Jill Belconis
Jill Belconis Enterprises, LLC
Chicago, Illinois, United States
About
Jill Belconis has had the opportunity to be the “first woman” throughout her entire career. Jill has never been one to accept the status quo and has always been ready for the next challenge. Her deep passion for leadership has taken her down an extraordinary path. She has shared her journey and authentic leadership style in her TEDx talk, “Succeed Like a Man, Lead Like a Woman”.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a business degree in finance and marketing, Jill became the first woman hired as a salesperson in the Data Processing Division of her IBM branch. Many didn’t believe a 21-year old woman could succeed in sales at a conservative technology firm in the early 80’s. But despite many challenges, she forged ahead, excelled and learned to lead.
After IBM, Jill entered another competitive field; residential mortgage banking. She quickly became the President/CEO of Shelter Mortgage Company which qualified her to join YPO Chicago, one of the oldest chapters in the Young Presidents’ Organization, the premier global organization for Chief Executives. When Jill joined the Chicago chapter of 180 members, she was one of only five women.
Jill became actively involved in the YPO Chicago chapter and in 2005 was the first woman ever elected as Chapter Chair. She didn’t stop there. She got the attention of the global community of CEOs and Presidents and was selected as a Director on YPOs International Board. Then in 2011, Jill was the first woman voted in as YPO International Chairman of the Board since its founding year in 1950. In the role of leading over 20,000 worldwide CEOs, Jill learned the true meaning of servant leadership.
In 2013, Jill was able to successfully sell Shelter Mortgage Company which had scaled to over 500 employees across 35 states, and then exit the business a year later. With all of her years of experience of operating and growing a company, Jill decided to share her wisdom with other CEOs and formed her new company, Jill Belconis Enterprises, LLC. Through this, Jill has pursued her passion as a Strategic Business Coach for mid-market companies and is certified in the Scaling Up methodologies. She has taken her vast leadership experience and has helped CEOs grow, scale and thrive in their businesses. Jill facilitates strategic planning meetings for leadership teams, driving accountability for executing on their plans, seeking alignment throughout the company, maximizing profitability and building a culture of leadership development.
Jill’s personal passion is focused on living an active and healthy lifestyle. Jill attributes much of her personal and professional success to balancing her physical and emotional wellbeing with the demands of a career and raising kids.
Professional Highlights
President/CEO of Shelter Mortgage Company for 22 years -- grew it across 35 states, 500 employees, $2 billion per year in loan originations and successfully sold it.
Personal Highlights
YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) International Chairman -- first woman to serve in the 70 year history of the organization.
Coaching Regions
US - Northeast
US - Southeast
US - Midwest
US - Southwest
US - West
Canada - West Coast
Caribbean
Industry of Expertise
Accounting/Finance
Automotive
Banking/Real Estate
Building/Construction
Coaching/Business Consulting
Customer Support
Education/Training
Engineering
Food Services/Hospitality
Human Resources/Training/Dev.
Installation/Maintenance
Insurance
Legal Services
Logistics/Transportation
Mfg./Production/Ops.
Marketing
Medical/Health
Retail
Other
“Jill came to our business at the perfect time and has been such an asset in ushering my company to the next level. Talman was experiencing rapid growth, and while exhilarating, it was also intimidating as a young business owner. Jill helped foster focus to the bigger picture while also guiding me through the next stage of leading my company. She has been an invaluable resource to me and my leadership team.”
— Katherine Latham, CEO/Co-Founder | Talman Consultants, Inc.
“Working with Jill is a pleasure. There is no ‘cookie cutter’ approach. She listens well and picks up on the dynamics of our team and has been very flexible in accommodating what our organization needs. In addition to the work with our leadership team, she is also providing one on one coaching which for the individuals she’s working with has been insightful. Like a good counselor or coach, she provides a lens through which we become more self-aware and effective as leaders.”
— Peter G. Smith, President/CEO | BWBR
“At Home Run Inn we’ve learned that coming up with great ideas and good strategic direction isn’t that hard. Many companies design great ideas but real the challenge in leadership is can you can communicate and execute these ideas? Execution is the difference between average companies and great companies that can scale and grow. Jill Belconis has been instrumental in helping our organization understand and learn the concepts and tools necessary to execute our plans and visions. I’ve never been more optimistic about our company’s growth trajectory as I am now with Jill as our coach.”
— Daniel P. Costello, CEO | Home Run Inn