Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Wiley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lisa, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I’ve always had a very strong work ethic, even as a kid. I begged my brother at age 8 to let help with his paper route so I could get half of his $10 a paycheck per week. I also moved into a new subdivision when I was 9, and I would go to all the houses that were being built to collect the beer and soda cans the workers had left during the day and return them for money.
I was babysitting by 12, and had my first “real” job at Dunkin’ Donuts at age 14. I don’t know if I can pinpoint one exact cause of where my work ethic came from, but I do know that even though my parents did fine financially, they did not give us much money growing up. We got a small allowance for helping around the house, but they did not buy us much beyond the necessities. If I wanted something, I had to find a way to make some money and buy it myself!
While I might have not loved their parenting style when I was growing up, I am so grateful for it now!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m the owner of ellembee gift, a gift manufacturer located in Highland Michigan. We are an all female company that hand screen prints funny kitchen towels, zipper pouches, and onesies.
We also manufacture other gift items such as sticky notes, stickers, list pads, notebooks, Swedish dishcloths, coasters, candles, wine glasses and cocktail napkins.
We’ve been in business for 15 years, and love coming up with new funny products and sayings that keep our customers laughing! We can be found in over 4,000 gift shops in the US, Canada, and Europe, as well as on our website, www.ellembeegift.com
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think my biggest quality that’s been most impactful for my journey is that I never stop hustling! In the beginning when I started my company, and still to this day, I’ll do whatever it takes to make my company successful. Whether that’s working 90 hours a week in the beginning, or taking a 50% pay cut during Covid so I could keep my staff employed, I do what’s necessary to keep the business afloat.
I also think my willingness to learn has gotten me really far. When I first started my company, I had only done screen printing one time in textile design class in college. I knew the very basics, but that’s it. I taught myself how to screen print by watching youtube videos, and through lots of trial and error. I’ve taken many college courses at my local community college on business, accounting, graphic design; anything that I think will help grow my business. I also attend as many free in-person and virtual business seminars that I can.
Lastly, I surround myself with mentors, coaches, and people smarter than me! There are so many free resources out there for small business owners, or even people interested in starting a small business but don’t know where to start. I have an amazing coach that I found from Michigan’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The SBDC is a free service (paid by your tax dollars!) and my coach’s expertise has helped me in countless ways! One of my old professors from a class I took at community college is always checking in on me and giving me advice. Even my local banker has been a help, and my brother who also owns a business has always been there for me to bounce ideas off of. Lastly, my team is made up of some of the smartest and creative women I know! We love to brainstorm together and come up with ways to make our company better and better.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
We just bought our first building in May, after renting for the last 15 years. While we desperately needed to move into a bigger space, the initial cost of getting the building build out to our standards has been very costly.
Now, more than ever we are having to be very careful with our cash flow and expenses, since we are now juggling the costs of the building renovation with the costs of running the day to day operation.
I know in the end that buying the building will have been a smart move, but the initial part of this growth phase has been a challenge and one I am constantly learning from.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ellembeegift.com
- Instagram: @ellembeegift
- Facebook: @ellembeegift
