Social Media Marketer Jess Loren Popov

Founder

Jess Loren is an energetic entrepreneur and start-up savant who specializes in the team-based execution of innovative ideas. The founder of Chicago social media marketing company Mix Media Solutions and technology/pop culture blog SocialTechPop, Jess is not only a fluent expert in the present state of social media, but a visionary with an eye toward the future. In her projects, Jess combines the effects of cutting-edge technology with the connectivity of social media, and examines how they play a role in determining the next big thing. Jess has contributed across the industry and across the spectrum, working with everyone from Fortune 500 companies to a company that hosts the “largest bar crawl in America.”

Jess describes herself as a “web visionary,” someone who lies awake at night bouncing ideas around in her head. Jess is at her best when she is leading a team, and working with the team to accomplish goals together. Jess loves working with groups because collaboration is an essential part of any successful idea. “By combining ideas together, we can make something truly unique that still has a universal appeal,” Jess says.

Jess awakened her entrepreneurial spirit at an early age. After running her own lemonade stand when she was only 5, her street-side business grew and grew. Lemonade stands were just the beginning: Jess’s neighborhood held a 200-family garage sale every year, and a young Jess knew an opportunity when she saw one. Jess began selling hot dogs and quickly became a local hit, raising around $800-1000.

Although Jess jokes about how those early years were her “most successful years as an entrepreneur,” she has certainly tasted success outside of the sidewalk. Jess sold her first start-up, the coupon website ChiTown Deals, within six months of its creation. ChiTown Deals separated itself from similar companies by filming videos of the place or service offered to give people a preview of what they were in for. ChiTown Deals’ success was a result of bringing a different approach to an existing idea and resonating in social media.

Jess studied at Indiana University in Bloomington and Loyola University in Chicago, focusing on advertising and public relations. Chicago is on the verge of a technology boom, and Jess loves being a part of it. “No matter where I go, I’ll still be regarded as a Chicago entrepreneur,” Jess says, “And I want to be regarded as a Chicago entrepreneur.”

With Mix Media Solutions and SocialTechPop, Jess firmly establishes her role as a prominent Chicago entrepreneur. Mix Media Solutions enables Jess to lend her skills in social media and beyond to other companies with game-changing ideas. At leading tech blog SocialTechPop, Jess brings tech news to the common person, with an underlying theme of technology relating to society, pop culture and entertainment. Jess says she has an “entrepreneurial bug” that compels her to pursue new concepts and build a “company of culture.”

That “entrepreneurial bug” shows no signs of leaving anytime soon: Jess is working on two more start-ups that are already close to launch. Jess is the founder of Toothbrush Supply, which sends a new toothbrush to your home every three months (as the ADA recommends). She is also excited for her work on Dresscodable, which will finally put an end to the debate over the difference between “business casual” and “smart casual.” From lemonade stands to social media, Jess has a grip on what makes an idea powerful in this increasingly digital age. Throughout it all, Jess is driven by the limitless potential that inspired her to become an entrepreneur in the first place: “I’m convinced that with the right idea and the right team, anything is possible.” To learn more about Jess, follow her on Twitter: @ChiTownJess