Her Story
About Flora
I've been working in organization coordination for around 10 years, and I've been in my current position as Sales Operation Lead for almost 7 years. In my role, I'm in charge of everything administrative - I don't sell anything, but everything my company sells comes to my hands to check everything and send to the UK factory to make sure everything goes smooth. I manage our showroom in Manhattan and Midtown, coordinating all the samples and everything when designers and friends come to see the products. I work with custom steel products for designers and architect firms, and I have a big responsibility because whatever is sold and sent to the UK has to be exactly like the customer is asking or requesting. I have to be very careful with the color, the material, the measures - everything has to be perfect because the items travel so far, and if something is wrong and doesn't fit in the space, it's going to be a big loss for us. I'm very detail-oriented and really good at resolving issues - I always come out with a solution. Before this, I worked for a company called HD Sheldon doing mostly the same work, but the market was Mexico to Panama because I speak Spanish. The difference is that now I work for a UK company. One of my most notable achievements was working with three different languages in one day - I had my boss in Brazil, my other boss in India, and I was working from Costa Rica, so I had to use everything to resolve everything. It was really impressive to myself.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Flora
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and believing in myself despite receiving a lot of no's in life. I received a lot of no's in life, and I continued to believe in myself. I think having strong systems and software systems has also been important to my success. Being detail-oriented from my accounting background has given me a really good eye for catching mistakes, which is critical in my work where everything has to be perfect.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's something that you always hear, that if you want, you can. I would say persistence and honesty are the only things I can say to young people who want to do whatever they feel, whatever dream - everything is possible if you decide. You have to just keep trying, trying, trying, try until you get that. Don't stop. Whatever dream you have, everything is possible if you can decide to go for it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, the biggest challenge in my field is working with a lot of designers on custom steel products where I have a big responsibility. Whatever is sold and sent to the UK factory, the final product has to be exactly like the customer is asking or requesting, and it's my responsibility that everything matches. It's really complicated because everything has to be perfect - the color, the material, the measures, everything - because the items travel so far. If something is wrong and doesn't fit in the space, it's going to be a big loss for us. I work very carefully to achieve zero mistakes. On the opportunity side, I get to meet a lot of interesting people - designer firms, salespersons, people from Europe coming regularly to see our showroom. I talk all the time with different people from different backgrounds. I like the diversity. I like that I get to know a lot of interesting people and work with that diversity - it keeps things exciting and never a dull moment.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is the most important value to me, both in my work and personal life. Being honest is what guides everything I do. I also value being helpful - I love to help, both in my professional life and my personal life. Organization is very important to me as well - I'm a very organized human being, and I like to organize everything around me. These values of honesty, helpfulness, and organization are what drive me in everything I do.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · New York
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.