When Jen Roth was in her junior year at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, she packed up her luggage for a study abroad stint in London.
That might seem like a normal rite of passage for a college student, but Roth, at the age of 9, was diagnosed with systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, an affliction that causes joint inflammation and stiffness. In the years since, she’s had 14 surgeries and eight joint replacements.
“I cannot believe my parents let me go to London,” she said. “There were no phones, there was no social media. They sent me with a ginormous bag full of medicine and a backpack.”
The trip changed her life.
“It made such a difference,” she said. “It taught me that I am independent and that I can do this.”
And it led to a love for travel that has taken her around the world. Now, after several years in corporate marketing and a stint co-owning her own marketing firm, Roth is putting all of these experiences together with Wise Blue Yonder, which curates travel experiences and has a subscription-based web portal available with information aimed at making travel more accessible.
“After many, many years of fighting my disability and my disease, I now consider it a gift,” she said. “I got it for a reason and this is why. It’s taking my life experience with a disease a chronic condition, my love for travel and my success in corporate Americana bringing something to life that will help the world.”
Getting started
It’s been a long, winding road for Roth, who enjoyed her stint in the corporate world and met a lot of friends and mentors while there, but was probably destined to become an entrepreneur all along.
She grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, a rural town with a big family. Her father ran his own accounting and law firm. Roth started at the College of St. Benedict as an accounting major, switching to English for her undergraduate degree when she realized finances were not her strong suit. She went on to get a master’s degree in business communication at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Roth went on to work for companies including CIGNA, United Health Group and Ceridian, the latter of which was where she worked her way into several senior executive roles. But when constant travel was getting in the way of spending time with a new husband and two children, she decided to start her own corporate consulting firm.
Ultimately, she and her partner at GrowthMode Marketing built the company onto the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list. This is where a friend helped her get involved with Entrepreneurs’ Organization-Minnesota (EO), as she was seeking some guidance as the firm grew.
“We had signed a couple really big new clients that were going to double our business in a few months’ time,” she said. “We did not know how to manage it. I was talking to a friend who’s an entrepreneur and he said, ‘You need to join EO.’ I said OK.”
Selling and starting anew
Her group there helped GrowthMode grow significantly, advising and coaching her through the COVID pandemic, general growth and eventually the sale of her business.
While she was all in on GrowthMode expand, Roth had long dreamed of creating Wise Old Yonder. So, in 2022 she sold her stake in the marketing company to her business partner and, that same year, started the new venture.
“We provide travel solutions for senior travelers and travelers with limited mobility,” she said. “It’s our mission to provide fully curated travel experiences designed for people of all abilities.”
Wise Blue Yonder does small group tours. They’re spending a week in London later this year. The company also raised money through donations and through subscription access to its still-being-built Travel Resource Center database of information.
“It’s a dynamic resource for collecting information about how to plan travel if you have limited mobility,” said Roth, who was inspired not just by her own journey but by stories she’s collected over the years of folks with mobility challenges getting incorrect information when calling ahead about accessibility or simply being turned off of travel due to embarrassment or inconvenience.
She has had a tremendous time traveling the world but has been on the wrong end of such experiences, as well.
“We specialize in creating itineraries that allow every person, regardless of ability, to have a good time,” Roth said.
So far, she’s the only official employee, but she’s working with a web developer, a representative from a corporate travel and incentives business, some content people and a travel concierge on a contract basis as the site ramps up. She doesn’t know exactly where the business is headed, but she’s excited for the journey.
“When you are open to what sits in front of you, and you have an open mind, it’s amazing where the world will take you,” she said. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘You don’t have to know where you’re going to be headed in the right direction.’ I just think that’s so true.”
Back into marketing
Roth always intended to do fractional marketing work as she established Wise Blue Yonder. But as that company was coming to fruition, she was contacted by some former employees and clients asking if she would ever consider starting another firm. So, she started Blue Sparq Marketing. The firm is a full-service agency and it supports Wise Blue Yonder.
“We have a great team and we have great clients and we’re growing steadily and safely,” she said.
Plenty busy already, Roth is also more committed to EO than ever. She recently took over as the local chapter president with goals of diversifying the local entrepreneurial community. She helped plan the popular Entrepreneur’s Rally held earlier this month in Bloomington that drew several hundred business owners.
Previous president, Patrick Donohue, CEO of Hill Capital Corp., called Roth one of the most dynamic entrepreneurs he knows. He said like many entrepreneurs, she is a visionary leader, but she’s one who has the capability to actually execute the plans, as well.
“That’s the key,” he said, adding that those skills have helped as EO has attempted to become a more inclusive organization, serving both members and others who are not officially tied to the organization. “Jen leans into that and we’re able to collaborate, partner with a number of organizations to make sure that all entrepreneurs are welcome.”
Roth is particularly busy this year but thrilled to be where she is, supporting an organization that helped her and building a company she thinks can help make the world better.
“That’s truly the legacy I want to leave,” she said. “I want to build the difference I want to make.”
