Her Story
About Vicky
My career has been amazing in so many ways. I started working for the Estee Lauder companies in the Houston Gallery, where I managed the counter. I've always been the type of person that wants to do everything 150%, and that really got me going into different career paths. I got an incredible opportunity through Estee Lauder where I actually got to meet Miss Estee Lauder herself in New York, and they were looking for a Director of Marketing to manage their office in Mexico City. I still can't believe I got to do that - they gave me a company car and introduced me to all the different counters in Mexico City. Even nowadays, I don't even know how I drove a car in Mexico City, but it was a really great experience. This was pre-maps - I got a book. Estee had such a great story - she started out very, very small, and her big thing was that she would always tell us as beauty advisors to not stand behind the counter because that is a barrier. She said to grab a perfume bottle, always test the product, because by testing the product, people actually get to see how they're gonna look in the makeup. After a few years in Mexico City, I moved on from cosmetics. I applied for a position at Nations Bank, now Bank of America, and they told me I should be a banking center manager. I had another fantastic career there for a long time. I'm not one of those people that jumps around job to job - I always feel like you can't know the value of a company in one month or two months or six months. I got recruited by a company called TransFirst, which did all the processing for credit cards and stuff, and I was kind of a salesperson for them. Then I worked for Grow with Google for eight and a half years. It was great to be able to help small businesses understand how to use the Google Business Profile and Google Analytics, how to create Google Ads - anything that a small business owner would need to thrive their business online. I covered the state of Texas and did a lot of traveling. I also traveled to Honduras, Guatemala, and worked extensively in Mexico City. I feel like my career has been amazing, and I've worked for big companies and had really great experiences. For me, volunteering has always been the key to my success - the volunteering really gave me the opportunity to meet new people. I built houses with Hugh McCall from Bank of America through Habitat for Humanity.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Vicky
01What do you attribute your success to?
I've always been the type of person that wants to do everything 150%. That's really what got me going into different career paths. For me, volunteering has always been the key to my success - the volunteering really gave me the opportunity to meet new people, and through that volunteering I was able to build houses with Hugh McCall through Habitat for Humanity and make incredible connections. If I were going to give any advice to anybody, it's just do it with your heart. If you do it with your heart, if you do everything with your heart, that's what makes the difference. I always feel like just do it with love, and it will give back to you. Lead with honesty is really important, and also be there for someone that might need some advice. Listening is really important, because you learn about somebody if you stop and listen. I don't hold myself back because of fear, because fear only holds you back. I try to be fearless, because fear only holds you back and then you're just gonna get stuck.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I received came from Estee Lauder herself. She would always tell us, as beauty advisors, do not stand behind the counter because that is a barrier. Grab a perfume bottle, always test the product, because by testing the product, people actually get to see how they're gonna look in the makeup. That lesson about not creating barriers and actively engaging with people has stayed with me throughout my entire career, whether I was at Bank of America or helping small businesses with Google.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never be afraid to step off that imaginary cliff, because if you miss an opportunity, you don't know if you're ever going to get it back. That's what's really important. We are afraid of something that is the smallest thing, but we're creating that fear, and we need to be brave. Think of the trapeze people - I did this team networking exercise years ago where you would jump on a trampoline and jump and turn, and I thought, this is how life is. We are holding ourselves back with fear. Don't hold yourself back because you're afraid of failing, because then you're just gonna get stuck. Just ask the question - what's the worst case scenario? We'll move on to the next one. I guess I try to be fearless, because fear only holds you back.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Lead with honesty is really important to me, and also be there for someone that might need some advice. Sometimes people are shy about asking for advice, so really getting to know someone and listening is crucial. I tend to be a talker, as you can probably tell, but listening is really important, because you learn about somebody if you stop and listen. I've always been the type of person that wants to do everything 150%, and if I were going to give any advice to anybody, it's just do it with your heart. If you do it with your heart, if you do everything with your heart, that's what makes the difference. I always feel like just do it with love, and it will give back to you. Right now, what's near and dear to my heart is writing a children's book about how we're all the same, just a little bit different. The title will be 'We're All the Same, Just a Little Bit Different,' because I experienced a lot of bullying when I was young from kids, and I want to help parents teach their children to be kind. I also care deeply about responsible pet ownership - I have my Chihuahua, Roxy, as my kid, and I want to help prevent animals from being abandoned or mistreated.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Texas
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.