Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Smith.
Jessica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I had my first baby in December 2019, and by the time I was ready to return to work as a bedside nurse, COVID was beginning to shut everything down. I decided to stay home with him instead, and a few months later, our family moved from Florida to the Nashville area.
I stayed home exclusively for that first year before eventually returning to nursing. But nursing after COVID felt very different, and I realized pretty quickly that I needed something outside of work that was just for me. I’ve always loved being creative, so I started flipping furniture in my garage during nap times. It was really just supposed to be a creative outlet and making a little extra money selling the pieces on Facebook Marketplace certainly didn’t hurt!
Eventually, I started filming the process and sharing my furniture flips on social media. Little by little, people started following along, not just for the transformations, but to learn how to do it themselves. What started as something I did in my garage during nap time has grown over the last five years into The Teddy James Co., a community of more than one million followers across social media and a business that has given me an income and career I never could have imagined when I started.
The funny thing is, there was never really a grand plan. I just kept following what was working, learning as I went, and saying yes to the next opportunity. Somehow, a creative outlet I started during a really uncertain season of my life turned into a career I genuinely love.
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?
Honestly, the overall trajectory has been pretty smooth. I started flipping furniture, then began taking on custom clients, and eventually started filming and sharing the process on social media. Each step grew pretty organically into the next.
The biggest challenge has been how much I’ve had to teach myself along the way. I’m a nurse by trade and have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, so I came into this knowing essentially nothing about running a business, marketing, social media strategy, video editing, or any of the technology that goes along with being a content creator. I’ve had to learn how to be a businesswoman as I’ve built the business, which has involved a lot of trial and error.
I think one of the harder parts of working for yourself is that there’s no manager to train you and no group of coworkers sitting beside you who you can learn from every day. Whether you’re flipping furniture or building a career on social media, there really isn’t a handbook telling you what to do next. I’m incredibly grateful for the other creators and business owners I’ve met along the way who have been willing to share what they’ve learned. Having that community has made navigating an unconventional career a lot less lonely.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Furniture flipping is still at the heart of what I do, but over the years it has grown into something much bigger than just transforming furniture. My content now includes thrifting, DIY projects, home improvement, and a big emphasis on sustainability and finding value in things other people might overlook.
More than anything, I love teaching. I want someone to watch one of my videos and walk away thinking, “I could do that.” You don’t have to be naturally handy or have years of experience to learn how to refinish a piece of furniture, use a power tool, or make your home feel more like you. So much of creativity is simply being willing to try something, mess it up, learn from it, and try again.
That’s probably what I’m most proud of…the community I’ve built around that idea. I love when someone tells me they refinished their first piece of furniture because of one of my tutorials or tried something they previously thought was beyond their skill level.
On the content creation side, I think consistency has been one of the biggest factors in my growth. Social media can look like a very easy or glamorous career from the outside, but building a sustainable business around it requires an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. I’ve treated it like a real job from the beginning. I’m constantly creating, learning, adapting, and figuring out what I can do better. I think that combination of creativity, education, and persistence is a big part of what has allowed me to turn something I genuinely enjoy doing into a career.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to connect with me is through social media! I’m always happy to answer questions about furniture refinishing, DIY projects, or thrifting through my DMs when I can. I no longer take on custom furniture projects, but I love being able to help people tackle their own.
For brands and businesses interested in collaborating, my email is listed in my social media bios, and I’m always open to partnerships that feel like a natural fit for my content and audience.
And truly, the easiest way to support what I do is simply to follow along and engage with my content. Every comment, share, save, and message helps support my business and I’m incredibly grateful for the community that continues to show up for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/theteddyjamesco
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/theteddyjamesco
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theteddyjamesco
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theteddyjamesco
