Her Story
About Jessica
I started working at 16 as a housekeeper and cook, then moved into a role at Arctic Cat Snowmobiles for a while. After that, I worked as a cafe cook again, and then as a CNA at a nursing home. When the position at Nelson Ink. opened up in 2010, I jumped at the opportunity because it was only 2 miles from my home in a town of 300 people, otherwise I'd be driving 30 miles or more every day for work. I've really loved this job - I love meeting new people, traveling, and visiting resorts and other businesses. As the sales rep here, my main expertise is helping customers fill their gift shops and outfitting staff with custom apparel, name tags, and anything they can put their logo on. I work with a mobile van filled with apparel samples, and about 70% of the time I meet customers in person, while the rest is handled through phone and email. My main customers are resorts, but I also work with banks and hospitals. I'm also a volunteer EMT and have been doing that for about 10 years - my job allows me to leave as needed for ambulance calls, which is a great way to be part of my community. I've built strong relationships with my customers over the years, many of whom I've worked with the entire time I've been here - they're almost like family now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jessica
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family, for sure. I've had a husband of many years and 3 children, and if it wasn't for them, I definitely wouldn't be where I am today. I would say I'd be traveling, but I probably wouldn't be able to afford the traveling without the job, too, so you can't have one without the other. They keep me going, they keep me on my toes, and I don't think I could have done it without my family. My family supports me and allows me to do this job, especially during the busy season from January to April when I'm gone every other week. Even when a kid's sick, it's not always ideal, but my husband does a good job and keeps up with everything at home.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do it. Do it. Don't be afraid to make the phone calls. Don't be afraid to market. It's a great opportunity, especially since it's a commission-based role, so as long as you're friendly and you can make good connections with people, you'd be great at sales. My mom always told me from when I was a child that I could sell ice to Eskimos - I said that in my interview, and they laughed at me and said okay, we'll try you. So here I am, and I'm selling, and I enjoy it. You find the people and you build relationships with everybody. A lot of these customers I've been working with the whole time I've been here - they're almost family. It's a fun job, it's totally worth it. Do it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, the biggest challenge is finding things that are affordable to my customers with all the tariffs and price increases. Finding something at a good cost is really difficult, because not only do they need to get it at a good cost, they have to sell it to their customers again, so it's being sold 3 times down the road. I need to offer them things that they're not going to bat an eye at, because if something's too expensive from us, they're going to find another vendor, and then I might lose that customer. I try really hard, and I feel like I do a pretty good job at it. On the opportunities side, the travel has been incredible. I get to travel to several different conferences - I just got back from Duluth for the Explore Minnesota Conference where different chambers and cities of people from Minnesota came to visit different vendors, and they had learning opportunities while there. I've been to Wisconsin, and I have conferences coming up in Florida and Nebraska. The travel opportunities mean I get to visit resorts and places I would never go in my life because of this job.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are being on time and prompt, answering emails and calls, and getting to meetings on time. I value being prompt and getting back to customers - if they get back to me, I'll get back to them. That responsiveness and reliability is what I stand by in my work.
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