I was still pretty new to the promotional products industry when a salesperson convinced me to try a supplier database on a CD. I had heard mixed things about the company, so I really wasn’t that interested. But he offered me a free 30-day trial, and I thought, what do I have to lose?
About a week and a half later, the phone rang.
A potential customer needed tens of thousands of clear apothecary jars, filled with candy, printed with a custom message, and delivered in just 28 days.
I had never handled anything even close to that size before. But thanks to that little CD, I was able to find suppliers, send pictures, and put together a quote.
The order ended up being worth approximately $250,000.
I was terrified!
Not only was it an enormous order, but I had no idea how I was going to finance it. Thankfully, the supplier worked with me and arranged to accept payment directly from the customer.
The jars were part of a time-sensitive pharmaceutical promotion during the anthrax scare, which explained the unusual urgency and messaging.
And when everything was finished, the supplier sent me a check for $45,000.
I had priced the job conservatively because I was so nervous about losing it. Looking back, I probably could have made more, but at the time, I was just grateful that I had pulled it off.
That one order taught me more than any seminar ever could.
I learned the value of having the right tools, working with good suppliers, and being willing to take on something bigger than anything I had ever done before.
And perhaps most importantly, it was the moment my husband realized that maybe this little business of mine wasn’t just a hobby after all!
Thirty years of entrepreneurship have taught me that opportunities don’t always arrive with instructions.
Sometimes you just have to answer the phone, ask questions, and figure out the next step.
