Women in Entrepreneurship Meet Jenny Heins

Have you ever met someone whom you just knew was the epitome of hard work and dedication? Like you hang on their every word because you just know that what they are about to say is 

going to be priceless. They aren’t afraid to ask the weird, out-ofthe-box type questions because they know that it will help you and  your business. Do you have people in your life like that? Well, let  me introduce you to someone who literally swept me off my feet  and into this new realm of thinking.

Meet Jenny Heins.

Jenny is a native of Columbus, but she has no bounds when it  comes to shining her light. Jenny Heins is an entrepreneur, real estate broker, fashion designer, business consultant, author, and 

motivational speaker. She is the CEO of Teal Door Realty and the creative mind behind The Palette Collection and Palette Coffee Co. 

Jenny is currently the Music & Entertainment host for Emmy-Nominated “The American Dream,” as seen on FOX, CNBC, and Travel Channel. Her designs have been worn by countless celebrities and featured in New York Fashion Week.

Jenny came from humble beginnings. She stated that, “To be honest, it wasn’t until preparing for your interview that it hit me for the first time that I guess entrepreneurship is in my blood. My father owned a transmission shop here in Columbus, and my mother was a women’s formal wear designer - think pageants and couture weddings.” Jenny was kept dressed in the most adorable miniature versions  of her mother’s designs, “Perhaps I was like her own little baby doll to dress up. My mother entered corporate America after the unexpected death of my father for the stable and consistent income and closed that chapter of her life.”

She dove headfirst into adult life as soon as she could. “I was already in my first full-time ‘big girl’ job before I graduated high school. While I did begin college immediately and received my undergraduate degree almost on time, work was always my focus. Even my modeling time was ‘work,’ I didn’t view it as a creative expression.” Sound familiar to anyone? The hustle game is almost instilled in us as entrepreneurs from our early years.

One time during her early adult life, Jenny worked alongside a prominent urban wear label where she was encouraged to style outside of the box. It sparked something inside her, and there was 

no coming back from that. “I was never really satisfied working in corporate again. After the birth of my youngest son, I knew it was time to turn my talents towards my own ideas.” 

When asked what her why was, Jenny stated, “My ‘why’ has evolved over the years. While it started out of necessity to provide for my family, through a series of good business decisions and near misses, my why is now more purpose-driven.”You know the quote, “We are not to blame for our trauma, but we are responsible for our own healing.”

Jenny is now facing a life-threatening disease, but she has the best mindset, “Now I am living with a chronic and eminently life-threatening medical diagnosis, and my why has turned into 

a why not. I’m basically to a point that if it looks interesting and challenging, I’m going to do it! No matter how ridiculous! Now, just to be clear, I’m not going to make any erratic decisions, okay? And some of my most profitable ventures have been the biggest surprises.” Jenny has created such a positive outlook on life and gives so much back to her community.

When asked, “If you could go back and tell yourself one thing, what would it be?”

After many deliberations and in 100% effort to answer this question, Jenny started witheverything from “If you’re going to be stupid, then you have to be tough” to “buy crypto early.” She even tried to go down the snarky route of “When someone 

shows their true colors, don’t try to repaint them” and “don’t pull the weight of another grown adult.”But ultimately Jenny kept coming back to the same thing. “If I could go back and tell young-Jenny one thing, it would be 

this: You’re not a bad egg, you’re a badass! You’re not disruptive, you’re creative! You are not wrong for thinking differently, and you are not high maintenance for being easily bored. In the infamous words of Dr. Seuss… why fit in when you were born to stand out? Excellence is not found in doing the same thing everyone else is doing!”

I, personally, think that this is the best advice, especially for entrepreneurs and women in business. Do the thing that you were born to do. Stand out from the crowd and shine your light!

So when you start feeling like what you are doing is insignificant, just remember that excellence comes from being YOU!

When asked what is something that you would tell a fellow woman entrepreneur when she is feeling defeated!?“Show up anyways. What I mean by ‘show up anyways’ is… hard times are inevitable and unfortunately happen more frequently than we can ever prepare for, so don’t shoot yourself in the foot during those times of defeat or darkness. Your integrity is your lifeline. It’s so easy to let ourselves off the hook from our own obligations. This is especially true when we 

have no one to answer to but ourselves and when it doesn’t negatively impact someone else. You wouldn’t tolerate someone else standing in your way, so get out of your own!”

Don’t get caught in that routine of “two steps forward, one step back.” (or two or even three steps back) Instead, when the inevitable hits, aim to pause, so when you start to see the light again, you can hit play instead of rewind.

Staying motivated is something that Jenny truly believes in. She 

believes that you need to lead by example.

“If you want your friends, family, and coworkers to live boldly and fiercely, you have to consistently show them bold and fierce.”

So my fellow entrepreneurs, I encourage you to be fearlessly authentic, bravely you!