Meet Jessica Lemperes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Lemperes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I developed my work ethic by watching my dad while growing up. He was a small business owner and dedicated 7 days a week to ensuring his business succeeded. As a child, I remember wishing my dad was around more and often resented the business, but now as an adult I see that all of his hard work was to try to change the family’s trajectory. I can appreciate that and now model my life much the same.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am currently a COO/Integrator in the the roofing industry. This role has allowed me the opportunity to wear many hats and experience many different facets of the business. In this role, I have realized how much I love small business.

I am a BIG fan of small business. I am passionate about seeing small businesses grow and thrive even when it seems this is becoming more challenging by the day. There is just something so inspiring about seeing the people the business impacts directly and getting to know them as individuals, knowing their families, and knowing how to assist them in their own growth. This is something that is often missed in bigger corporations.

Small business isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes determination, grit and perseverance. The challenges are quite motivating though if you are all in.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My role is definitely one that requires a multi-faceted skill set. Being flexible and willing to adapt has been one the of the biggest requirements. We know small business changes daily and when you have smaller teams, many are asked to jump in and help where needed to get the job done. Being flexible and willing to do that will certainly help in this industry and small business in general.

I have also realized how important business and operations knowledge is. You need to have a great understanding of how the business operates and why it operates in a certain way. Having a vast business background and having experience in many different realms of the business world will set you up for success. Continuing education along the way and furthering your knowledge of the business world will ensure you are keeping up with the many changes that affect the business world. Knowing that you have room to grow and admitting that no, you don’t know it all are great characteristics to have.

Finally, understanding that quality does beat out quantity. Would you rather sell 10 projects at $1,000 each with a net profit margin of 10% or sell 5 projects at $1,000 each for a 21% net profit margin? Oftentimes we can get caught up in the volume and think that our sales numbers are all that matter. They do, don’t misunderstand me. But, the net profits are what I focus on. If we can do less projects, and make more money by ensuring our quality is hitting the highest standards and turning each project more profitable, that makes sense. This saves on team burn out, this increases the working smarter and not harder focus and just makes for good business.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Small business owners and employees can often feel overwhelmed. Often, these feelings are due to operating with smaller teams and the pressure that can come from feeling as though you have no one to lean on. Know that feeling overwhelmed may happen and that is ok. Face it with purpose.

It’s important to not get pulled out into the weeds when facing your work days and demands. Focus on the priorities. Not everything needs to be done right now. Naturally you will have 2-3 things that need to be made the top priorities of the day. Focus on those items first and then move on to the rest of the list. Delegate to capable team members where and when applicable.

Lastly, don’t feel you have to answer every single call, text or email right away. Allowing myself periods of “focused time” has proven to be a great strategy for improving my efficiency. Phones get silenced, my email alerts get silenced and I focus without interruption. It’s been a game changer!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
I have the rights

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society

Confidence
Stories of Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Learning from one another is what BoldJourney is all about. Below, we’ve shared stories and

Resilience
The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Haters and Doubters

Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made