Jennifer Jane Young is an Intuitive Business and Leadership Advisor for entrepreneurs, leaders, and creatives. She is also a United Nations Consultant, leading and mentoring a community of 4,000 global business owners, in partnership with the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.  Having spent 12+ years advising startups to six and seven-figure businesses worldwide, Jennifer specializes in helping entrepreneurs step into growth with clarity, courage and ease, unlock flow & transformation and create high-level impact through opening new doorways to intuitive, aligned solutions.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’m a self-made entrepreneur who has spent the last 12 years learning about entrepreneurship and leadership through building and growing my businesses and those of my clients who range from start-ups to 6-7 figure business owners. Over the last decade, I have supported companies with Business and Operations, Leadership Development and Business Coaching. I’m passionate about leadership and teaching entrepreneurs how to unlock their potential and success via the channel of their intuition. I believe that intuition paired with practical action holds the key to uncovering hidden potential, blind spots, and expansive new possibilities. I have a background in Yogatherapy which allows me to support my clients in being calm, grounded and centered leaders. 

What inspired you to start your business?

I was miserable and I couldn’t quite figure out why. I was constantly unsatisfied with my life, I felt like a lost soul, I hated any job I could find and I felt like I didn’t fit into the conventional world. I had this constant yearning inside of me to do something really extraordinary with my life (even though no one else I knew was doing this). At the time, yoga had a really important role in my life as I was healing from trauma and trying to find myself so I decided to leap out of my career as an Early Childhood Educator and become a Yoga Teacher, which then led me to specialize in Yogatherapy. This helped me discover a passion for coaching and mentoring people towards their highest potential. I finally came to the realization that I was more excited to be in front of my computer building my business, than being on the yoga mat teaching. That is when I officially transitioned into the world of entrepreneurship, supporting business owners on their journey.

Where is your business based?

My business is completely virtual but I am physically based in Canada, in between Montreal and Ottawa. My second home is Mexico, so I move back and forth between Canada and Mexico.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I threw myself into entrepreneurship with lots of passion and no plan. I knew this was my world and I had to make it work so I began by finding a name for my first little Yoga business (Yoga Life) and learned how to build my own website. I registered my business and made myself available to any teaching opportunities I could find. I began sharing my new venture with people on Facebook, sharing my insights and teachings to inspire those who were following me. I just generally put myself out there A LOT. From there networking became my #1 business strategy. I love people and connecting with other entrepreneurs so from day one I took a lot of leaps, reaching out to potential collaborators and clients. I got to know people and created bonds of trust really quickly. My network has always been my biggest asset. Many of them are still following my work today (12 years later) , cheering me on, even if they are not my ideal clients anymore.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

For me it has always been sharing my story, insights and teachings on social media and simply doing great work for my clients. Building connections with people is something I really value and sharing honesty about my journey is what allows me to create meaningful conversations and long lasting relationships. So whether I am connecting with people in a less intimate way online or directly with clients, I always prioritize the quality of my relationships. My business has grown mainly from referrals and from people following my journey and being inspired to then take action for themselves. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge has always been to see the value in what I do and clearly express what that value is and the results and transformation I help create for my clients. I find it so hard to find clear, concise words for what I do because it comes so naturally to me. What has helped me overcome this is listening attentively to what my clients are telling me. Our clients are constantly giving us language for what they are experiencing, how we have helped them and what our magic is. I now have so much rich content that I can use to find the right language to describe what I do and how I create impact. It’s incredible how much we can learn from our clients and how they are a mirror for our marketing plan!

How do you stay focused?

I make sure I am doing what I love, in my zone of genius and am taking good care of myself. These 3 things together always get me into a deep flow state in my work. If I have too many things ahead of me that feel like obligations, I’m doing work that is not my expertise and not taking care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally I will begin to procrastinate, feel resentful and become disconnected. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I honestly believe that it’s the uniqueness of who I am as a human being, what I value and how I connect with others. I’m a very nurturing person (Hello Cancer) and I attract people who want to be seen, heard and understood. I create a supportive environment for my clients to open up and do the kind of self-inquiry and reflection that allows them to grow into their next level! 

I’m very honest and believe in showing my true self to people therefore trust is created really quickly, which I think makes a big impact on my business and helps me stand out from the crowd. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Creating a high quality network has been, hands down, my top marketing strategy. What I love about this also is that it has been so easy for me to do because I love people, connecting and I love listening to people’s stories, struggles and yearnings. I connect with people who align with my values and passions and when I bring someone into my orbit it’s because I truly care about them or believe in their potential. This creates strong, long lasting relationships.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Trust your gut! I believe in leading our lives and businesses intuitively. The top leaders and successful entrepreneurs understand the importance and value of intuition when it comes to making business decisions and taking action. Sarah Blakely, Richard Branson and Oprah are a few great examples. You need to prepare yourself to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Where we are being led intuitively is rarely comfortable, guaranteed or orderly but it always leads us in the right direction. The journey of entrepreneurship can often feel messy but creativity and insights lie in that mess. There is beauty in that imperfect journey. There is no one size fits all in business and no one perfect path to success and if you try to run your business doing what everyone else is telling you is right or following trends instead of listening to your gut instinct you will be led off of YOUR best path to success. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My all time favourite app in business is Asana! I could not run my business without it. It’s what keeps the whole ecosystem of my business running and in order. It’s the space that holds all of my ideas, to-dos, client information, etc. It’s the ultimate hub! It allows me to see the macro (big picture) and the micro (small details). I don’t think it’s possible for me to choose one favourite book. I devour books faster than I can eat chips. I’m always reading 2-3 at a time. Usually one business book, one personal growth book and a memoir. Here are 3 of my favs: Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton and The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favourite business resource is my financial team. Money has always been a messy area for me, something that has caused me overwhelm and therefore I have often procrastinated taking care of it. Ever since I have hired Alchemy Accounting (https://alchemyaccounting.ca) and started working with Michelle Cooper, I feel so empowered financially. I don’t worry anymore about my books and taxes and I always feel like I have a solid team of advisors by my side. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Richard Branson is my man! I have learned so much from his leadership style and his values, particularly when it comes to his team. He really understands how to nurture the potential in people and facilitate their leadership. His blend of play, smart entrepreneurship and impact-driven work really inspires me. I also love his story and how he really depended on intuition and his natural skills to get ahead in life and how he didn’t let the traditional systems stop him in any way. I hope to have the honour of meeting him one day.

How do you balance work and life?

I am someone who needs lots of quiet time to myself, so I prioritize that every day. I give myself about 2 hours every morning to slowly move into my day and go through my ritual of sipping coffee or cacao, reading and walking my dogs or working out. I also don’t have strict rules about how I “should” be showing up to my business. I follow the flow of my intuition all the while prioritizing what matters most. So if I feel like I need to stop work to go outside and play with my dogs I do that. I find that the more I honour what I need in each moment, the better and more focused I am in my work. My body tells me very quickly when I’m pushing it and I’ve learned to listen to it, because if I don’t it speaks louder and then I will regret not paying attention.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Drinking tequila, reading a book, cuddling with my dogs and having a good meal with family and friends. Oh and a bubble bath!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I’m focusing on lots of business growth over the next 6 months and currently rebranding. I’m also working on launching my new project “The School of Intuitive Leadership”. And it looks like there is going to be lots of travel ahead. In the queue is Mexico, Texas and potentially San Diego and Spain.

How can our readers connect with you?

To learn more about my work, they can head over to my website www.jenniferjaneyoung.com where they can also explore my podcast “Finding Your Flow” and join my monthly Cowork & Connect w/Purpose event.