Jessica
Hagmaier

I’m Jessica Hagmaier, founder and creator of Websites x Design, The fuSHion Magazine and Winning x Design. While my path has never been straight, there has always been a constant pull to create and grow my own story, even when it seemed impossible. I became a single mom at 18, raising my son on my own since the day he was born. I’ve lived in hotels, had cars repossessed and relied on public transportation more than once. Like too many other women in our society, I survived a physically and emotionally abusive relationship in my mid 20s. I didn’t even earn my Bachelor’s Degree until 2018, when I was 33 years old (it only took 15 years! LOL).

I started a few businesses in my early twenties, including a semi-successful, award-winning magazine, but ultimately had to return to the workforce. My latest venture, Websites x Design, was born in November of 2018, when the tech startup I was working for folded. Broke, with a mortgage, shitty credit, no savings, no clients, and a 15-year-old looking to me for survival, I said, “F*** it. I’m either going to succeed or fail 100% on my own terms”. I started as a freelancer in January 2019, officially incorporated my business that August, and hired my first part-time employees in February 2020. Then COVID hit! But I’ve continued to focus and grind, and now business is stronger than ever.

At one of my lowest points, I convinced myself that I’d no longer let other people’s limitations dictate my success, and that truth is finally coming to fruition. At the end of the day I just want people to know you don’t have to follow certain guidelines or rules, or have stereotypical advantages, to be successful. There’s always more than one way to the end goal. If the front door is closed, try a window. If that’s locked, find the skylight. And if all else fails, buy the whole damn building!