Resources
Partners & Tools
Below are some resources we use and recommend our clients use to help run their companies.
Heads up, this list includes affiliate links. If you click and purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we’ve vetted and trust.
Gusto
Say hello to your new HR department. Gusto is an all-in-one people platform that makes hiring, onboarding, payroll, and benefits (including PTO) a breeze.
Use it for W-2 employees, global contractor payments, and S-corp payroll. Prices start at $46/month.
CorpNet
You didn’t start a business so you could worry about compliance, taxes, and state laws.
CorpNet helps you stay on top of critical filings and due dates, making it simple and headache-free to stay organized and compliant in your state(s) of operation.
EasyLlama
Many U.S. states require even small employers to participate in periodic harassment compliance training. EasyLlama’s online harassment training costs about $15/person, meets requirements in all 50 states, and covers topics like deadnaming and microaggressions.
Several of our clients have reported it to be contemporary and actually educational.
Harvest
Jill has been using Harvest since the inception of the company. It’s a time tracking systems that makes client management so much easier.
As a bonus, you can also set up unpaid time buckets like administration, finance, and business development to learn about how you’re running your business and which tasks take up the most of your time.
The Legal Website Warrior®
The Legal Website Warrior® provides essential legal support for entrepreneurs, from DIY templates to high-level, hands-on strategy for your business.
If you have an online presence, you need The Website Protection Package. This package is essential to protect your online content and brand and comply with privacy policies and FCC online sales standards.
Rippling
Rippling wraps together HR management, payroll, IT permissions, password sharing, and benefits. You can plug in your existing providers or use Rippling’s services, including a PEO with national health insurance. Best for companies that have at least 5 employees, ideally 10.
Industrious
How to Run Your Business in 3 Hours a Week
Run your company like a CEO in just a few hours a week so you can:
- focus your effort on what actually gets you paid
- spend the rest of your time doing what you love
- run a profitable and sustainable, self-funded business
Get my weekly newsletter
Running a company is hard. My weekly newsletter makes it easier. Each Wednesday, I write about strategy, general management, and finance issues and trends specific to the needs of you, the founder / CEO of a self-funded company.
Featured Podcast
Does it ever feel like there’s way too much to know? And how do you figure out what actually makes a difference? I joined serial entrepreneur Maya Roffler of the MaYapinion™ podcast to discuss:
- How I started my company and eventually transitioned from Founder to CEO of The Jill James
- The importance of identifying and delegating things you hate
- The differences between a founder and a CEO
- Building a professional team
- The process of creating values and visions for your business
- Advice to women about stepping up in leadership
This conversation is filled with excellent resources for those who are just getting started in business or founders who are starting to level up.
On the Blog
A glossary of US health insurance terms
Understand the terms and acronyms you’ll encounter in buying self-employed and small business health insurance
2025 Guide to Self-Employed and Small Business Health Insurance
Choose your 2025 self-employed or small business health insurance with confidence
Nonprofit
Socially-minded entrepreneurs often ask me whether they should become a nonprofit. Usually, this is shorthand for a 501(c)3 tax designation. 501(c)3s are exempt from federal tax and can accept tax-deductible donations from private foundations and public charities. Before you say, “Yay, free money!” understand some of the downsides.