This week on Own It we’re talking to Jen Harrington from Hatch. She jumped into the world of ownership when she founded Hatch over 16 years ago. So she has been at this a long time. Her perspective on the gender gap in agency ownership is full of experience and insight.
Jen is also investing her time and energies in fostering the creative world. She creates on-ramps into the creative world for diverse talent and spends time volunteering with organizations like the Greater Boston Food Bank.
She is so busy and, therefore, so fascinating to talk to.
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Throughout her career, Jen Harrington has actively sought and collected mentors who have provided invaluable guidance, from navigating work-life balance as a working mother to understanding how to contribute to the community. She emphasizes the importance of established women owners intentionally seeking out and supporting new women in business to create a strong network and resource pool for them.
Jen highlights the importance of being comfortable with ambiguity and confident in one's own abilities when building something new. She believes that leaders who can navigate uncertainty and create frameworks from nothing will be instrumental in pushing industries forward. This comfort with the unknown allows for unconventional approaches and carving out one's unique path.
Jen differentiates between leadership and ownership, stating that ownership entails being at the back of the line during good times and at the front during bad times. This means taking ultimate responsibility, making difficult decisions, and often having to step up significantly to support employees and clients, especially during crises, due to the direct impact on their livelihoods.
To address the disparity in women-owned businesses and prevent women from leaving the workforce, Jen suggests that women business owners should actively support working mothers or women with caregiving responsibilities. This involves re-evaluating traditional resume consistency and prioritizing aptitude, recognizing that employment gaps don't diminish valuable skill sets.
