In 2012, I cleaned toilets with a toothbrush for $12.65 an hour. I was 27, with a 2 and a 4 year old, separated from my husband of 5 years and living in my mom’s basement.
It was humbling, to say the least. I was embarrassed, heartbroken, and had no idea what to do next.
While browsing the paper one day, I saw an ad for a “parts man.” I had researched trades, knowing there was a good paying job for me as a trade somewhere, but it had to be in town and within daycare hours. I was obsessed with buying myself and my kids a house with a yard and a big playset they could play on, but it seemed impossible. Being a “partsman” might be just my ticket to the life I was dreaming about. Maybe.
A few weeks later, I started my job as a shipper/ receiver. They had amended my job title because I had no experience and maybe partly because I was a girl, but I didn’t care. I had previously worked at CP Rail as a conductor and leaned on it heavily to get them to take me seriously and give me a chance at this job. I just needed to get my foot in the door, and I would be able to show them what I could do.
I took home the parts manual every night and memorized it. I knew what the parts were called, where they went, and what the part numbers were in a short amount of time. I begged my boss to let me answer the phone, but he wasn’t sure I was ready. Turns out I wasn’t.
On one especially taxing day, my boss was completely overwhelmed and possibly in a moment of weakness; let me take a call. The guy on the other end of the call wanted nothing to do with me. I thought I had to learn the job, but little did I know that was only half the battle. I had to earn respect in this field as a woman. No one would talk to me, let alone take me seriously. I wanted to quit. I felt like a joke.
But I had come so far, already gotten a raise, and needed this. I wanted my house, and this was my best shot at getting it anytime soon. So I took more calls. I learned how to make jokes at my own expense to keep customers on the phone and agreed that I wouldn’t want to talk to a girl either. I’d tell them my boss was on vacation. I went the extra mile and made them feel important so they might want to talk to me again.
It worked.
I got more raises. I saved 70% of my paychecks. I worked 6 days a week. I wore the same jeans for a year and a half. I became the Parts Manager. In May of 2015, I bought my house. And I got the playset. That day, I cried.
Three years later, I quit and started a consulting business helping business owners with their inventory issues. I worked when the kids were in school and had some freedom. During a conversation with a friend, she mentioned that the company she worked for had terrible social media, and I thought, hey- that’s something I should get into.
I took some courses, got some clients, and the pandemic hit. I was so busy that I begged my sister in law to help me out, just to get me through the next few months. That was 4 years ago.
Now, I am running a full-fledged digital marketing firm. My sister in law is still working with me, along with four other women.
I could have given up a long time ago. I could have told myself this was impossible. I had bad days, questioned my sanity, and had many moments where I wanted to give up, but somehow I never did.
I never took no for an answer.
I never took no for an answer, even when my challenges seemed insurmountable. I never stopped believing in myself.
Surround yourself with positive people who believe in you. When you have moments when you feel defeated, lean on them and let them help you. They will remind you of what you are made of.
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