#jesspicks 👩🏾‍💻

By Jessica L. Williams

#jesspicks is a hand-picked roundup of the best resources, inspiration, and tools for side hustlers. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday. ☕️

Previous issues

"Don't let other people decide who you are." ~Bob Coff

#116 Jan 19, 2019

"Every day of your life is a special occasion." ~Thomas S. Monson

#115 Jan 12, 2019

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

#114 Jan 5, 2019

#113

Dec 15, 2018

"You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want." ~S.E. Hinton – This month has been a bit of everything. I've been balancing a ton: work / side hustle / events / ca
#112

Nov 24, 2018

"This is a wonderful day. I've never seen it before." ~Maya Angelou – I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I feel like this holiday, more than others, is a time to
#111

Nov 17, 2018

“Make haste to live, and consider each day a life.” ~Seneca the Younger – I was inspired awhile ago by Jon Acuff who wrote a post about 10 things he wanted to do before 2019.
#110

Nov 10, 2018

“You make your mark by being true to who you are and letting that be your staple.” —Kat Graham – This week I've slowed down a bit - you know that saying about how when you're stressed the last thing
#109

Nov 3, 2018

"Sleep is the best meditation." ~Dalai Lama – These last few weeks have been tough. After the move, I immediately got sick and I'm still recovering
#108

Oct 20, 2018

"Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create." ~Oprah – Biggest accomplishment in the last week? We moved!! Hired Move-Tastic (a Mac and Cheese reco) and the
#107

Oct 13, 2018

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” ~Chinese Proverb – Today is Moving Day! I feel like I've been giving so much mental space to this process for weeks so I
#106

Oct 6, 2018

“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can." ~Frida Kahlo – This week has been tough but productive. This sinus infection has been a slow heal for sure. I finis
#105

Sep 29, 2018

“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.” ~Sophia Bush – I went into this week thinking that the apartment situation was on lockdown and it turns out we hit a
#104

Sep 22, 2018

"In your own brave life, all of your emotions are acceptable." ~Mara Glatzel – This week has continued to be a bit heavy. Saying goodbye to family is never easy. And I was legit ju
#103

Sep 15, 2018

"You were only waiting for this moment to arise." ~The Beatles – This week has been a mixed bag. We were able to find some great apartments thanks to AptAmigo, and f
#102

Sep 8, 2018

"The fears we don't face become our limits." ~Robin Sharma – This week has been super productive - back to school mojo is in full effect. I've also finally mental
#101

Sep 1, 2018

"Time is a precious thing. Don't waste it." ~Willy Wonka – Yesterday I spent a good part of the day outside. I treated myself to breakfast and then hung out at
#100

Aug 25, 2018

"Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes." ~Amy Cuddy (#jesspicks 100) – Welcome to the 100th issue of #jesspicks!! 🎉🍾 Thank you so much for being with me on this journey so
#99

Aug 18, 2018

"Every birthday is a gift. Every day is a gift." ~Aretha Franklin – Me and the girls had a fun Saturday last weekend trying to Save the White House as part of an escape
#98

Aug 11, 2018

"Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned." ~Peter Marshall – This week has been super busy but productive in Tech Biz Gurl. First, I was featured in Voyage Chicag
#97

Aug 8, 2018

Did you do this? – Hey hey!Quick question for you: have you used the Side Hustle Toolkit?It’s okay if you haven’t yet an
#96

Aug 4, 2018

"Whatever makes you feel the sun from the inside out, chase that." ~Gemma Troy – It is AUGUST!! Can you believe it? I'm just wondering where June and July went. I'm not readyyyyyy
#95

Jul 21, 2018

"Do the earth a favor, don't hide your magic." ~Yung Pueblo – This week has been a good week for getting some cool things in the Tech Biz Gurl pipeline so more on
#94

Jul 14, 2018

Does affiliate marketing make you a smarmy marketer? 🤔 – If you've thought about affiliate marketing at all, this is something you may have considered and I d
#93

Jul 6, 2018

Ready to get paid? The Affiliate Starter Guide is here...💰💵 – It has been extremely hard to juggle things these last few weeks. I’ve been feeling really overwhelme
#92

Jun 16, 2018

"Taking care of yourself doesn't mean me first, it means me too." ~L.R. Knost – For this week's #jesspicks, I'm focusing on some of my favorite self-care tools and resources. And t
#91

Jun 9, 2018

" A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." ~James Keller – For this week's #jesspicks, I'm focusing on screencasting tools. If you are not familiar with those,
#90

Jun 2, 2018

"Guard your time fiercely. Be generous with it, but be intentional about it." ~David Duchemin – Hope you had a wonderful 4-day week! It's been busy on the work front but oh so good and I'm learnin
#89

May 26, 2018

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen you may learn something new.” ~Dalai Lama – Last week's mini issue was so popular that I think I'm gonna do them all summer. This one features f
#88

May 24, 2018

#jesspicks - the "Brace yourselves, GDPR is coming tomorrow" edition – This is not another one of those GDPR emails. Or is it?? 😜 To be honest, I am one of those people who
#87

May 19, 2018

“Photography is the beauty of life captured.” – Tara Chisholm – Hey hey! It's been a LONG week over here so this week's #jesspicks is a mini! As side-hustlers we al
#86

May 12, 2018

"We lose ourselves in things we love. We find ourselves there, too." ~Kristin Martz – Happy Saturday!!This week has seemed extremely long. On Tuesday, I was convinced it was Wednesday an
#85

May 5, 2018

"And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good." ~John Steinbeck – Yay it's May! It seems like April flew by - although I did have a pretty eventful and busy month. Ho
#84

Apr 28, 2018

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." ~Charles R. Swindoll – I had a great birthday weekend! I got to experience Chuck E. Cheese for the first time ever. Verdic
#83

Apr 21, 2018

“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” ~Walt Disney – Go shorty, it's my birthday. I'm gonna party like it's my birthday. I'm gonna sip mimosas like it's m
#82

Apr 14, 2018

“She was afraid of heights but she was much more afraid of never flying.” – Do you know what today is? It's my blogiversary!! techbizgurl.com turns 7 today. 🙌🏾🎊 It’s hard to be
#81

Apr 7, 2018

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale – Notice anything different about this newsletter? We have a new logo! Do you like it? I really wan
#80

Mar 31, 2018

"People inspire you, or they drain you - pick them wisely." ~Hans F Hanson – This week has been super productive. I've been working on refreshing my website behind the scenes.
#79

Mar 24, 2018

"Don’t be afraid to change. You may lose something good but you may gain something better." ~Unknown – Happy Spring!! Even though the weather is still a bit chilly here in Chicago, I love this time of ye
#78

Mar 17, 2018

"Every new experience brings its own maturity and a greater clarity of vision." ~Indira Gandhi – This week has been filled with a couple of new experiences. 🙌🏾 On Monday, I attended this Women in C
#77

Mar 10, 2018

“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” – I apologize for disappearing these last few weeks. I was sick for two weeks and still feel like I'm
#76

Feb 17, 2018

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." ~Deepak Chopra – I'm keeping this issue short and sweet because for some reason this chest cold is taking all of my en
#75

Feb 10, 2018

"A great beginning is sometimes at the point of what you thought would be the end of everything." ~Dodinsky – This week has been pretty great. I hung out with my gurl Teddi and had some awesome rum punch. I al
#74

Feb 7, 2018

Get a lifetime's worth of social media updates for $49! – I'm reaching out to you on this wonderful Wednesday because I didn't want you to miss out on this opp
#73

Feb 3, 2018

"Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways." ~Glennon Doyle Melton – This week has been really positive even though I've been struggling with a sore throat and something
#72

Jan 27, 2018

"You are what you believe yourself to be." ~Paulo Coelho – I feel like this week has gone really fast. How about you? It's been really busy on my end and I have
#71

Jan 20, 2018

"Be the most wonderful expression of you that you're capable of." ~Marianne Williamson – The weirdness of last week continued on into this week. And I had to deal with that. But in the mids
#70

Jan 13, 2018

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." ~Randy Pausch – This week has been a weird mix. There seems to be a lot of change happening around me which is leavi
#69

Jan 6, 2018

"If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am." ~Cyril Cusack – Happy 2018! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and an awesome New Year. For me, I took it ea
#68

Nov 24, 2017

"You must find happiness right where you are." ~Moana – Whattt! #jesspicks on a Friday? I know it's crazy right? 😯 I am sending this out because there are
#67

Nov 18, 2017

"Do what brings you joy, and your purpose will unfold." ~Iyanla Vanzant – This week we have been busy, busy at work interviewing for WiSTEM C6!! So definitely expect an annou
#66

Nov 11, 2017

"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." ~Oprah – #jesspicks are back, back again! So here is what you missed in the last 25 days: I MOVED. Grandma a
#65

Nov 8, 2017

I could use your help...and a $10 gift card may be in it for you! – It's been 25 days since my last issue and I have missed you!! 😘 I'll be back in full force with life
#64

Oct 14, 2017

"Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains." ~Unknown – This week has been a whirlwind. On Monday, we had our WiSTEM Showcase. I have to say the women total
#63

Oct 7, 2017

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." ~Eleanor Roosevelt – This issue is short and sweet as I've been fighting a terrible allergic reaction to something this we
#62

Sep 30, 2017

"Amazing how we can light tomorrow with today." ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning – This week has been all about getting caught up since my Mississippi trip. I can't believe that was j
#61

Sep 23, 2017

"Honestly I wanna see you be brave…" ~Sara Bareilles – This week has been a blur. I feel like most of it was getting ready for my trip to Mississippi and st
#60

Sep 16, 2017

"Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest, with an S on my chest." ~Alicia Keys – Has this week been weird? Maybe just me? I've felt off all week. Not sure if it's because I'm trying
#59

Sep 9, 2017

"You've got to be willing to lose everything to gain yourself." ~Iyanla Vanzant – The 3-day weekend was a great time for me to take it easy and recharge a bit. I've been feeling real
#58

Sep 2, 2017

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." ~J.K. Rowling – This week has been a huge win for me on the productivity front. I've been feeling super blocked so I
#57

Aug 26, 2017

"You can do anything, but not everything." ~David Allen – This week started off with the eclipse! I have to say it was a sight to behold. Not just the whole m
#56

Aug 19, 2017

"You must do the things you think you cannot do." ~Eleanor Roosevelt – This week has been tough. Charlottesville. Barcelona. You go on Facebook and you can feel the sadne
#55

Aug 12, 2017

"Little things, make big days." ~Isabel Marant – This week has really forced me to take a bit of a pulse on where I am. I look back at where I was thi
#54

Aug 5, 2017

"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." ~Dolly Parton – This week seems like it flew by! Definitely a busy one. I had the opportunity to write a guest blog
#53

Jul 29, 2017

"We grow fearless by walking into our fears." ~Robin Sharma – Guess what?!?! It's been ONE WHOLE YEAR since I started #jesspicks. 🙌🏾 This newsletter was my way t
#52

Jul 22, 2017

"Only you can control your future." ~Dr.Seuss – This week we launched our FIFTH cohort of WiSTEM - super exciting!! We have 13 amazing companies tha
#51

Jul 20, 2017

Want to make $600 in your side-hustle? 💰 – One of the things I love about the #sidehustlelife is that it’s extra money -- on top of your day job
#50

Jul 15, 2017

"Do one thing every day that scares you." ~Eleanor Roosevelt – This week has been focused on gearing up for our next WiSTEM cohort. We finished interviewing and mad
#49

Jul 8, 2017

"Done is better than perfect." ~ Sheryl Sandberg – This week's timing has made me feel a bit off probably because of the July 4th holiday and then think
#48

Jul 1, 2017

"Nothing will work unless you do." ~Maya Angelou – Is it me or has this week been incredibly LONG? I woke up Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday and ever
#47

Jun 24, 2017

"It only takes one person to change your life: YOU" ~Ruth Casey – This week I did two panels! I still can't believe it. They were both so different and so awesome. O
#46

Jun 17, 2017

"To thine own self be true." ~William Shakespeare – Last weekend, I spent at Blavity's #EmpowerHer conference and it was truly inspiring to hear from spe
#45

Jun 10, 2017

"Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." ~Mary Oliver – I did the Color Run yay! It was AWESOME. You can see some pics here, here and here. It is amazing
#44

Jun 3, 2017

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." ~Amelia Earhart – It's June! This week, I've been continuing my version of daily self-care, which for me, means readin
#43

May 27, 2017

"Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world." ~Pema Chödron – I had mussels for the first time! That was a big food highlight of last week's Hand-Picked Supper Cl
#42

May 20, 2017

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." ~Milton Berle – This week I upped my video game a bit. I ordered a microphone and a LED light from Amazon - my versi
#41

May 13, 2017

"Trust the wait. Embrace uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming." ~Mandy Hale – This week, I saw Rent for the first time ever as a live musical. I continue to be #solatetotheparty
#40

May 6, 2017

"Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror." ~Byron Katie – This week has been so long but thank God Mercury Retrograde is OVER. Did you feel the craziness too?
#39

Apr 29, 2017

"If you want to be great, you must first believe that you can be." ~Serena Williams – The highlight of this week has to be the Ladies Get Paid event that I participated in on Tuesday nigh
#38

Apr 22, 2017

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” ~Oprah Winfrey – Guess what? I am a year older!! Yesterday I celebrated my 36th birthday - it's kind of amazing. I
#37

Apr 15, 2017

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson – This week started out on an awesome front because Monday I was able to share my journey into tech wit
#36

Apr 8, 2017

"Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes." ~Amy Cuddy – It's been a great week. I've been starting to think through some things I want to get done this quart
#35

Apr 1, 2017

"We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." ~Henri J.M. Nouwen – Happy April! I love this time of year especially because my birthday is coming up (in a couple week
#34

Mar 25, 2017

"There are two ways of spreading light. To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it." ~Edith Wharton – This week has been fast & furious! We kicked off our fourth cohort of WiSTEM this week!! Yay!!
#33

Mar 18, 2017

"You will face many defeats in your life, but never let yourself be defeated." ~Maya Angelou – This week went by in a blur - there seems to be so much going on in all of my worlds that I'm startin
#32

Mar 11, 2017

"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." ~Michelle Obama – This week, we celebrated International Women's Day and we had some amazing events at 1871. My favori
#31

Mar 4, 2017

"If you want to fly, you must give up what holds you down." ~Anonymous – Helllooooo March! February really did fly by and now we are so much closer to spring so I'm excited
#30

Feb 25, 2017

"If anything matters then everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important." ~William Paul Young – Happy Almost March! Like seriously, where did February go??It seems like it flew by and was super bu
#29

Feb 18, 2017

"Write the books you want to read...do the work you want to see done." ~Austin Kleon – After resting a lot this past week and watching a ton of Lost and Supernatural, my head feels much cl
#28

Feb 11, 2017

"I want one moment in time when I'm more than I thought I could be…" ~Whitney Houston – This week has been a whirlwind! We had our showcase Tuesday night and it was amazing. If you weren't
#27

Feb 4, 2017

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." ~Maya Angelou – Happy February! This week has been super busy but also very productive. Thinking through some chang
#26

Jan 28, 2017

"I want to be able to use my life in a way that not just shines but empowers and uplifts everybody." ~Oprah – When I try to think back over the week, the first few days are truly a blur as I've been hard at work
#25

Jan 21, 2017

"When they go low, we go high." ~Michelle Obama – This week, we said goodbye to the Obamas and a lot of us are terrified about what comes next. Some o
#24

Jan 14, 2017

"I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours." ~President Obama – This week has been busy and eventful! I went to a blogging workshop that focused on planning for 201
#23

Jan 7, 2017

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." ~C.S. Lewis – Happy New Year!! Did you miss me? I actually felt weird not doing #jesspicks for two weeks. Like s
#22

Dec 17, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #22 - Project Jessica Updates, Waiting & Watching, & a Pep Talk from Gary Vee – This week has made me stretch a little bit with two things I've never done before:I went to a concert
#21

Dec 10, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #21 - Getting More Done in Less Time, Managing Email Overload, & Making 2017 Amazing – This week has been game. changing. First off, I had the most wonderful Biz Therapy Session last week
#20

Dec 3, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #20 - Content Planning Challenge, Fun Gift Ideas, & Free Marketing Classes (plus I have a new thing!) – Has this week seemed SUPER long to you too? It seems like it has lasted forever :) Could be because
#19

Nov 26, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #19 - Showing Up, Celebrating Milestones, & Classes You Can Take on Your Lunch Break – This week I felt super productive. I made a dent in my inbox finally so I don't feel as behind on em
#18

Nov 19, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #18 - Passing the Wine, Healing & Doing the Work (even when you don't want to) – How are you feeling? Me, I feel like I'm still processing and figuring stuff out. And trying to be r
#17

Nov 12, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #17 - Take Action & Dream, Girl, It's Worth It – To say the week has been challenging would be an understatement. I can't even begin to imagine what
#16

Nov 5, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #16 - Social Media Hacks, Being Present, & Staying Small + Consistent – Good news is that I did the Hot Chocolate Run last Sunday and I walked the whole thing! I was able t
#15

Oct 29, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #15 - The Worth of Trying, 100 Blocks & Dealing with Critics - also Genius Blogger bundle! – This week I got sick again...boo. It could be the change in weather or just "germs and madness" as I
#14

Oct 22, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #14 - Digital Skills, Being a Doer vs. CEO, & Recalibrating Life – This week I celebrated my one-year anniversary at my job. It's amazing how my scary leap into the unk
#13

Oct 15, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #13 - Productivity Hacks, Building Relationships & Being Meaningful – This week has been a serious blur. As I try to remember what happened or any lessons I learned, I ca
#12

Oct 8, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #12 - Instagram, Oprah & Me-Time – This week, I became a Woo Boss! I'm a part of Shenee's Woo Boss Collective - all about helping entre
#11

Oct 1, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #11 – This week I finished reading Dorothy Must Die - OMG so good. So I'm planning to start the next book
#10

Sep 24, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #10 – I got a Fitbit Alta finally! I've been wanting one of these since I first heard the announcement bec
#9

Sep 17, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #9 – This week has been awesome and busy. I went to the shop and got my hair twisted (look!) which took a
#8

Sep 10, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #8 – This week has been fun. The work week was short but super productive and I went to a few events. I
#7

Sep 3, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #7 – This week I did a Biz Therapy session with Liz who gave me a great suggestion to help with my allergy
#6

Aug 27, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #6 – This week has been revealing. I went to the ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor to get to the bottom of my
#5

Aug 20, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #5 – This week continued my antibiotic regimen but I'm all done now! My sore throat is gone and I'm just
#4

Aug 13, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #4 – This week continues to be about self-care as I'm still under the weather. The doctor gave me another
#3

Aug 6, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #3 – This week has been tough. The tail end of last week started with an awful sore throat and it only go
#2

Jul 30, 2016

#jesspicks - Issue #2 – My week was interesting. I played Cards Against Humanity for the first time. Have you ever played it
#1

Jul 23, 2016

updates and more #jesspicks – Getting the hang of a new job takes about a year I think. :) I'm about 9 months in. So far I'm learn