business, Doodads, a promotional products company.  Michelle and her husband are the parents of two children ages 3 and 1, and live in Utah.

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2. Handouts of your Powerpoint Presentation can be a Great Backup (particularly if the projector doesn’t work)–We had a few issues with our projector and it made me consider that bringing a handout of the slides could be a good back up for the audience and also provides them the content so they don’t have to worry about writing down all of the notes (great thinking Nancy Cadjan!)

3. Bring Product Samples (if you can), these don’t have to be your own products, you can even get a sponsor to donate little gifts to hand out–if they are somewhat related to your topic or you can work it into the presentation somehow, everyone loves a gift (Startup Princesses at our conference walked away with Becca Levie’s LipNotes chapstick, gourmet popcorn by Colorado Kernels, and more fun items!) Or, you can give away product for prizes…thanks to Raw Melissa, Lori Harris, Rachael Herrscher, Corey Olauson, Nancy Cadjan, Becca Levie, Wendy Bird, Deborah Gardner and Sarah Jane Wright.

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8. Arrive Early and Get a Sense of the Conference Atmosphere, when possible– it helps to attend a session prior to yours so you can get to know your audience better and if you can, stay afterwards too, it will help the audience feel that they can approach/relate to you easier if you are a participant as well as a speaker. You might also see if you can run a “tech check” with the projector, etc. if you have a media presentation–you don’t want any surprises!

9. Be Transparent, be REAL–share with them your challenges, successes, and be honest about how things are going if/when asked. I was so impressed that Barbara Vineyard (at left here) talked about her magazine’s challenge to reach a broader audience and make it profitable…she gained respect for sharing and compassion as well. It’s a good thing to see that speakers don’t have all the answers and are trying just like the rest of us.

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