Meet Trailblazer Jess Manuszak

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Manuszak.

Jess, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Like all great love stories, mine starts with government finance. Oh, wait.

Right out of college, I was working in a cubicle farm, and managing a multi-million dollar government bond program. In between scarfing down dry, boiled chicken breast under fluorescent lights and dealing with passive-aggressive coworkers (cough, cough, Karen), I found a female entrepreneur who changed everything.

She was running her copywriting business from a small town in Costa Rica, making 6-figures and living life on her own terms.

The day after someone tweeted me an article to her blog, I called in sick to work, taught myself to code a 1-page site about why this woman should hire me as her apprentice, and emailed it off.

I got the job.

I spent two and a half years working with one of the leading copywriters in the industry and eventually opened up my own agency here in Denver after getting the college degrees, experience, and eff-ups under my belt to really do this business thing right.

Picture me thrusting my fist into the air freeze-frame style, à la The Breakfast Club.

Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth is overrated — both in business and in peanut butter.

As a first-generation college student and the primary breadwinner in my house, branching out on my own and being 100% responsible for my own income (and the finances of my family) was terrifying AF. Like, full-blown, physical panic attacks that I had to see a doctor about (so you know I’m not just being cute about the whole thing).

I’ve been at this entrepreneur stuff for about six years, and there are still days where I worry that it’s time to burn it down and go live in a van by the river. Taking total agency and responsibility over your life and money situation is really, really scary. But it’s also really, really sexy.

There’s been this article going around about how Millenial women are worried and concerned about earning more than their husbands.

To which I say, no the heck we’re not.

You’ll always be scared. I’ll always be scared. All we can do is choose to do it scared.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m most known for being the shouty copywriter mastermind who gets my clients more cash for what they’re already good at.

Since I specialize in conversions and the neuropsychology of selling, my work is all about inspiring people to take action. This means more clicked links, more opened emails, and infinite rounds of robust high-fives.

When it comes to who I am as a person and how I show up in this entrepreneur space, my main mission is to get women on an equal playing field.

Sure, I’ve done some fancypants things like write international ads for Nike and regional campaigns for Levi’s that I’m pretty proud of.

But that’s just stuff on paper. And the details on paper never actually do us justice as people.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the competition of entrepreneurship, and shifting my mindset from competitor — to comrade — is what I’m actually most proud of. Having such an incredible community of female business owners have made the biggest difference in my success (not just for support, but also for referrals.)

If I have my way — *when* I have my way — girl boss will be a dirty word, and women will be able to walk into a boardroom without just being applauded for being a woman in a boardroom.

Instead, heads will turn for our ideas, not our asses. Applause will come from a job well done, not for being female. And we won’t be “women in the work field.” We’ll just be fellow humans hellbent on making a difference.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
The women who believe in themselves even when others might not.

The women who are supporting themselves — and their families — with nothing but their brains, brawn, and determination.

Behind 40% of small business, there’s a female owner who’s changing the societal and economic climate just by showing up as herself in the world.

I am endlessly inspired by women with grit. And grace. And laughs that echo a little too loudly in the coffee shop as the morning crowd rolls in.

I’m here for the gritty renegades who know palatability isn’t always the point. Their vibrancy can’t be stopped.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.verveandvigour.com
• Email: jess@verveandvigour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessmanuszak/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessmanuszak

Image Credit:
Verve & Vigour Copywriting Studio

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.