Jennifer Powell, Brand and Strategy Mastermind
Jennifer Powell is the marketing strategy mastermind and superwoman behind such renowned influencer brands as We Wore What, Sincerely Jules, and Fashion Toast. Jennifer was one of the first industry insiders to truly understand and anticipate the potential marketing value of online talent to become brands in their own right. Known as “the influencer’s influencer” she runs her firm for influencer brand management where she regularly nurtures six-figure brand collaborations for her digital influencer clients.
Earlier in her career, as an executive with Next Models, Jennifer took on the task of representing the firm’s social media talent and ended up managing some of the internet’s most influential fashion bloggers across the globe. She sensed early on that blogging was the industry’s next most significant marketing platform. Jen started turning blogs into immediately profitable businesses by orchestrating collaborations and endorsements with fashion and lifestyle brands while also strategizing how to build the influencer's overall brand and create sustainable businesses. Working with influencers, Jennifer came to understand that her true passion was in building brands directly with the talent. She launched her own company in 2017, JP Inc., specializing in brand management and strategy for influencers with a consulting arm.
She continues to push the boundaries of digital and influencer marketing as well as build and advise new businesses. You can almost think of her as the modern-day influencer’s fairy godmother. Instead of whipping up some plain old glass slippers, Jennifer can turn those shoes into a fabulous collaboration or capsule collection with a coveted luxury brand. In place of a ball gown and horse-drawn chariot, Jennifer can negotiate joint ventures, consulting contracts, and assign a financial value to all tasks related to being a superstar influencer. In today’s social media world, I’m fairly confident many women would rather have Jennifer Powell looking out for them over a boring fairy godmother.
Jennifer is truly the powerhouse driving today’s most prominent online personalities and influencers and has propelled them forward in creating their online empires. She is a visionary, leader, and entrepreneur. Just equally as important she is a mother, wife, sister, and daughter. She is fearless and has always followed her intuition and heart allowing her to see the endless possibilities and opportunities around her. Jennifer is an example of all that one can hope to achieve by tuning out the noise around you and accessing your most powerful tools by simply listening to your voice and instinct. Plus, she’s way cooler and more inspiring than the heroines in any fairy tale I’ve read.
What is your secret to living a high-vibrancy life?
I don’t know that I’ve entirely achieved that yet but I try to meditate, take yoga breaks during my WFH days, and hang with my kids and husband. I also try to give myself a true evening at the end of each work day by having a family dinner to reconnect on our day and a true weekend so I can be fresh for busy weeks.
Who is a woo woo working woman that you admire and why?
I love Michelle Obama - former attorney, mom, wife and philanthropist. Her book, Becoming, was brilliant and I think I cried through most of her Netflix documentary. It’s a must-watch.
I admire my sisters- they are my partners in crime and teammates. They are both single moms of the most amazing young ladies ever and are my friends, confidants, encouragers, and secret keepers. I’m grateful to my parents for giving me them as they are truly a gift that I didn’t realize the value of until I was an adult.
How do you balance work, wellness, and spirituality?
I tend to be a workaholic. I feel very responsible for my talent, their teams, my team, and my family but I realize that if I don’t care for myself I can’t show up for all of them. So I’m figuring it out and I’m a work in progress. I try to be present for my husband and kids so I manage my work around their schedules. For example, I start work before they get up for school and break to make them breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I fit in self-care and spirituality in the quiet moments in between. And sometimes I have to check out of life and into the We Care Spa for a reset.
Was there any one significant event that moved you onto the path of becoming the woman you are today?
My dad got really sick when I was in my 20s. My sisters and I took care of him over the years until he passed in 2016 but what I learned through the path of caring for a sick parent is that I never want to have any regrets. I want to live big, take chances, love, and be fearless.
Personal mantra?
I don’t have a mantra, but I do love the Mary Oliver poem “The Summer Day”. I remember the first time I read that last sentence which goes “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I got chills and cried.
You truly were at the forefront of influencer brand strategy and marketing paving the way for what it looks like today. It seems like you really listened to and followed your intuition. What did that feel and look like for you?
Well, I didn’t know what it was going to turn into…I just knew that what I was doing in terms of creating partnerships between fashion bloggers and brands was very valuable to the brands they were working with. The brands could track ROI and conversion of sales directly from the blog posts (pre- Instagram!). So I stayed the course, with a firm belief that finding new ways of selling and marketing didn’t have to take away from what I was doing as an agent at a modeling agency. It could make talent even more valuable if you could prove that they sold products in addition to creating beautiful content. What I was doing wasn’t popular with my peers, though it did create an entirely new revenue stream for the agency, but I had the unwavering support of my boss at the time, Alexis Borges, who is also my mentor and in many ways has been a guardian angel. He believed in me and encouraged me to continue in my exploration of what this could turn into.
What are the skills or attributes you believe have supported you in having a successful career? Were they innate or skills you had to work to develop?
I think it’s been innate. I’ve not been afraid to take chances and I’ve followed my heart, intuition, and, above all things, ALWAYS have been ethical, honest, and trustworthy as an agent. My word is my bond. I’ve also not been afraid to do things differently even though there has been a framework of how things “always have been done” in fashion. I’m an outside-the-box big-picture thinker, a total Aquarius. I don’t get too attached to ideas and pivot quickly if something doesn’t work. I’ve always had these skills but as I got older and more seasoned as an agent, I’ve become more confident in being different and in following my intuition. I was also a college dropout and had no backup plan ever so I’ve had to make it work!
What is the best professional feedback you’ve ever received to help you grow as a woman, leader, and entrepreneur?
To learn how to delegate. To hire people who are smarter or better than me at certain things. That there are three sides to every story and to be careful with what you put in writing.
You work with so many successful women influencers and brands. What are the attributes or traits that you recognize immediately in these women that set them apart?
They are consistent, driven, and motivated. They are dreamers and they don’t give themselves boundaries. These women believe that just because something doesn’t exist that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t. To them, it just means it hasn’t been created yet and then they go create it. It’s remarkable and I feel lucky that I get to be around that energy every day. It motivates and inspires me.
With the recent lockdowns, so many women have taken the time at home to pivot into pursuing their passions and creating side hustles. Do you have any advice on how to stay focused and create an actual business from a passion?
Don’t quit your day job too quickly. Do your side hustle until you absolutely cannot do both because having a day job allows you to fund your new business with less financial pressure. You can make better business decisions if you don’t have that stress initially.
You are the master of crafting a brand’s story. Any advice on how one can remain authentic while understanding how to articulate their own story?
Remember why you started your business. Remember whatever passion it was that moved you to do it in the first place. Don’t let money lead your decisions. It will come when you are making good decisions for your business. Remember your passion and don’t get caught up in numbers or what everybody else does.
Do you follow any specific doctrines on diet and fitness?
Not really. I’m not great with structure or rules. I eat what makes me feel good – no gluten or dairy and not much sugar. I do Melissa Wood Health workouts and walk on my treadmill.
How do you reset after a challenging day?
Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I swim, stretch, or walk the dogs. Usually, I try to go to bed early.
Favorite motivational Instagram account, podcasts, and/or books?
Podcast: Oprah SuperSoul Conversations
Instagram: @cleowade, @humansofny, and @thedodo
Books: Untethered Soul and Originals
Go to healers or practitioners for beauty, health, and wellness.
Twice yearly visits to the We Care Spa, Dr. Bill Kestin @billkestinmd for a freshen up when I’m in NYC- he is the best! IMD beauty spa for lymphatic drainage, Osa at Optimal Health in Beverly Hills for colonics.
Advice to the Woo🖤Wooo Working Women out there figuring out how to live their best high-vibrancy life?
It’s taken me a long time to get where I am and I know I don’t have it figured out yet. The road hasn’t been linear or easy…I’ve been through a divorce, the death of a parent from a terrible disease, being a single parent, depression, and sadness.. but it has held surprises that I couldn’t have even imagined in my wildest dreams. Know that you are enough, that you are worthy of love and success and don’t be afraid of those things. Let life unfold because what you think is for you is many times taken away because something so much better is waiting in the wings.
