November 11, 2011 – Finance & Commerce by Marisa Helms – The following appeared in a Finance & Commerce special section

At the ripe age of 17, Jill Johnson knew she wanted to be a management consultant. Consulting may not seem a typical dream job for most teenage girls, but Johnson has never been typical.

Tenacious and focused, Johnson started winning major business competitions in high school. She earned her MBA in a matter of months. She started her own consulting business when she was just 27 in 1987. And by the time she was 29, the US Small Business Administration named her Minnesota’s young entrepreneur of the year. Johnson’s early sense of purpose and subsequent years of hard work led her to a keen understanding of her profession and what is takes to attract and retain clients. Next year, her business, Johnson Consulting, will celebrate 25 years in business.

“I still love to do the work,” Johnson says. “I’m a real in-the-trenches, old school consultant. I’m not the one to hire if you want a touchy-feely, ‘find your center’ vision quest. I’m the one you hire when you have a problem and you have to solve it.”

Johnson’s clientele is primarily from the service industry, including health care companies, government agencies and nonprofits. Johnson says she has personally affected more that $2 billion in business decisions.

She credits her success and professional longevity to solid analytical skills and a deep-seated need to find the truth.

“My goal is not to prove somebody right or wrong, but to make things better and to provide clients with what they need to make it work,” Johnson says.

Johnson has always made time to mentor other women and uses her expertise to serve on numerous national and local boards.

“My life model is to make a difference,” Johnson says. “That’s the essence of consulting, and I understood that intuitively when I was 17. I figured out early on that I could have an impact on everything I do if I approach what I do with the intention to have an impact.”

– Marisa Helms

Current title/employer: president and founder, Johnson Consulting Services (since 1987)

Previous title/employer: consulting supervisor, Laventhol & Horwath (1984-87)

Community involvement and/or mentoring: board member National Association of Women Business Owner; served on national board and is past president of Minnesota chapter; mentor and speaker, SCORE (since 1984)

Education: B.S. business administration, Drake University (1982); MBA, Drake University, (1983)

Family: husband, John Tebbe