Meet Jill Salzman
Jill is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, the world’s first and only collective of offline meetups and online resources for mom entrepreneurs that was named a Top 100 Website for Entrepreneurs in 2015 by Forbes. A graduate of Brown University and law school, she started a music management firm and then launched a baby jewelry company before creating her current venture. She’s the author of Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs, a co-host of Inc. Magazine’s top-rated entertaining business podcast, Breaking Down Your Business, host of the Tip Top Tips for Entrepreneurs video series, gave her own TEDx talk on 11/11/11, was dubbed a “mommy mogul” by CNNMoney, a “ Cool Mom Entrepreneur We Love” by MSN Live, and she was recently named one of the Top 50 Women to Watch In Tech as well as a Top 100 Champion Small Business Influencer. In her spare time, Jill enjoys kloofing, baking, and erasing her daughters’ crayon artwork from the kitchen walls. Check out her new podcast - Why Are We Shouting?
Q+A
What inspires you?
Normally, I hate this question. Each day comes with different inspirational events, songs, and people — and the things that surprise me are often inspiring so I can’t really tell you. Except for one constant — women entrepreneurs. I say this not to point out the obvious but because there are still too many women who think other women are competitive. Or jerks. Or that they’re better than them. Or that they’re worse than them. And having never imagined that I would run an organization for women entrepreneurs, and then being surrounded by them each and every day, I can tell you this: Women support women endlessly. Let’s stop putting each other down, shall we? Healthy competition is a-ok. But what have I seen from the support women in business give to one another? Shoulders to stand on so that they can make more money and be better people. We are better as individuals and as a community when we work together. Duh.
What makes you laugh?
The love of my life and future husband, Stephen Colbert. The laughter at seeing that man’s face has become so addictive that I still campaign to get on his show. I tried very hard when he hosted The Colbert Report (you can see my Tumblr campaign here) and then told everyone on Fox News that I needed to see him. We still haven’t met yet but WE WILL SOON, STEPHEN!
What’s the best advice you have ever given?
On the Breaking Down Your Business podcast that I co-host, we interview one guest every week about an issue that they’re having in their business. A woman who invented a food product called us to complain about how she’d hired a college student to stand in a grocery store and promote her product but the student was terrible. She was on her phone half the time and making out with her boyfriend the other half of the time. I offered her what I thought was hilarious advice. I suggested that she start an advertising campaign all about how her food tasted sooo good that it’ll have customers making out with their boyfriends. Turns out, she thought it was solid advice. She ended up setting up couples in different grocery stores and during Valentine’s Day weekend, she promoted that messaging all weekend. Her sales apparently skyrocketed. Now I wish I’d asked her for a cut.
What is your power jam?
“Candy” by Cameo. If you have not seen the video, please watch it immediately. There is no way that it won’t be come your power jam, too.
What is your hidden talent?
I can juggle cigar boxes…which I learned from my days in the circus. Really.
Want more? Check out Founding Moms. Connect with Jill via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Listen to her Podcast!