Not every designer can write efficient code.
Not every developer has an eye for design.
Even fewer can play the role of a wordsmith, social media expert, and marketer.
One comes to mind, though… and hey… that’s me.
I do that.
biz adviser . content creator . web designer . networker . marketer . designer . diet breaker . risk taker . rump shaker
I get excited by fellow business owners. Whether you are a new business owner or been going at it for years - I vibe with people who have found their spark and are going full speed ahead. The one’s who are the captain of their niche or believe in what they are doing so much that it’s all they thinking about.
The only f’d up thing about those types of business owners is ((spoiler alert)) that type of passionate energy one needs to sustain that can only last for just so long. For some, it’s five years; for others, it’s two, and for those lucky few, it’s ten or fifteen.
Now I’m not being a negative nancy here; it’s just life, right. We all have our highs and lows, so when you hit a low… that crappy, frustrating, confusing, pressure cooker low.
I’m here to help. Because, That’s where I shine✨
You see, it’s because I love the spark so much; I’m always chasing it. I love for my clients to love what they do, so I help to put your passion into words, visuals, graphics and marketing materials.
We collaborate, you tell me stories and ideas from years ago or for the future, and I help you STRATEGICALLY get your shit together and ignite that spark and passion
How'd I get into building websites create stunning graphics and social media posts?
From a young age, I have always loved the business of doing business. Like so many other business owners, I fell into entrepreneurship because I wanted to pursue my creative talents on my terms. Through many endeavors and careers, Jen Lew Marketing & Design was born from the need for a local restaurant, "Love Lane Kitchen."
They needed someone to update their dinner menus. I was a regular at the restaurant because I worked across the street and lived around the corner. Every Friday night, I'd see the servers struggling to attend to tables while having to answer the phone responding to questions about the dinner menu that changed weekly. I offered to put the menu on the website every week - the owner said, thank you, I'll buy your dinner. I was there with my laptop anyway, so why not. Since 2007, I've been doing just that I update the new dinner menu every week. Now they pay me (and buy me dinner), and so do a bunch of other businesses. A lot more tasks have been added to the weekly list, including social media, advertising, and branding; as the industry changes and expands, so do my skills and duties.
My first successful business was selling shells that the kids I babysat had painted.
We made a killing on Fire Island, and it kept us in pizza and ice cream all summer long. Next, I made beaded earrings while still in high school and sold them to classmates and at a local hair salon. Years later after a successful career in Advertising and Feature films in New York & Los Angeles (Saving Private Ryan, Godzilla, The Patriot, Kate & Leopold, The Sweetest Thing... and more), the entrepreneurial spirit took hold while I was lighting candles after 9/11.
I was lighting a lot of candles and wanted a box of matches out on my coffee table that coordinated with my decor. Priorities right. Film production in LA had halted. So I made matchboxes.
So I made many matchboxes, Big ones, small ones' pretty ones, funny ones, and everyone loved them. I thank my neighbor who poked his head in my door one day and saw my burgeoning factory and said, "thanks for the matches; you should stop giving them away and try to sell them."
With that… I took a craft idea and built it into a six-figure giftware company. With a few reliable crafters as staff, we created handmade products that shipped to over 3,000 boutiques and department stores nationwide and internationally in under five years. Without ever hiring a PR company or marketing team, Jen Lew Designs became a consistent brand mentioned in national magazines such as; Lucky, Elle, Domino, InStyle, and even appeared on the Oprah show.
The success of Jen Lew Designs Matchboxes & Candles was brought about in part by my newly found love of email marketing and PR. I set goals to be featured in high-end magazines and achieved them.
Cut to five years later when I suddenly moved 'home' to Long Island from Los Angeles due to my father's illness. An easy decision to make - but a challenging one to execute.
Moving is one thing; moving a business along with you is another. As my dad got sicker, I made the difficult decision to let the business of Candles and Matchboxes by Jen Lew Designs go, and I got a job and moved to the North Fork. Sag Harbor, NY is no Hollywood, CA; so finding part-time workers, dealing with an increase in the cost of goods (candle wax, shipping fees, merchant fees, etc.), I struggled to keep the business as large as it was in Los Angeles.
NYS ARTS was a non-profit challenged with increased budget cuts in New York. It was located 'oddly enough' on Love Lane in Mattituck. As the Communications Director, I took that organization's opt-in mailing list from 8,000 to 24,000 in one year. Through conferences, events, webinars, social media engagement, e-marketing, and membership initiatives. I succeeded in building the organization's awareness and success until a much larger organization acquired it.
It was 2008, and I ate dinner most Friday nights at the brand new restaurant across the street from my office. When NYS ARTS closed, I started Jen Lew Marketing & Web Design as a freelancer. They needed help with their website and advertising, and a side hustle was started.
So, here we are today, that freelance side hustle turned into a full-time job and a business now called
North Fork Marketing & Design or North Fork Web Co. or most often “you know that red head who does facebook and stuff…” I continue to help non-profits and small businesses grow.
I have expanded my skill set, experience, and expertise. From Hospitality, Medical, Retail, Education, and Service industries, I happily build business owners dreams through visual branding and storytelling.
Jen Lew is a full-time Web Designer, Marketer, and Branding freelancer based on the east end of Long Island.
“I’m a computer-loving, technology, obsessed proud dog mom on a mission to show overwhelmed small business owners that marketing & a great website can be stress-free, worth the effort, empowering, and fun!”
— Jen
Testimonials
““We already had a website, Facebook page and Instagram account, but we were looking for some coaching to help us manage our content in a more efficient manner. Jen gave us a thorough evaluation, excellent recommendations and remains available to us for on the spot consulting and answers to questions that inevitably arise.”
— Meryl Kramer
Meryl Kramer Architect
“In 2017 we decided our website was in need of an update. We hired Jen Lew Marketing & Design with the hope we could have a website that best represented our company. Jen did a great job in listening to our story and conveying that to the website. We constantly get wonderful remarks about the website and could not be happier with the final product. ”
— Fred & John Seifert
Seifert Construction
“I have had the pleasure to work with Jen Lew as she created a new website for our daughter in heaven Kaitlyn Doorhy’s organization Kait’s Angels. Not knowing much about how to create a web site Jen made this very easy to put all of our minds at ease. We told her what we would like included on the new site and she created the most beautiful website. Very easy to navigate & vibrant. Thank you Jen for creating a beautiful website. Please visit the site kaitsangels.org and see Jen’s amazing work.”
— Darla & Joe Doorhy
Kait's Angels
“If personal attention and care of your business is what you need, Jen is perfect.”
— Luis Aguilar
103 Bambinos Pizzeria
“Jen Lew is one of the most energetic social media consultants on the East End of Long Island. Her advice on business and marketing fits all walks of life in this fast-paced digital age, with many still lost when it comes to putting themselves out there to maximum effect online. As a local journalist, I’ve known Jen now for years, most recently as editor of the North Fork Patch community news website, where she provided very informative blogs on using social media. I highly recommend Jen as the go-to gal if you need help navigating through the virtual and ever-changing world of modern business marketing.”
— Erin Schultz
Freelance Writer
Winner 2010 - 2021