I’ve started to think of the Just Jill journey as a jigsaw puzzle.
When I left QVC in June, 2019, there were a lot of missing pieces in this puzzle.
The good news was that I had the “border” done…side note, do you do that when you’re figuring out a puzzle? Work on the edge pieces first? Me too!
Back to the puzzle analogy….I had the border of the Just Jill puzzle in place. I had bought the domain, “justjill.com” in 2012 because I had an idea that maybe, one day, I could put together a fun website that featured all of the things I loved.
What was missing, at that time, was how I would I turn that into income that could support my family? The word “influencer” wasn’t really out there at the time, I was still working and loving my job at QVC, and so while the border of the puzzle, so to speak, was in place, the middle remained a jumbled mess.
Fast forward to 2019, my departure from QVC, and my biggest thought revolved around, what do I do now? How do I make this work?
The first piece I put into place was actually creating a website to go with the domain name.
Then, I had to figure out how to write a blog and fill the website with interesting content. Puzzle piece number 2!
And while fun opportunities like the TODAY show and the Property Brothers have continued to fill up the Just Jill puzzle, there was a missing piece that was directly related to shopping.
I’m always asked about the products I use, what I like, why I like them and what I might recommend. I’ve loved doing that for you in my various blogs and I’ll continue to do that for you. It’s fun to find things to share!
But, I had a friend (who used to be a buyer at QVC) approach me and ask, “why don’t you create a collection of products that everyone can buy from you?”
Hmmm. Interesting idea. And I thought, and thought and thought. I talked with Doug, my husband. Were we ready to have a business like this?
I talked with friends, mentors, my Mom, and frankly anyone who would let me pick their brain. And the more I talked about it, the more the picture became clear.
It’s a natural evolution for the Just Jill brand. And it allows me to do what I love….find great products and bring them to my wonderful and supportive followers.
So, here we go! Just like that moment of elation when you put that final piece of a puzzle in place, that’s how I’m feeling about the launch of the Just Jill Shop.
I’ve always believed in crawling before walking, so we’re starting small. My goal is not to be some huge retail site with a gazillion products. My goal is to create a site filled with items I have my hands in from a design perspective. I want to share brands I’ve discovered and can’t wait to feature.
I love telling stories, and can’t wait to tell the stories of the creatives and entrepreneurs behind the brands. That means something to me. I hope it does to you too.
We’re starting with sterling silver jewelry…a passion of mine! And in the coming weeks, we’ll be adding new categories and items.
I have no idea where this is going to go or how it will all be received, but I’d be honored if you’d join us for our GRAND OPENING on SUNDAY, April 18 on my Just Jill Bauer page on FB at 7pm est.
It will be a chance to share some pretty things with all of you, and of course, you’ll be able to shop by simply clicking on the new SHOP feature (it will be added on Sunday) on the main justjill.com page. You can also directly access the shop by going to justjillshop.com…it goes live Sunday evening.
So, for now, the Just Jill puzzle is complete. And may I just say, the glue that seems to keep it together, is all of you.
Thank you for you cheering me on, your kind words and loyal support. I’m grateful for your presence, every day.
xoxo,
Jill
