Midwest Fashionista: Kim Jensen

It was a frigid January day that struck a chord with Kim Jensen, 28, as she sat at home with her two girls Alivia, 2, and Brinn, 10 months, realizing that there was a strong disconnect between her and the fashion world.

After viewing an episode of Undercover Boss that featured Stella & Dot she found that the initial investment was low so Jensen said, “What do I have to lose?”

Born and raised in Huxley, Iowa, graduating from Ballard High School in 2006, Jensen continued her education at Iowa State University, graduating with an apparel merchandising degree in 2011. Jensen’s internship at Target Headquarters landed her a fulltime position as the visual merchandiser for active wear and sleepwear.

After one year she moved back to Ames, Iowa, and got married to her high school sweetheart, Blake Jensen. This had always been the plan she said, to stay home and raise her family.

Looking at fashion blogs was not enough and her “mom syndrome” of yoga pants every day fired her drive to find something Jensen said. Being an extrovert and loving people, she talked with her mom about direct selling companies but wasn’t sold on them. What sold her was that they modernized trunk shows. It was a “no games, no presentation” and was not your mother’s Tupperware party.

Stella & Dot is a direct selling jewelry company founded by Jessica DiLullo Herrin and has workers in six countries.

“We grow our company by growing our people,” Herrin said.

Jensen joined this company with low expectations and started with one trunk show a month. After attending a convention workshop in Des Moines, Iowa, a fire was sparked in her. She is now hosting five to six trunk shows doing her two favorite things: styling and merchandising.

Going into fashion wasn’t a decision Jensen made lightly. She struggled with the materialistic side of it because she wanted to make an impact. However she believes that dressing for your body helps with your self-worth, mood and attitude.

She started an Instagram to showcase her jewelry but was continuously asked about her clothes. This started her outfit of the day Instagram. Jensen sets her self apart she said, by wearing clothes from Target and Old Navy, things people can actually afford.

Her Instagram motivates her to get ready in the morning. She tries to have a healthy mix of practical clothes for stay at home moms while still experimenting with new trends. Her fashion advice is to start with one piece and build out from there. She uses jewelry and shoes to make her statement. Her style and being relatable have gained her over 5,500 followers in one year.

Jensen’s success has sky rocketed in the past year with both her Instagram and her Stella & Dot job.

Jensen’s leadership, style, and drive weren’t only noticeable to those who knew her but the CEO of Stella & Dot took notice too. In March Jensen was chosen out of 30,000 stylists to fly out to the CEO’s home in San Francisco to film a faux trunk show to use for training.

“She’s one of the big fish in our pond,” Herrin said.

Jensen admits it isn’t always easy to balance with having two girls under the age of five. She wakes up early and gets ready so she can spend focus time with them and then continues to work while they are napping. She’s working on setting office hours because she doesn’t want to take away from family time.

Jensen said she is often inspired by the words of the CEO and founder of Stella & Dot, Jessica DiLullo Herrin, “ It’s not about having it all, it’s about having what matters most.”

Finding a balance hasn’t stopped her personal growth and aspirations as she now leads a team of 70 women as a director. She emphasized the importance of making an impact and by coaching these women she is using her fashion degree to help them.

“Kim would drop anything for me or anyone on her team. She has been there for me since day one and cheered me on with goals I’ve had,” said Morgan Welp, a stylist on Jensen’s team.

Women on her team have been able to buy their kids Christmas presents and lighten the financial burden at home.

“Helping women help their families, that’s what motivates me to get up every day,” Jensen said.

Bloggers are becoming more popular and the competition is fierce but Jensen has a quality that can’t be replicated, authenticity.

“It’s a genuine passion of me loving the products,” Jensen said.

She values customer service and follows up with her clients to make sure they are fully satisfied. With the wide range of styles and prices she believes there is something for everyone. Her anchor for staying grounded in her success is her faith. Using the talents God gave her she is continuously helping women.

“It’s easy to get invested and care too much about things that don’t matter.” Jensen said.

Even with here growing following she still has human moments of self doubt but quickly reminds herself, “I’m not doing this for likes I’m doing this for myself. You can’t gauge your value off of how many likes you get,” Jensen said.

Stella & Dot’s website states their mission is, “To give every women the means to style her own life,” and Kim Jensen is living proof of that.