Her Story
About Linda
I started my business almost 36 years ago after working in outside sales for major corporations. One day I woke up and decided I wanted to be on my own because I had felt mistreated and abused as a woman by a couple of companies I'd been with - things were not as they are today 38 years ago. Encouraged by another woman who had her own businesses, I started with guts and glory, credit cards, and a $10,000 loan from my mom. I didn't have a business plan - things like that weren't even thought of back then. I knew how to sell and had been in the printing industry for a couple of years, so I started contacting companies I was already familiar with and knocking on doors. I began selling mostly printing, binders, envelopes, and basic printing, then slowly got into the branded merchandise field. Today I'm a sole proprietor working out of my home, selling both branded merchandise and printing, mostly to the City and County of San Francisco. As an approved vendor and local business, I can purchase various items they cannot buy direct and resell to them. My biggest accomplishment came in 2020 during COVID when a hospital called me because of my reputation - they had gotten a grant and bought over $400,000 worth of jackets to award all their employees. I gave them a very good discount and made over $100,000 off that job when a lot of businesses weren't doing well. I believe God gave me the gift of selling in the way I sell - I'm not a hard pressure person, I just believe in working with people. At 77, I'm still working and not retiring, calming down but still getting business.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Linda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think sometimes you have a gift given to you by God, and I think God gave me the gift of selling in the way that I sell. I'm not a hard pressure person - I just believe in working with people. Over the course of thousands of jobs that I've done over 36 years, yes, there have been a couple of mistakes along the way, but I have worked with the customers to rectify the mistakes, and the companies have also worked with me. It's working with people, working with the suppliers, and also in the sales. I've built relationships where people with the city move around to different departments and remember working with me, and they'll work with me again in another department later on. It's called working with your client and trying to stay on top of things.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd say sure, go for it, why not? I would encourage anybody to go for it. Make sure you have some money in the bank - try not to go into credit card debt like I did at the beginning, because I did, and I was in debt for years and years and years. If you're gonna start a business, you need to have money already set aside. I don't think you should go into debt right away, because if you borrow from the bank, they're gonna want a business plan in this day and age. You need to have a good accountant, a trustworthy person. I started with guts and glory, a credit card, and my mom's $10,000 she loaned me. In my fourth month of being in business, a client declared bankruptcy and I lost $6,000, and I had to pay the supplier. I could have quit in that fourth month, but I said no, I'm not gonna quit, I'm gonna keep going.
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