Influential Woman · Home Services, Handyman and Cleaning Services

Tina Sumner

Operations Manager, PCLiquidations

Jacksonville, FL

Her Story

About Tina

I started my career at UPS when I was young and spent 20 years there, working my way up to management because I had a really great manager I worked for. I fell in love with what I do because I like people, and I have this drive to take things that aren't running well, where people say you can't succeed, and making it work. My main expertise became process design and warehouse design - figuring out the best way to place inventory, manage rotation, and create processes that make operations more profitable. After UPS, I moved to small businesses where I could make a real impact. At a shower door company, I learned about packaging and purchasing. Then at PC Liquidation, a computer refurbishing and recycling company, I designed a complete packaging system that saved the company $250,000 in the first quarter just on monitors alone. I've also worked at fence companies managing inventory and tracking systems, and at RV companies. Eventually, my girlfriend and I decided we didn't want to work for anybody else anymore, so we started TNT Home Services, a women-owned and operated handyman and cleaning service. We're traveling the country, working along the way, doing everything from home repairs and installations to full house remodels. Right now we're working on a complete remodel of a house built in 1901. We've taken all the skills we learned in our previous careers and applied them to what we're doing now.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Tina

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to determination, really. I'm a woman in a male-dominated industry all around. The handyman business, there are really no women - I think we've seen one other woman that does what we do through our traveling in two years. And in every job I've had, I've been one of maybe three women there, if not the only woman. For the most part, women are in HR, they're not operations managers, they're not out there in the warehouse. You have to have a very thick skin and be very determined to do what I do. I don't let anyone stop me just because I'm a woman. You have to work harder and you have to be smarter - you just have to outdo the men. And if you're willing to do that, then eventually you'll get your place.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is that you should never say 'I can't' - it should never be that. It should always be 'how can I?' It's never a dead-end statement. There's no 'can't' - you just have to change your perspective.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

If it's what they want, don't let anybody stop them. As soon as you take the 'oh, you can't, you're a woman, you can't' - they treat you different, and you have to work harder, and you have to be smarter. You just have to outdo the men. And if you're willing to do that, then eventually you'll get your place.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

There's not much challenge right now - it's pretty smooth sailing, easygoing. Initially, the biggest challenge was getting people to believe we could do the job. We've had a couple men hire us just to see us fail. One guy asked if we had any men working for us, and when we said no, he hired us anyway for a job that included restoring a mailbox, laying pavers, and welding railings. We did it all beautifully for $2,600, though he didn't want to pay us the last bit at first. He even asked us if people don't hire us because we're women, and yeah, they don't even call us back when they realize we're women. Mostly the men, but it's okay.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Communication is very important to me, and not being scared to have an open line of communication, regardless of the outcome. That's probably my most important value. And respect - you have to respect each other always. Just because you're at a higher level at a job, you can't just be like 'oh, I'm the boss, do what I say.' It's not that kind of dog and pony show. In order to get people on your bus, you have to earn their respect and earn their trust, and they really have to want to follow you.

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