I have built businesses through the messy parts—not just studied them.
I’m Jill Shortreed, a business strategist, longtime entrepreneur, and educator who helps business owners figure out what is really holding them back and make a clear plan for what to do next.
I know what it takes to build a real business.
For more than 25 years, I have built, grown, taught, and worked inside small business.
My experience includes:
Building one of North America’s largest businesses in its category
Teaching business owners for more than a decade
Creating classes, training, and business education
Speaking at industry events in the United States and internationally
Serving as an education director for a global manufacturer
Coaching business owners through real decisions, problems, and growth
But business has not always been neat or easy.
I know what it feels like to build while raising a family, make payroll when money is tight, start over when it was not part of the plan, and carry problems no one else can see.
That is why I do not give business owners generic advice or hand them another complicated system.
I help them find the real problem, decide what matters first, and build a plan they can realistically follow.
Fable & Firm began with one question: What now?
When the education role I loved was eliminated, I had a choice: try to recreate what I had lost or build the kind of business support I believed owners actually needed.
I chose to build Fable & Firm.
A place where business owners can get honest answers, practical strategy, and help sorting through the mess—without pressure, judgment, or another one-size-fits-all formula.
Strategy that works
in your real life.
I am not going to insist you run your business from a complicated program you will stop using next month.
We build around the way you actually work—whether that is Google Calendar, a planner, your notes app, or a wall full of sticky notes.
Because a system you do not use is not a strategy. It is just guilt with better branding.
Need a speaker for your event?
Jill brings honest, practical conversations to the business challenges owners often struggle with quietly.
With more than 25 years in business and 12+ years teaching, she combines real-life experience, useful takeaways, and a presentation style that keeps people engaged.
Beyond the Business
Wife. Mom of five. Grammy. Disney lover. Speaker. Lifelong learner.
I believe success should support your life—not take it over.
And I believe people deserve the chance to rebuild, begin again, and create something that feels like their own.
Honest advice. A clear plan. No unnecessary noise.
“I learned how to make proper money... and the importance of training.”
“I am doing all the things I had on hold...updating website and adding more revenue generating products.”
“Attendees are still speaking about what they learned in your class.”
You do not need to have your business figured out before we talk.
Bring the problem you can see. Together, we will find what is really causing it and decide what to do next.