Jen Smith

I took my first CrossFit class in 2013. Before that, you wouldn’t have thought I was capable of anything athletic, much less the intense workouts CrossFit is known for. The gym and I weren’t (and still aren’t) friends. I’d walk in, look at the equipment, and immediately become overwhelmed by all the possibilities and how…

Women. We earn more undergraduate and graduate degrees than our male peers, start an average of 1,821 businesses every day, and own 36% of all businesses in the U.S. Yet our companies are smaller, employ fewer people, and we still earn only 80 cents to every dollar a man makes. While we’ve made great strides…

A year into starting my first blog I knew two things: I loved writing and I’d made approximately zero dollars from it. So I decided to self-publish a book. But I didn’t just compile old blog posts into a book to sell on my website. I took the time to learn the ins and out…

There are dozens of apps to help you save money when you shop. Some give cash back while others offer gift cards and discounts at your favorite stores and on your favorite products. But they all have one thing in common: saving you money on everyday purchases. However, not all money saved is worth the…

As a small business owner, I’ve spent years looking for fresh and authentic ways to bring what I offer to those who need it. I’ve tried many small business marketing ideas and learned from countless mistakes. And what I’ve found is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a successful…

There’s this amazing coffee shop in my city just off the beaten path. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d never find it. But somehow it always has just enough people inside to keep the place feeling lively without being crowded. That’s not an accident. I see its Facebook ads all the time. It’s like…

Have you ever attended a conference and gone home with 20 different logo T-shirts in your suitcase? Or eaten company-branded cookies during session breaks? You may be excited about the free items, but those companies are excited about something else: free advertising. And although some people are fine promoting a company for free, many others…

From mattresses to cars, many of the industries we once thought could only be done in person are now seeing great success online. One of the most notable is grocery shopping. In 2019, only 3% to 4% of grocery shopping in the US was done online. According to a recent CNBC study, that number soared…

Last year I replaced my trusty old Toyota Camry with a beautiful new Hyundai Tucson. I’m not a car enthusiast but that burnt orange body, black leather seats, and turbocharged engine gave me so much joy. Then four weeks later, I was laid off. Instead of going back to an office job, I started freelancing…

You’ve probably read a lot about side gigs you can do online, apps that help you make money, and even weird ways to make money. But what about the good old fashioned odd job? Odd jobs usually refer to casual or isolated jobs that may be seasonal, manual, or domestic-related. Luckily for you, less competition…