Jill Blashack Strahan: From Small-town Girl to A Global Inspiration

Founder and chief-executive-officer of Tastefully Simple, Jill Blashack Strahan is an inspiration to thousands of people all around the world as her entrepreneurial path was not flower-strewn. On the contrary, it was filled with a number of hardships that no ordinary woman can handle all by herself. But it was Jill’s spirit, drive, and powerful work ethics that she developed while working at their family farm that helped her come out of the challenges, triumphant and unfazed.

Born and raised in Villard, Minnesota, Jill knew she wanted to become an entrepreneur at a very young age. She attended the University of Minnesota-Morris and then transferred to Alexandria Technical College where she honed her skills in business. She graduated with a degree in sales and marketing and soon landed a position as a manager and co-owner of a small restaurant called Jill’s Grill. Around this time, she started her own gift basket shop.

Then Jill’s story took an entirely new turn.

While participating at a special event to promote her new product, she gave free samples and received an overwhelming positive response. That was when she discovered the might of taste-testing. A couple of weeks after that, the idea of Tastefully Simple popped into her head.

She sold her first business and built a new one. Using only her meager amount of savings, an investment from a friend and a $20,000 loan, Jill started her multimillion dollar business at 1,200 square foot outhouse with only a pool table as her makeshift packing station and no running water. Soon, her business grew to a $140 million enterprise with more than 30,000 consultants all over United States.

But three years into her Tastefully Simple, Jill was shaken by a double tragedy. Her brother was killed in an accident and a few months after that, her husband died all of sudden. Shocked and grieving, Jill was left alone to take care of her 5 year old son. Yet instead of giving up, she took her pain and turned it into passion. Soon enough, she was already living her dreams.

 

While her company grew, so did Jill. She became an author and published a book entitled, “Simply Shine: Stories That Stirred The Fire” – a collection of short tales about her journey through life. She has travelled far and wide, inspiring people with her moving stories and encouraging them to never give up on their dreams no matter what hardships they face along the way.