What I do
SolTec Electronics offers strategic procurement solutions to electronic manufacturing clients around the globe. With years of industry experience, strong established relationships with a global supply chain network, and an emphasis on customer and quality focus, SolTec Electronics is the independent distributor to turn to for obsolete, long lead-time, and other hard-to-find semiconductors. SolTec Electronics works with clients to help them find solutions that help them avoid costly board redesigns, production "line down" situations and other undesirable circumstances. SolTec Electronic's business model is based on long-term customer relationships with commitment to on-time delivery, quality, service, and product expertise.
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My Story
With over 12 years of sales experience, an educational background in business & marketing, a top-ranked sales production record as an employee, and possession of strong drive, ambition, and leadership qualities, entrepreneurship just seemed like a natural fit! After working in the obsolete electronics field for 5 years at two different companies in a sales function, I decided to "take the plunge" and start my own company in 2008. (Seven months after my daughter was born, but as Seal wisely said, "you are never gonna survive unless you get a little crazy....") Feeling like the typical sales employee (only as good as your last months sales!) and still wanting a career while also spending precious time with my young daughter were huge motivating factors in starting my company. While growing a start-up company from the ground up has not always been easy, it has given me the control needed to find that work-life balance. But, above all, I am proud to be a role model and inspiration to my daughter showing her that a woman can be strong, intelligent, business-minded, caring, sweet and loving all at the same time!
- My passion:
- Family, friends, fitness, music, art, writing, learning, laughing, loving, helping others,.
- Why I started my business:
- I had a high-stress job & was feeling conflicted as a new mother. I wanted to continue my career path, but also spend lots of time with my daughter. Starting my company, while stressful at times, has given me the opportunity & flexibility to have both.
- Why I joined the M3 RACE:
- As a new business owner, I am looking forward to connecting with all the intelligent & inspiration women that are part of this group & going through similar experiences. I hope to get great advice, learn a lot, and maybe even give some advice!
- Best business advice:
- Keep your goals up! Plan, plan, plan. Have regular evaluation sessions & stay organized. Never quit wanting to learn and become better!
- My biggest challenge:
- Trying to do to much myself!! I have a lot of new duties as a CEO & wish I could spend more time making sales calls. However, being a 100% self-funded firm, slow & steady growth is part of our plan.
- What helps my business grow:
- New customers from web-site (Google leads) & Repeat business: Person-to-person selling (phone calls & email marketing), and referrals
- How I balance work/life:
- I have set work hours & set family hours that I stick too. I outsource housekeeping & part-time childcare. I make sure to set aside the time for what matters most.
- Within five years, my business will:
- I will have an office & warehouse, support staff & sales team. We will generate well over $1million in revenue!
- My professional affiliations:
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My Daily Blog
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Wow. Soooo busy & so much going on!
May 4, 2009
Just a quick update: SolTec Electronics will be bringing on-board a new VP of Operations, starting on May 13th. This is going to be huge!!! I am currently spread so thin as many business owners are & I look forward to being able to delegate a lot of my daily tasks to our new VP & allow myself to concentrate on what I do best: sales & growth!I will also have more time to stop by this site & network with some of the amazing women business owners! I just signed up for 2 webinars & will be updating our business metrics for the M3 race some time in these next couple of weeks.We also landed a great new client & closed a enormous bid that we had worked on in Q1. So, look out for a great Q2 from us!!! :D
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Last week was crazy!
February 16, 2009
So crazy that I have not had a chance to blog about it until Sunday night! So, in a nutshell, I closed a huge sale & had to place over a dozen PO's all over the world. As mentioned in my previous blog, this put a big hit on my cash flow & I started getting the ball rolling in the direction of securing additional funds for working capital. The lending world is a little bleak for new businesses right now. Accounts Receivable factoring is an option (not a preferred one) and I also have a line of credit under review at a local bank that specializes in small businesses. I was lucky to secure a personal loan from a family member that has given me the cushion I need to continue on in my business without having to slow down the sales process. I received and shipped my huge order. I also did quite a bit of research on SEO, gained some valuable insight as to why Google initially indexed a ton of my pages & then dropped them, and am now getting the ball rolling to do something about it!While all of the above is well & good, I am still lacking in one crucial area. I am a sales/marketing guru & have no time for sales & marketing. Uggggggh. This is my dilemma. Tomorrow, my main objective is to put my comfy sales hat on & get to it! Yes, my sales numbers have been good, but I want them to be GREAT! And, with my background, it just seems wrong not to focus more on selling. But, it comes with the territory with all the new hats I am wearing. I have made a goal of 1 hour of sales call a day, but have yet to maintain it. Tomorrow is the first day of a new trend.... I promise!
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A good problem to have!
February 10, 2009
Business has been going well! This past week, I have closed a couple of really nice deals from major clients. I act as a broker & am required to purchase the inventory with cash upfront. Since I give my clients Net 30 terms, the only downfall is that these nice orders have put a real crunch on my cash flow! (Not such a horrible problem to have!). So far, my company has been 100% privately funded, which I have been very proud of. (No debt!!) But, I have also known that at some point it would be necessary to borrow to see major growth. I think I'm to that point I'm making an appointment with a small business banker first thing tomorrow to discuss our funding options. Wish us luck!!
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Search Engine Optimization
February 5, 2009
After the initial installation of the SEO module on our web-site, we saw a nice spike in visitors & I even got 3 new customers that week. Unfortunately, it has since dropped off & my number of pages indexed in Google has also dropped off. (I've gotten 0 new customers in the last 3 weeks from web). Had nice chat with SEO specialist at my web/software consultant company. He is getting me set up with Google Analytics, says it is great software to really help me track traffic & to re-focus my AdWords campaign. I also need to continually work on improving web rank. This will take time since I am a new company. Will be well wotth the efforts, though.
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Ready to Get Started!
February 5, 2009
I hope to gain a lot from this experience. My business is healthy & I have seen continual growth in these past 6 months. However, since it is only me, I feel a lot of pressure & like I am stretched way too thin. With such a strong sales background, I recognize that is my strength & it is where I'd really like to be able to spend more time. That is the only way my business will grow. I am very happy that I hired a housekeeper. This is going to free up some time & hopefully relieve some stress. The goal is to bring Dave onboard in July. That means I have A LOT of work ahead of me these next 5 months. It's going to be tough, but I sure hope to pull it off!
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