Background on ESBAG and Its Creation
ESBAG aims to support entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Junior League of Philadelphia, Inc. (JLP) by creating a community where members can share information and resources and find support from other people tackling similar business challenges.
JLP members Jane Nevins, Kimberley Jackson, and Emily Brown founded the ESBAG during the 2024–2025 League year. Nevins, a marketing consultant who was a new small business owner in the summer of 2024, felt isolated because most of her friends and larger network worked for big companies. One night, Nevins met with fellow League member Kimberley Jackson, a therapist, and they discussed the realities of being self-employed and running small businesses. Following that conversation, Nevins and Jackson reached out to Emily Brown, who runs a digital agency for small business, to discuss launching an affinity group within the League to connect members with similar experiences.
ESBAG Meetings
ESBAG holds monthly coffee meetings, which are held on the last Thursday of the month at Tela’s Market in Fairmount at 9:00 a.m. According to Nevins, “some folks are just thinking about a business, others have a side-hustle, and some are inheriting family businesses, so there are business owners at a range of stages.” The meetings begin with introductions, and then everyone has a chance to share a challenge they are experiencing with the group and receive feedback and ideas from the other attendees. In addition, ESBAG has an online repository of information and resources on Google Drive where members have shared training, government resources for small business owners, information on social media tools, and more.
ESBAG members also co-work at Headquarters in Ardmore every other Friday and eat lunch together. Nevins states, “Folks who are working from home, job searching, students, or just want dedicated time to focus on a project would get value from joining, too!”
JLP Members’ Favorite Aspects of ESBAG and the Group’s Impact on Their Small Businesses and Careers
As a new entrepreneur in her first year of business, ESBAG has been essential to Nevins’s success and provided a source of professional support and mentoring. Through ESBAG, Nevins learned crucial information for business, such as information about city taxes for businesses and business bank accounts and found a website developer (Small Business Startup Solutions). Nevins also noted that it has been exciting to be a part of each member’s journey and to celebrate their successes, as she has seen other members quit their day jobs, change their pricing models, publish books, start companies, and launch blogs over the past several months.
Brown enjoys the group’s monthly meetings and “tackling the hardest challenges of our businesses together.” Brown noted she always leaves feeling motivated and appreciates the group’s help navigating her decisions for her business. Brown also enjoys being able to lift up other women-owned businesses.
Jackson’s favorite aspect of ESBAG “has been connecting with other women in business and having open conversations about both our challenges and successes.” Jackson notes, “being an entrepreneur can sometimes feel isolating, but this group has been a great morale booster. It has not only provided me with valuable resources and strategies but also given me the support and encouragement I need. I look forward to our meetings each month.”
How ESBAG Has Enhanced JLP Members’ League Experiences
ESBAG has made Nevins’s membership in the League “feel more meaningful and rewarding” introducing her new members, actives, and sustainers she would not have connected with otherwise. Nevins adds, “We’ve created a real community where I think people feel like they can be vulnerable and authentic. Entrepreneurship can be lonely and it’s easy for self-doubt to creep in. So, I feel very grateful to be part of this community within the Junior League.”
Brown feels similarly, stating ESBAG enhanced her JLP experience by introducing her to incredible women she had never met before, even though she has been a League member for ten years. Brown stated, “As a solo entrepreneur, I don’t have coworkers or a boss, but these women hold me accountable and push me to be my best for myself and the community I serve.”
Jackson, a first year active member, emphasized the “pivotal role” ESBAG has played in defining her JLP experience, providing her with an opportunity to build relationships with others, developing a sense of belonging, and feeling more integrated into the community.
Starting a JLP Affinity Group
Nevins recommends starting (or joining) an affinity group to enhance the JLP experience. Nevins’s advice “is to find at least two other people and just put it out there on [JLP’s] Facebook [page] and invite folks to join!”
