Jill Baker didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up. But that’s not surprising when you consider her talents, wide-ranging interests, and busy lifestyle.
Jill is a full-time wife and the mother of 4 -- all boys and all healthy, happy and active. She’s also the full-time school nurse at her youngest sons’ elementary school. She volunteers monthly as a worship leader in her church. Recently, that same church asked her to take over as the building interior decor lead. That’s an important undertaking considering the church’s large facility accommodates more than 2,000 worshippers every Sunday.
She worked for 10 years as a medical assistant for an obstetrics physician. After the births of her first three sons, and while she was still working as an assistant, she decided to go back to college. She graduated from the Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science in 2010.
After graduation, she worked as a nurse in the mother-baby unit at Good Samaritan Hospital. The work was gratifying but 6 years later she accepted a position as the school nurse at her sons’ elementary school where she’s now in her second year. She and husband Denny, a Cincinnati firefighter, have 4 sons, ages 6 to 16, and being able to consolidate school and work schedules was a welcome change.
“I love being on my boys’ schedule,” she admits. “I love being off in the summer.”
About the same time that she was getting her summer months back, Jill and a friend decided to do something different. They started a small part-time business making home crafts, decor, and custom woodwork. As it turned out, they were both very good at their new endeavor. Business was good. But as the number of orders grew it became increasingly difficult to keep work and family life in balance. Finally, it became too much and they closed up shop.
The closing was a disappointment for Jill. She liked the work and wanted to somehow find a way to keep it going. That’s when she decided to turn the closure into a new opportunity -- a different kind of opportunity, one that would allow her to be creative and yet still de-stress every day.
In the spring of 2017, just a few months after closing the old business, Jill Baker opened Simply Refined: Custom Wood Design. She makes professional, hand-painted wood signage for business and home decor. She works from home -- and this works for her.Although Jill’s background had been nearly all medical, she found that the (earlier) craft business and her new sign business allowed her to put into practice a lifelong interest in interior design.
“My sister has been an OB nurse for 25 years. I looked up to her. My Mom worked in a physician’s office. I worked as a medical assistant in an obstetrics doctor’s office for many years. That was my safe route.”
“I really didn’t ever know really what I wanted to do (in life),” she acknowledges. “But I’ve always loved interior design. I liked decorating. I know what I like...I almost feel like I missed my calling.”“(Now) I’ll come home from work -- and people think I’m nuts but -- I go right out to the garage and start sanding or doing something,” she says. “I love the design aspect of it. I love instant results. I love anything that I can do with my two hands and make. I love the challenge of seeing if I can build something. It’s calming to me. It’s a stress relief.”
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE
Moving from custom craft-making to strictly making signage was a bold move. So was coming up with a new business name and establishing new products.
“I really don’t know how signs came about.” She pauses. “I think I was just looking for what is a money market. Where can I put my time and my effort into something and make a decent amount of money?”
“One of my top sellers is round, personalized name signs. I have sold hundreds.”
Word of her fresh approach and unique, beautiful pieces spread quickly. A childhood friend with a construction office in Nashville heard what she doing and called to request several works for his clients. It wasn’t long before business was booming.
LONG DAYS, BUT GOOD DAYS
Jills days are 12 hour days and there’s always a to-do list. She gets home from school and gets right to work. She sometimes gets her husband involved cutting boards on the table saw. During the school year, she can complete as many as 20-25 projects in a month’s time. During the summer she can knock out even more -- 30-40 pieces a month.
“(Summer) is when I usually hit Simply Refined pretty hard...try to do my marketing (and) push my business.”
A lot of her signs are made from pine. Larger projects require select pine or finished plywood. Some of the work requires cedar. But when it comes to designs, colors, and layouts, she does her own research and selects her own wood.
“I like how the stain takes to pine...this farmhouse look is in so they (customers) don’t like anything too polished. They like it distressed.”
Many customers offer ideas for products they’d like to purchase, but many of her ideas are original.
“When a project turns out great, I love that! When I have a piece that turns out exactly how I liked it and what I pictured it to be, that’s self-rewarding.”
The majority of her customers find her on Facebook. Currently, most of her work ships inside the U.S. In addition to the Tri-State (Ohio-Indiana-Kentucky) area, she has shipped to Maine, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas.
FILLING A VOID
Wife, parent, nurse, plus church leader and volunteer -- it all seems like a lot.
Jill just laughs. “I’m a people pleaser, by all means. I think that’s why I get myself involved in so much and why I can’t say no. It’s because I feel like...wherever there’s a void I need to get in there and fill it. I always want to say ‘Yes!’ to people”
With so much already on her plate, why add running a small business? The answer is as simple as her business name.
“Simply Refined has filled a void in my life as far as design. I do this because this is something I wanted to do for myself.”
In the process of getting her business up and running, a few tasks were deliberately left undone. For example, Simply Refined can be found on Facebook, but it does not yet have a website of its own. She hopes to remedy that over the next few months and make it possible for customers to submit an order online.
Another task only partially completed was that of finalizing a business and marketing plan. To finish that, Jill enlisted the help of a friend from nearby Miami University who in turn enlisted the help of some of her students. The students interviewed Jill earlier this fall, asking about her work, finances, strengths, and weaknesses. They also discussed marketing and future growth. The students are submitting potential business plans for her review this month.
When it comes to social marketing, Jill’s approach is particularly effective. She’s on Facebook only.
“I’m not on Pinterest or Etsy,” she states confidently. “There’s a lot of competition, and I felt like I would get lost in the sea. I am busy now, probably as busy as I can be while I am still working a full-time job.”
Jill notes that 90% of her orders come through Facebook, that 90% of her buyers are women, and that her customer base is pretty evenly spread with no single generation group buying more or less than any other. That’s a plus and speaks highly of her ability to create products that buyers want or need.
A WORK OF LOVE
Business is definitely looking up and Jill continues to look ahead, creating new sign products that meet customer needs. That doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down as much as it means focusing and making the best use of her time, whether that’s at home, at church, or at work. And no matter the time or the place, she does it all out of love.
“I don’t know...I’m always on the go...I do bring a lot of stress on myself,” she says.
“I understand that I do a lot, but I love everything that I do.”
You can find Simply Refined Custom Wood Design on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/simplyrefinedsigns/
For additional information or to place an order, contact Jill Baker via email at simplyrefined@hotmail.com or call 513-313-3028.
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