Lyn Brownlee is the Co-Founder of Jibbr, Inc. She’s recently relocated from the DC area to Chicago. Her bachelor of arts in English was conferred at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has also completed a master of human resource management degree and a six sigma green belt at Villanova University. Lyn’s most recent position was as a Business Development Consultant at The Gallup Organization in DC. Additionally, she has experience working with e-commerce companies and has assisted in the inception of countless other startups. She has a passion for helping the elderly and volunteers at senior care facilities. Read our interview with the lovely Lyn below…
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
Jibbr was founded by my twin sister Tammye and I. It’s a company close to our heart. In April 2014, we experienced both our grandmother and aunt transition on the same day. Our grandmother dedicated much of her later years to caring for seniors in her home; however, she lived her final days in a long-term care facility. With both our grandmother and aunt thousands of miles away in Alabama, we wished a company like Jibbr was around to offer friendly and compassionate well-being checks to our loved ones. After considering many names for the company, we decided upon Jibbr, a spin on the word ‘Jibber Jabber’- to talk. The difference with Jibbr is to talk with purpose, to check on one’s well-being, to show concern, and connect.
Tell us about your business.
Lyn started Jibbr with her twin sister. In short, Jibbr is an e-commerce company that provides well-being checks to seniors in the U.S. and Canada. Our mission is to take care of seniors and to provide solutions to problems that seniors face from combating isolation to providing medication reminders and confidence calls.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
Absolutely, we are offering a 7-day free trial. Check out our website at: https://www.jibbr.org/pricing/
List awards/certifications/accomplishments.
Jibbr received over 30,000 unique page views in our first month! This is a testament to the power of effective and targeted social media marketing. We also have 21 featured supporters/partners who are movers and shakers in the senior care arena. I’m also quite proud of our nine spectacular advisory board members who are all experts in the senior care field!
Where is your business based?
Chicago, IL – we operate across the U.S. and Canada.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
Get incorporated, work on a rock-solid marketing and outreach plan, then use social media to increase your visibility online.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Social media marketing is key, especially in this day and age. It’s essential to have a strong presence on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Social media marketing expands your reach like never before. There is a very low overhead cost for this type of marketing and the ROI can be astronomical! Most people spend the majority of their time on social media, so it’s integral to meet customers where they are. Instead of waiting for customers coming to us, we come to them!
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Any time you deal with customers, there is a chance someone will be dissatisfied. At Jibbr, it’s all about the client. We do everything in our power to ensure that the customer is always right.
How did you overcome these challenges?
We have been able to overcome our early startup challenges by doing the majority of the business development leg work ourselves. We personally invest our money, time, and energy into ensuring that Jibbr provides white glove customer service to every client during each call.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
When times get tough and I feel like quitting, I think about the story behind Jibbr – my grandmother and aunt. I think about all of the seniors who do not have relationships with their family members, and I think about the impact that a company like Jibbr can have on all of these people. I think about what will happen to these lonely seniors if I stop. It takes a certain amount of tenacity and resilience to stay the course.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
We have a strong competitive advantage in the marketplace, as there are few national competitors in the senior well-being market. Jibbr has been formulated to be highly innovative, engaging, and will be known for its ease of use, which appeals to the senior demographic. What differentiates Jibbr is that we focus on creating an individualized experience through meaningful conversations to make seniors feel a sense of connectedness.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
“You can’t manage what you don’t create and you won’t create what you can’t manage.” -Grant Cardone
This quote resonates with me, because all entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs must take responsibility for their own success. No one is going to come to your house and make your dreams come true. It’s all up to you!
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
“You have to be proactive to turn your dreams into reality.”
“By thought, the thing you want is brought to you; by action you receive it.” – Wallace D. Wattles.
What is your favorite business tool or resource?
Hootsuite, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram lyn4jibbr
Twitter @jib4seniors and @lyn4jibbr
Facebook www.facebook.com/Jib4Seniors
LinkedIn jibbr-inc. well-being checks
Website www.jibbr.org
Email lyn@jibbr.org
Hashtags #jibbr #jib4seniors #jibbrchecks #lyn4jibbr
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
“The Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell, “Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey” by Kelsang Gyatso, and “Be Obsessed or Be Average” by Grant Cardone.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
Venture capital funding.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
In the next quarter, we plan on expanding our client base in the Toronto area. We are also working on building our app! Keep an eye on us… we’re going places!