Her Story
About Maclaine
I've been working in my dad's promotional products business for about 10 months now, after spending 5 years in tech sales in Texas as an account executive. My main focus is modernizing the family business - before I came in, everything was old school with my dad writing orders on pieces of paper and customers having to send checks. It was successful but chaotic. I've set him up with systems so things can run more smoothly, started outbounding to get new customers, and I'm learning how to run the business so that at any point in the future, if my dad wants to retire, there's someone to take it over. I got my college degree in recreation tourism from San Diego State in 2017, which taught me how to communicate with anybody after being forced to study abroad for a year and meet so many different types of people. My training as an SDR and then as an AE in tech sales taught me how to go find new accounts myself, and now I'm easily able to talk to anybody and get those new customers for my dad.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maclaine
01What do you attribute your success to?
The politically correct answer would be how hard I work, but I think the real answer is kind of luck. I've always said I have lucky girl syndrome - anything I do, it kind of just works out. It's a mix of working hard, doing the right things, and a little bit of luck.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When it comes to sales, the best advice I've received is not to take anything said to you to heart. Especially as an SDR, I was getting rejected every couple minutes, all day long, every day, and they weren't rejecting me personally, they were rejecting the sale. Even as an account executive, getting rejected all the time, I learned to not be offended, don't take it to heart - they're not rejecting you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to just have fun with it. I work in promotional products, selling people a t-shirt with a fun logo on it, or pens, or pads - it's kind of fun. Make sure to meet the customer where they're at, since a lot of the buyers are still from the older generations and they'll want to hop on a phone call rather than just email or text. Don't treat every customer the same, and make sure to still have fun with what you're doing, because it is a fun job to have.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity is that every single business on the planet wants merch - everyone is a customer, no one doesn't want something with their logo on it. The biggest challenge as a small business is really just getting our name out there. Up until a week ago, we didn't even have a website because my dad never needed one or wanted one. We're slowly inching towards having better brand recognition - we're going to start running ads, I made an Instagram. So the biggest challenge is getting our name out there, but it's also our biggest opportunity because there are so many companies and people in general who need promotional products.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and kindness are my two most important values nowadays. These are my dad's two biggest words he lives by, and now they're words I have to live by. We're never going to lie to a customer, and we're always going to be nice. I think it's why he's been so successful, and why the business is so successful. These are the words I live by.
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