I'm Joan Born, and I help retail and ecommerce founders get out of the weeds and into their next growth phase.

Here's what I believe: curiosity keeps us growing, kindness keeps us human, and equity means everyone deserves a business that doesn't burn them out. Because the goal isn't just revenue, it's building something sustainable that lets you actually live your life.

I spent 7+ years helping to grow a seven-figure omnichannel jewelry brand, starting as a studio assistant and working up to COO, learning the hard way that growing a business means building systems that can handle the chaos, especially at 2 am during a holiday fulfillment crisis. I've sat in every seat: managing fulfillment when orders were flying, opening flagship stores in under four months, leading rebrands that actually changed how customers saw the business (and how revenue looked at the end of the quarter), and building the Airtable infrastructure that finally made our data make sense.

Before operations, I co-founded Born & Born, a creative studio working with clients like Land O'Lakes and local restaurant groups. That creative foundation means I speak both languages, and I can bridge the gap between your big visionary thinking and the operational reality of making it happen.

On a personal note, I'm a mom of two boys, and my husband owns a restaurant here in Minneapolis (Francis). I also do branding and creative projects on the side. So I know firsthand that "hustle culture" is exhausting and unsustainable. The businesses I'm proudest of helping are the ones where founders remember why they started in the first place, and get to enjoy the life they're building. That's my mission for myself and everyone I work with: creating a relationship to work that allows us and our employees to live our best lives outside of it.

Let's build your business into something that runs without you running yourself into the ground.