June 18, 2007
Minneapolis, MN – Jill Johnson, the 47 year-old owner and founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a Minneapolis-based management consulting firm, announced today that her company has achieved a rare milestone by reaching its 20th anniversary in business. Further, in October of this year, Johnson herself will achieve another milestone by celebrating the 25th anniversary of her consulting career.
The average lifespan of an entrepreneurial consulting practice is six to 18 months and only 10 percent of these practices survive for 10 years. Johnson’s consulting work has impacted more than 1/2 billion dollars worth of decisions, with clients located in 21 states, as well as in Europe and Asia. She has worked with a wide array of corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations.
“Consulting is an extremely difficult and competitive business. Anyone who is between their last job and their next job claims to be a ‘consultant’,” Johnson explained. “As a career consultant, I found it was my ability to continue to grow and adapt my skills to a dynamic market is what kept my services in demand. The ability to generate client confidence over many years comes from a proven track record of dealing with complex client issues and getting results.”
A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Johnson has long understood the complexities of maintaining a business over the long-term. The family business she grew up in is now more than 50 years old. At an age when most people are leaving the corporate world to begin a consulting career, Johnson attributes her own success and longevity to her early career experiences as a consultant with one of the world’s largest consulting practices. Other personal attributes include her diligent preparation, fiscal discipline and the quality of her work resulting in referrals and repeat business from satisfied clients.
At the age of 29, Johnson was named Minnesota’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). Johnson was named one of the SBA’s National Small Business Advocates of the Year in 1994. She is one of only a few individuals to have ever been honored by the SBA as both an entrepreneur and as an advocate for small business. She is also an experienced leader who has served on the boards of directors of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, as well as a variety of other non-profit and business organizations. Johnson chaired the Small Business Council of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and was one of the delegates elected to represent Minnesota’s small business owners at the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business.
About Johnson Consulting Service:
Johnson Consulting Services (JCS), a management consulting firm based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which specializes in strategy development. Established in 1987, JCS assists clients in the development of business plans, marketing plans and market-based strategies for growth. Their clients are located throughout the United States, as well as in Europe and Asia. They can be contacted at 763-571-3101.
