Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesenya – “Sen” Meissner.
Hi Sen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I feel like I’ve always had an entrepreneurial side to me, even before I really knew where it would take me. For a while, I was working a traditional 9–5 while also running my own spray tan business on the side. I loved having something that was mine and being able to create and build something for myself, but at the time, I was still balancing that with working a regular job.
Then COVID happened, and like it did for so many people, it completely shifted the direction of my life. In 2021, I stopped working my 9–5, and I think that period really changed the way I looked at work, family, and what I wanted my life to look like.
The Sen Company actually started in a really organic way. My husband had his own business, and I was simply helping him. I started making stickers and labels for what he was doing, and eventually I realized, “Wait, I really like doing this.” What started as me just trying to help my husband slowly grew into me creating for other people, investing in better equipment, teaching myself new skills, and eventually building a business of my own.
There was never really this big moment where I sat down and said, “I’m going to build a sticker and label company.” It just grew. I kept learning, kept creating, and kept finding ways to get better at what I was doing. Today, through The Sen Company, I get to work with other small business owners and help them bring their ideas to life. I know firsthand what it’s like to start small and figure things out as you go, so being able to offer high-quality, affordable labels and stickers to other entrepreneurs is something that’s really important to me.
And somewhere along the way, my love for creating expanded into something completely different: sourdough.
I started baking for my family and fell in love with the entire process. Eventually, that grew into Evie Jo’s Loaves of Love, my sourdough microbakery. The idea behind it is something that’s really close to my heart: everyone deserves nourishing food made with care. My goal is that for every loaf purchased, I’m able to give a loaf to a family who needs one.
When I look back, my path definitely hasn’t been linear. I’ve gone from working a 9–5 and running a spray tan business on the side, to leaving the traditional workforce, helping my husband with his business, building The Sen Company, and now growing a sourdough microbakery with a mission centered around giving back.
I’m also doing all of this while being a wife and raising my kids at home, which is a huge part of my story. My businesses have grown and changed alongside my family and alongside me. I think I’ve learned that I don’t necessarily need to have everything figured out or know exactly where something is going to lead. A lot of the best things in my life have started with me simply trying something, realizing I love it, and seeing where I can take it.
At the end of the day, whether I’m creating labels for another small business or baking a loaf of bread for someone in my community, I think it all comes back to the same thing for me: I love creating, I love helping people, and I want whatever I build to be intentional, and to have a purpose beyond just myself.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Honestly, the last couple of years have felt like a whirlwind.
There was a period in 2024, where I moved multiple times, including a big move to Arizona with my son, Wolfgang, while my husband stayed behind in Minnesota. That alone was a huge adjustment—being away from my husband and trying to navigate life with a toddler in a completely different state. Then, when I got to Arizona, I found out I was pregnant with our daughter, Evie.
Shortly after arriving in Arizona, our family was dealing with the impact of my brother-in-law Carl’s motorcycle accident, and there were just so many things happening at once. Eventually, Wolfgang and I moved back to Minnesota, and it felt like we were once again trying to rebuild and find our footing as a family.
Financially, things haven’t always been easy either. There have been times when money was incredibly tight and we were simply trying to figure out how to make everything work. Trying to grow a business while you’re worried about bills and providing for your family is a very different experience than building a business when you have a comfortable safety net behind you.
Then I had Evie, and postpartum was another journey entirely. I was trying to adjust to being a mom again, take care of my children, be a wife, recover physically and emotionally, and still hold onto this part of myself that wanted to create and build something of my own. There were times when I had the motivation to do everything and times when I just didn’t have the capacity…and I’ve had to learn that both are okay.
I think that’s part of why the things I’m building mean so much to me now. The Sen Company has grown alongside some of the hardest and most uncertain seasons of my life. I’ve packed it up, moved it across the country, brought it back home, stepped away when my family needed me, and continued to come back to it.
None of this has happened in perfect circumstances. A lot of it has happened in the middle of chaos…pregnancy, motherhood, moves, financial struggles, family hardships, and postpartum. But I think that’s also taught me that you don’t have to wait for life to be perfectly put together before you start building something meaningful. Sometimes you just keep doing what you can with what you have, and eventually you look back and realize how far you’ve come.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Most, if not all, of my work through The Sen Company is within the Cannabis industry. I specialize in custom stickers and product labels, working primarily with small businesses and independent brands to help bring their ideas to life. A lot of my clients come to me with a vision—or sometimes just a rough idea—and I get to help turn that into something they can actually hold in their hands and proudly put on their products.
I think what sets me apart is how personal I am with my clients. I’m a small business working with other small businesses, so I understand how much every dollar matters and how important it is to have someone who genuinely cares about what you’re creating. I try to keep my work high-quality while still being affordable and accessible, and I’ve built relationships with many of my clients that go far beyond just taking an order and printing a label.
I’m incredibly proud of how much The Sen Company has grown, especially knowing that it started with me simply helping my husband. But if I’m being asked what I’m most proud of, it’s what this work has allowed me to do for my family.
For the last several years, I’ve been able to work completely from home. I’ve been able to help support and take care of my family while also being there with them. I’ve gotten to be present for my kids as they’ve grown up instead of feeling like I had to choose between being a mom and having something that was mine. My kids have grown up watching me create, work, build multiple businesses, make mistakes, figure things out, and keep going, and I’m really proud of that.
There’s something special to me about knowing that a business that started so organically has given me the ability to create a life where my family and my work can exist together. I can walk into my workspace and create hundreds of labels for another small business, and then walk right back into the kitchen and be Mom.
I think that’s ultimately what success looks like to me. Of course I want to continue growing and creating, but being able to build something of my own without sacrificing being present for my family is probably the thing I’m most proud of.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I actually didn’t have a mentor, and my experience getting started was almost the opposite. Early on, I reached out to someone in the industry hoping for a little guidance, and I was basically shut out and left on read.
I remember having this moment where I realized, “Okay, I guess I’m going to have to figure this out on my own.” And that’s exactly what I did.
I researched like hell. I spent countless hours learning everything I could, testing things, making mistakes, troubleshooting, and then going right back to researching until I figured out what went wrong. If I didn’t know how to do something, I found the information and taught myself. A huge part of getting to where I am today has simply been refusing to let “I don’t know how” be the end of the conversation.
As far as networking goes, what has worked best for me has been building genuine relationships with people. I don’t look at every interaction as a transaction or think about what someone can do for me. I try to support other small businesses, connect with people in my industry, do good work, and let those relationships grow naturally. A lot of my business has grown through word of mouth and people sharing my work with others, and I think that says a lot about the importance of how you treat people.
I absolutely think having a great mentor can be valuable, but I also think it’s important not to believe that you need someone’s permission or guidance to get started. Sometimes the person you hope will open a door for you won’t—and you have to be willing to go find another door or build one yourself.
Looking back, I’m almost grateful I was left on read. It forced me to become resourceful and trust my own ability to figure things out. My advice would be to ask questions, reach out to people, and look for mentors when you can—but if no one answers, don’t let that stop you. Research like hell, be willing to fail and learn, and keep going until you figure it out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Thesencompany.com
