We recently had the chance to connect with Colleen Cameron and have shared our conversation below.
Colleen, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. When was the last time you felt true joy?
A month ago my son quit his full time job to come work with me. To learn the business and ultimately take over so I can retire. More on that later…
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a woman who has been married 28 years with grown, adult children. I have a thriving business and am on the edge of retirement.
I began my work in the sign industry as a means of additional income to help support my family and an avenue for my creative, artistic side. Never did I dream that 20 years later I would have built something so special that one of my children wants to follow in my footsteps. It is such pure joy to open up my professional world to my son and share this with him..
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
This is quite a compelling question. I have worked every day of my life since I was 16. I was taught a strong work ethic from my parents and that if I wanted nice things in my life I would have to work for them. Immediately out of College I began work in the corporate world. It did not take me long to figure out that I did not belong there. The long hours working to get ahead and the no dating in the workplace rules was leading me down a path different than the one I wanted for myself.
This is where I made the change to not work for someone else, but to figure out how to work for myself. I built a flower route and bought flowers direct from the grower and took them to the florists, thus eliminating the middleman (the flower mart) which allowed me to sell fresher flowers directly to the florist at a lower price to them, while also selling them at a higher price than I would have received at the flower mart.
When my kids were born I needed something I could do WITH them, so were started a Stork Sign business. I rented out 6′ tall, wood painted storks that carried a personalized keepsake bundle with the babies name, birthdate, weight and length that was placed in their yard for a week.
Eventually a full blown sign business opportunity presented itself and the rest is history. To answer your question directly. When the corporate world told me who I had to be, I carved my own path.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
About 2 years into Signs by Design, I had a scare and the wisest words of wisdom that has impacted the ways I moved forward forever. I had a couple of rough months and found myself on the verge of not being able to make payroll. I had gotten comfortable. I had immediate success and stopped pushing. Stopped working hard. The thought of losing something that I had worked so hard for AND the thought of how that loss of income would impact my family was terrifying. My first reaction was to cut costs cause thats what I did in my home when money was tight. But a wise man made me see things differently. Instead of downsizing, I needed to upsize. I needed to get out there and solicit more business. I needed to increase my income. He used an analogy with a physical display. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. He stacked them on the table in front of me and told me to “stack your nickels and dimes, they turn into dollars”. I still see this stack today and it remind me that I can never stop pushing, I can never stop working, I can never stop building relationships, I can never stop talking about my business. I need to keep stacking those nickels and dimes.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
FAMILY.
My family is everything to me. But, I want to make one thing clear. family is not determined by blood. I have children that are not my blood. I have friends that I consider family, that are not of my blood. And I consider my employees family, though not of my blood. They say it takes a village and my village is my family. I keep them tight and close.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
Probably how difficult it is for a woman in a mans world. I drive a truck. It’s a pretty sweet truck. One that men covet and admire. You should see the looks I get when I get out of it. I feel they are shocked that a woman is driving it. A sign business job requires tools and strength and qualities that that are not indicative of a woman. It is very important for me to get out on the job site and meet my potential clients. They need to meet me and see that I know what I am doing. I am often questioned by men when I am on a job site. They will pull out a tape measure or a level to double check my work. I have even had a man question my knowledge of voltage in my own shop.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clcsignsbydesign.com
- Instagram: clcsignsbydesign
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clcsignsbydesign
Image Credits
Colleen Cameron – All of the photos were taken by me.
