Amanda Wright is a passionate, energetic business owner who has been inspiring other female entrepreneurs for years. Since starting her business with Mary Kay over 14 years ago, she has become an Independent Senior Sales Director and a mentor to hundreds of women. She does all of this while being a wife and raising two extremely adorable children, Mason and Hudson. P.S. Did we mention she also had a billboard in Times Square?!
Check out Amanda’s answers below in our latest Love For Local!
Q. How long have you lived in Jefferson City?
A. 34 Years :) It’s where I was born and raised!
Q. What has been your biggest accomplishment?
A. So far, I think my biggest accomplishment would be building a team of consultants and offspring sales directors of over 300 and reaching just shy of $1 Million in retail sales in a calendar year.
Q. What made you want to start this business?
A. At the time, 14+ years ago, at the age of 19, I was just looking to make a little extra money. It definitely turned into much more than that.
Q. What’s your favorite aspect of being a local business owner in Jefferson City?
A. I think Jefferson City, in general, has a small town feel, but at the same time, it is a great opportunity for growth as a business owner. Word of mouth advertising and face to face networking are both easy and common ways to build a business in a town that isn’t massive, but at the same time, Jefferson City is large enough (and consistently growing and evolving) that in 14 years of business-I’ve never felt like I have run out of opportunities for growth or that my market was saturated.
Q. What is one thing you wish people knew about your business?
A. I think in my specific line of business, or ones like it, it’s easy for someone to have the false impression that it isn’t a “real” business. The truth is, my business operates just like any other business. I have overhead, competition, budgets, goals, a team of people to train and mentors, a real income, and a large customer base-many of which have been with me for 10+ years!
Q. Who are your mentors?
A. I’m blessed in the fact that the company in which I consult for has countless numbers of women who have gone before me and had wild success. These women, believe it or not, are very accessible and more than happy to train and mentor those of us who are where they once were. I would also say that I have mentors who I’ve actually never met and may never meet. I really spend a lot of time listening to and reading anything that I can get my hands on for self and business development. I’m currently obsessed with multiple podcasts with varying different topics-from motherhood to finance, from business topics to personality types, from social media training to marketing! When you are in business for yourself, I think it’s important to always look for ways to evolve and change with everything and everyone else. It’s incredible how much information is available these days-FREE information-because of technology and social media!
Q. What are you most thankful for when it comes to your business?
A. This is easy. I’m thankful to be able to pursue my passion and dreams daily in the ways that I want to. I’m thankful for the flexibility that owning my own business provides. It’s hard work and a lot of long hours, but because I’m in charge, I can work those hours around what is most important to me, my family.
Q. When people are seeking for a hire (your profession), what should people be looking for?
A. I think for someone to be great at what I do, they need to be ambitious, hard working, self motivated, and have a level of commitment that can sometimes be hard to find.
Q. How long have you been in business?
A. 14 ½ years.
Q. From conception to implementation, how long did it take you to start your business?
A. This is a funny question :) Because of the nature of my business, I honestly made the decision to give it a try and was in business an hour later. Now, I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but I was teachable, trainable, and coachable; thankfully I had a great recruiter who was very willing to invest time in me!
Q. What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs in our area who are wanting to start their own business?
A. I would say to be clear about why you are opening your business. What are your goals and dreams and how is this business going to help you move closer to those goals and dreams. There are going to be days in which you feel overwhelmed, scared, lost, and even like just giving up-but if you have a clear vision of your goals and dreams, you will be much more likely to keep pushing and not give up.
Q. What is the most challenging part of your job for you personally?
A. I would say the most challenging part for me is just getting it all done. As a business owner, there is a lot that only you can do. I have learned to delegate the things that don’t HAVE to be done by me. Sometimes, that means even having to hire to get it done, but if that frees you up to do the things only you can do then it’s a wise investment!
Q. Do you have any goals for your business in the near future? If so, what are they?
A. Right now, I am working very specifically and diligently on building more leaders within my organization. It requires a lot of growth and we are having a lot of fun throughout the process.
Q. Where is your favorite place for a lunch meeting?
A. Oh, this is a long list! Brick House Deli, Coffee Zone, Panera Bread, Love Sushi, Arris Bistro...I could really go on and on.
Q. How do you network with other business owners?
A. Recently, I have made a conscious effort to really reach out to other entrepreneurs, specifically female entrepreneurs in our town. I think it’s important to get to know people-especially people who are like minded and in the same arena or stage of life as you. It’s been so great to ask questions and learn more about other businesses and how the women who run them do what they do!
Q. Who is your hero?
A. I have so many people that I admire and look up to but I wouldn’t say I have a specific hero. Generally, I love to hear about someone who is passionate and hard working. Someone who takes risks and makes decisions quickly to pursue their passion. I love hearing about triumph through tribulation successes-when someone who has poured every ounce of dedication into something, even when it seemed impossible, has success in the end.
Q. Who are your biggest supporters?
A. Definitely my family, but I also feel a huge amount of support from my growing team and my customer base. It’s as if we all know what the focus and goal are and we each have a part in making that happen and we are each doing what we need to do!
Q. What do you think Jeff City needs?
A. I honestly think Jeff City is such an awesome place. I’ve never wanted to move and I honestly can’t imagine leaving. It would be great if we had more things for kids to do, such as inside attractions and activity centers!
Q. How do you get motivated?
A. I stay focused on my goals and ultimately, what I feel my purpose is. It isn’t hard for me to be motivated because I have an extreme passion for what I do!
Q. How do you feel about Mondays?
A. I absolutely love Mondays :) It’s like a fresh start with new opportunities!
Q. If you weren’t an Independent Senior Sales Director with Mary Kay what would you be doing?
A. Well, I have a bachelor’s degree in social work, but honestly I can’t imagine being a social worker. I think it’s an incredible, noble profession, but I have no idea why I thought it would be a great fit for me? I’m not really sure what I’d be doing if I didn’t have my business. I like being in control of my time and not confined to someone else’s schedule. I like having flexibility to keep my kids home a couple days a week and shutting work off during those times. I really think I would make for a horrible employee ;) so I better just stick to what I know :).
Q. What tool do you use in business that makes your life easier?
A. A good old fashioned paper datebook and my Iphone...seriously, how did we do it before iphones?
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