We’ve heard so many stories over the years about people who can turn a negative situation in to something positive and rewarding and that is certainly true for Jennifer Spivak. CEO and Founder of #TEAMSPIVAK, Jennifer was subjected to a pretty horrendous ordeal that was life changing. With the success of her brand, where empowering women who have been involved in domestic violence ordeals is at the forefront, she is not just changing her life but many other women’s too.
We spent some time with Jennifer to find out more about how she is building her brand with impact and we delved deeper in to her life…
Tell us about the story that lead you to launch your brand, Jennifer Spivak…
Nearly 10 years ago, I was in an incredibly violent abusive relationship. At the end of it all, with the help of a domestic assault lawyer, my abuser went to prison and I had a chance to restart my life with the $1500 I had secretly saved. Not long after, I got involved in domestic violence advocacy work, and learned very quickly just how crucial that $1500 was to my relatively seamless (all things considering, of course) escape. As it became crystal clear to me that so many women who were in my situation have to choose between safety and a roof over their heads, often finding themselves homeless, in a shelter, or worse from having returned to their abuser for financial reasons, I knew that putting more money into the hands of more women would become my life’s work and purpose. Combining this insight with my skills in marketing… my agency was born! Today I am the CEO and Founder of #TEAMSPIVAK, a Facebook and Instagram advertising agency with financial empowerment for women as the cornerstone of everything we do. We hire only women, work primarily with female entrepreneurs to help them increase their income and impact, and we’ve developed a long-term partnership with FreeFrom, an organization “whose mission is to dismantle the nexus between intimate partner violence and financial insecurity.”
You’re on a mission to change the world, one Facebook ad at a time. Why is this important to you?
Facebook Ads are the vehicle, but they aren’t the point. They’re a phenomenal tool that, when used correctly, can be the source of consistent and predictable revenue growth for businesses. We see this as the greatest way to impact the financial situation of female entrepreneurs; the best way to ensure that women are financially empowered and in charge of their own lives. Financial empowerment = personal power = never needing to be beholden to anyone, and never having to choose between safety and access to money.
Talk us through an average day in your life…
I’m not a fan of morning routines, as I find they often feel like a trap to me! But I do love to create as much ease as possible in the mornings, with at least an hour or two between when I open my eyes and when I sit down at my laptop. Sometimes this means meditating or journaling while burning my chakra incense… and other times it means hanging out with my cats while mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. From there, it’s lots of Slack communication with my team, checking results for clients, and taking sales calls with prospects for the agency. I tend to be a bit of a night owl when it comes to work! It feels really good to me to have less of a structure to my day, knowing I might take a 2-hour nap if I feel like it, but then work until 10pm… rather than having a hard stop time.
I love how you are authentically you in your marketing, does this come naturally to you?
I joke that I have a character flaw, in that I genuinely don’t know how to be anything else but myself! It does come naturally, and it’s also an intentional choice that I make everyday. Authenticity feels good to me, and I make as many decisions about my life and business as possible, based on what feels good. It also doesn’t hurt that this seems to go a long way in terms of making competition irrelevant. There are thousands of people out there who do exactly what I do, but the authenticity and transparency in my marketing allows for prospects to connect with me on a deeper level than is considered “normal” in business. This makes sales feel super effortless, as leads are already pre-sold on who I am as a human being before they even get on a call with me.
What’s been your career highlight since launching?
The first 12-month period where we generated over $1 million. And getting featured in Forbes!
Looking back since launching the brand, is there anything you would do differently?
I could probably list a few things, but I know every experience, good or bad, is all part of the journey. It’s hard for me to believe anything else other than, it’s all unfolding exactly as it should
Who is your ideal client and why?
We love to work with clients who are already doing at least low to mid six figures in their business, with a proven and validated offer, messaging, and funnel. Everybody wants Facebook Ads to be a silver bullet, but that simply isn’t the case. Facebook Ads should be fuel to the fire on top of what’s already working. Before you invest in ads, you want to already have a good understanding of who your ideal client is and how to speak about your product or service to them in a way that entices conversion. Facebook Ads success is near guaranteed when these foundational things are already in place!
How do you deal with procrastination?
I’m honestly someone that works really well when it’s down to the wire! Procrastination fuels me
Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your travel bucket list?
Next year I’ll be traveling to Necker Island to spend a week with Richard Branson; I’m told its luxury beyond your wildest dreams – literally.cannot.wait.
For any aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to launch a coaching business, what advice would you offer?
Prioritize only money-making activities until you hit your first 6 figures. You don’t need a fancy website or PR or tons of followers on social media — you need to be resourceful, and you need to be scrappy. Be willing to do whatever it takes to validate your offer and messaging until you get to the first $100k. Then it’s time to start outsourcing and hiring experts. Know that $100k/year is NOT hard. Take that on, and make it happen.
How have you had to pivot in 2020?
2020 has been good to us! When COVID shut down the entire world, clients and prospects looked to us to tell them what to do next. It was our job to be a thought leader, providing assurance that it was in fact ok to continue to run and promote their businesses. Creating comfort in this way, in a time where the world seemed to reveal chaos around every corner, allowed us to have our best month ever and hire four people in the middle of a global pandemic.
What has this year taught you about yourself?
If you can manage your energy, you can manage your life. I’m 100% in charge of my reality. (Not a new lesson, but one that I get at a deeper and deeper level each year…)
Where do you hope to see your brand in ten years time?
I see the brand moving more and more towards empowering women, and being less and less about Facebook Ads. I see multi 7-figures per year without the hustle, and me being in a true thought leadership role. I hope there’s a book in there somewhere too!
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