The Best Career Advice I Learned from Jillian Harris
Keep reading to find out the career advice Jillian Harris shared at the Academy at the Farm.
If you’re reading this, you probably know who Jillian Harris is. But in case you don’t, let me introduce you. She is the former Bachelorette, former tv host for Love it or List it Vancouver, and of course major influencer with over a million followers on Instagram. But she’s also a small-town girl from Peace River Alberta, mother of two, girlfriend, and a badass businesswoman.
So when I got an email, inviting me to the Academy at the Farm I knew there was no way I was going to miss it. Even if my life couldn’t have been busier, with renovations, living at the cabin, and of course anxiety about being away from my babies.
But I booked my flight and flew out to beautiful Kelowna. I arrived at my Airbnb a day early so I could avoid jet lag and explore the beautiful Okanogan valley.
You’ll have to check out the full Airbnb tour HERE.
Career Advice from Jillian Harris
This was the first year for the Academy at the Farm. Which is a women’s retreat, designed specifically for the Jilly Academy Alumni. It was meant to serve as a way to finally connect in person with your fellow students, other women in business, and of course fans of Jillian Harris.
But I came prepared to soak in every word of wisdom, from not only Jill but a whole panel of experts. Just to give you an idea of what the event was like, there were workshops like Master your Business Strategy with The Atelier Collective, Master your Content with Jill, and of course raw conversations with Jill, Jam Gamble, and Ashley Freeborn (the CEO of Smash + Tess).
Since you couldn’t all be there with me (however if you ever get the chance to go I highly recommend it), I thought I’d share some of the best career advice here on the blog!
Read on for 5 career advice I learned from Jillian Harris at this year’s Academy at the Farm in Kelowna.
1. There is room for you and me
It’s easy to feel like there isn’t room for you, and that all the staring roles are already taken. But it’s not true, there will always be room for you and anyone else.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before but you are unique, and there is only one you. You have a voice, so no matter what niche or field you’re in I can promise you too have a unique angle. There is always going to be something we can offer others, whether it’s through lived experiences, teachings, or even through your personality.
The takeaway was that you should feel empowered to be yourself, no matter what that looks like.
2. If you’re not ambitious you’re not going to grow a business
One of the biggest realizations I had at the retreat was actually seeing all the hard work for myself. There is so much that goes into not only creating content, but creating the event, and of course the Jillian Harris brand.
I left feeling inspired, motivated, and armed with the notion that it takes a lot of hard work, and consistency to be successful.
3. It’s taken years to grow the Jilly Box, and it was a failure at first
I think one thing we all love about Jillian is her honesty, but hearing the raw truth behind her business was very eye-opening. Specifically, when she told us about the struggles of starting the Jilly Box.
It wasn’t easy, in fact, the first box had a few issues. There were products that came broken and miscalculations regarding the number of boxes they would need. Which meant scrambling around to fill orders, and dealing with unhappy customers.
But as much as Jill wanted to give up after the first, and even second, and third box, she didn’t. It was until recently (as of this year) that it was actually making sense financially.
So if it takes someone like Jillian Harris a few tries to get it right, we shouldn’t give up easily.
4. It’s normal to doubt yourself
It was really refreshing to hear from not only Jill but also Ashley, that they doubt themselves. Hearing that from successful women, CEOs who regularly doubt themselves was insanely refreshing.
I used to think that the doubt would stop once I reached a certain level of success. But as it turns out it doesn’t, and that’s kind of amazing.
Not that I would ever wish bad on anyone else, but just knowing that those emotions and feelings are totally normal is good. It doesn’t mean we should stop and give up, instead, it means it’s just how it feels and to keep going.
5. “Don’t quit unless it hits you so hard in the face”
Which brings me to the last bit of career advice from Jillian Harris. Everyone knows running your own business is HARD work! There are days we feel like quitting and days that are hard and that is all normal!
“Don’t quit unless it hits you so hard in the face”
Jillian Harris
At the end of the day, the biggest career advice I got out of the Academy at the Farm was to work really hard, not give up, and that it’s normal to feel all the emotions and doubt yourself from time to time. But the only way you’ll be successful is to acknowledge who you are, put blinders on and keep going!
